Little Moments
by ReeseHolden
Summary: A collection of one-shots that show the missing moments from Nathan and Haley's life. A culmination of events, birthdays, holidays, the college years, and other random moments. New readers welcomed. Get your Naley fix here! Please Review.
1. When the World Turns Gray

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 1: When the World Turns Gray**

**A/N: So guys this is my first fic. I am a huge Nathan and Haley fan, like huge, and I have always wanted to know how they handle certain things that as viewers we missed or will miss. Holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, random moments that I feel like we should or should have had the chance to see. Things ranging from the past ,to the present, and to the future. So I figured why not have a fic about it, and why not write it myself. It is basically going to be a collection of one-shots mashed together. Now I am not really a writer so please review with your opinions both good or bad as well as requests. What do y'all want to see. I have a few more chapters in mind but let me know what you want in a review and I'll add it to the list of scenarios. So thanks for taking the time to read this and please review. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

It started like any other morning at the Scott house. Haley was still in bed not wanting to get out of the plush covers that currently wrapped around her small frame, and Nathan was going through his normal routine in the bathroom.

As Haley rolled over, the warm sunlight hit her face and she couldn't help but think about how quiet Nathan was being. No running water, no toilet flushing, or the faint buzz of his electric razor. She sat up in bed and called out his name.

"Nathan? Nathan, honey are you okay in there?"

He didn't answer and she became a little worried at his quietness. She pushed the covers off her body and slowly got up. She crept towards the bathroom not knowing what to expect. Standing in front of the mirror she saw Nathan looking sternly back at himself with his fingers in his hair. At first she found it a little funny that her husband was looking so intently at himself until she realized why he was so close to the mirror. She walked up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders and rested her cheek on his back.

"You know it happens to everyone." She spoke quietly running her hands over his shoulders.

Still silent and oblivious to the fact that she was expecting a response, Nathan kept picking through his hair.

"Just think. You won't have any of the young girls hit on you anymore." Haley let out a laugh but quickly became aware that this was a serious matter in Nathan's eyes.

Again no response. No quick laugh at her previous joke, or a mere shoulder shrug, nothing. Haley rubbed her hands from his shoulders down his arms and it was then that he acknowledged her presence. Nathan turned around so he was facing her and she could tell that he was visibly upset.

"I'm not even thirty five yet, Hales. At this rate I'm gonna be white headed by the time I'm forty. They just popped up. I didn't notice them yesterday." His face crinkled with worry and he stared back to Haley.

"Honey, it's fine. A couple gray hairs are not going to be the end of the world." Trying to reassure her husband that everything was going to be okay, Haley tried to be the voice of reason.

"Yeah well just wait till the guys start giving me a hard time about it."

"Oh they won't care. They might say a few things at first but I guarantee you that it will happen to them too. Luke already has a little gray in his beard even though he says that it's blonde. We all know in reality it's gray." Haley laughed as she thought about Lucas' graying facial hair.

Nathan gave Haley a pleading look. He knew that she was trying to help him, but the simple fact was that his hair changing was scary to him. Noticing that her remarks about Luke failed to change his demeanor, Haley looked up to Nathan and playfully teased.

"And besides, I think you'll look sexy sporting the salt and pepper look."

He couldn't help but smile at her last comment. She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes.

"Really it is nothing to worry about. I mean I'd bet I have a few here and there, it just comes with the territory of getting older. We've been together nearly twenty years and I think you look just as good now as you did then."

Nathan realized that he was being a little silly for worrying about the sudden color change of a few hairs and reached for Haley's hand.

"Twenty years huh?"

"Almost, and I really don't care if your hair turns white tomorrow or if it all falls out. I won't care if you turn out to be as baled as Whitey was, I won't. As long as you are a good husband and a good father nothing else matters."

He smiled and leaned down and kissed her softly. Haley smiled as their lips parted.

"But you know, if you really wanted to change it. You could always go for a new endorsement deal. Former NBA star, Nathan Scott as the new face of Just for Men…I can see it now." Laughing she hugged him tighter.

"Ha ha very funny." He knew she was kidding but the idea of endorsing Just for Men had him laughing. "I think I'll leave that to someone else. Besides you think its sexy right?"

Haley looked up and nodded. "Very sexy."

So to say that this was any normal day at the Scott's would be accurate. Aside from Nathan's new found gray hairs the fact was that they did this every morning. They were nearly two decades into their marriage and Nathan and Haley had never been more in love. Seemingly, time had changed them from their young vibrant selves but was time necessarily a bad thing? To Nathan and Haley time was a friend, and they welcomed it with open arms.

It started out like any other morning in the Scott house…and ended like every morning in the Scott house.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there was the first chapter. It just came to me one day and I thought that it was kind of a cute situation. Should I continue? If there will be a next chapter if anyone is dying to see something I'll write what you want, or try to. *Update: 4/18/10, for those of you who are reading this as new readers: Welcome a board! The next fifty plus chapters are much longer and include Nathan and Haley's kids, chapters about family outings, missing college moments, holiday themed ones, and the all important jealous Nathan chapters! Overall, the age ranges from when Naley are 16 to somewhere around 52 so far, so if you don't like them at this age, I'm sure you can find a chapter with the age you do like. And if you're worried that this was too short, don't be, the chapters get much longer as the story continues; and I apologize upfront for grammatical/spelling errors, I don't always catch every thing. Thanks again for reading this. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Review please**


	2. Mama's Boy

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 2: Mama's Boy**

**Disclaimer: I forgot this last chapter, but obviously I don't own anything. Mark is the genius behind it all, I'd just like to take credit for my attempt at creativity. **

**A/N: Hey guys thanks for the feedback on the first chapter. I know it was short but there is only so much you can write about gray hair. This one is a bit longer. Tutorgrrl102 brought up a good point about wanting background information My thoughts on that: some stories will have background info including everyone's age, how many kids they have and what not, but some of the stories just don't need it. Last chapter I felt like the mention of kids was really not all that necessary for a chapter about Nathan finding gray hair. I may be wrong though. Some of you may have liked for me to have added that but have no fear there will be stories that include more details in chapters to come. So enough with my rant, here's the newest chapter. Enjoy!**

**Oh yeah, the italics represent the flasback.**

**OTHOTH**

It was 6:00 in the morning and Nathan could already smell the fresh pot of coffee brewing. Habitually he reached over for Haley and ran his hand over the cool vacant sheets. He knew that she must already be downstairs since today was a big day at the Scott house.

Rolling out of bed Nathan grabbed a t-shirt and fumbled with the soft material as he walked out of their bedroom. When he reached the top of the stairs he could here something sizzling and guessed it was bacon considering it was Jamie's favorite. He approached the kitchen to find Haley already dressed and ready for the day. Her hair was up, make-up applied, earrings on, and a creamy apron tied around her waist.

"Oh come on." Haley was currently standing on her tip toes trying to reach the top shelf of their oversized fridge. "Who the hell puts the eggs on top?" Huffing and puffing Haley was clearly annoyed at her current predicament.

Nathan stood there watching his wife struggle, smiling cause he had a great view. After seeing Haley nearly jumping for the eggs he decided he should probably help her out. Nathan walked up behind Haley and reached up to the top without a problem. "You know if you needed help you could have asked." He playfully teased.

Rolling her eyes she replied,"I didn't know you were there. Why did you put the eggs on top you know I can't reach." Haley raised her eyes to question Nathan's motives.

"Cause I like to watch." Smiling he let out a small laugh and leaned down to kiss her sweetly. "Good morning Haley."

"Morning." Haley replied and grabbed a coffee cup trading him the eggs for it.

"You got up early." Nathan quietly spoke. It was still early and he didn't want to wake Jamie up, though he was surprised that the little guy hadn't already run down the stairs.

"Yeah well, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." She put her hand on her head. "I just want today to be perfect for him."

Nathan walked over to Haley and ran his hands over her arms. "You gotta stoop worrying Hales. He'll be fine. He was so excited last night. I'm surprised he ever went to sleep. And he's your son you know, and you loved school."

"But you didn't." Haley sneered.

"I didn't not like it, I just wasn't good at it. Well until you came along." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "He'll be fine, I promise."

Haley leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Thanks, I needed that."

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower and then I'll wake up the boy and bring him down to his...." Nathan looked around and noticed the plethora of food Haley had made. "...feast."

"I put his...."

"I know, I know. You laid his clothes out last night. I saw them." Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at his wife. She was so nervous about today and he knew that this was a big deal, but she made it a quite entertaining.

**OTHOTH**

As Nathan finished buttoning up his shirt he found himself staring at the pictures on the dresser. There was one picture in particular that stood out. It was a picture of the whole gang in their high school graduation robes. That was certainly a day he would never forget. Haley had gone into labor right in the middle of her valedictory speech and it was then that his life would forever change. Looking at the picture made him realize that he was in school a short time ago and now his son was about to begin. He sighed thinking about the time that had flown by.

Walking into Jamie's room he couldn't help but stare at his sleeping boy. Jamie was small for his age but he had a heart as big as anyone Nathan knew. Just watching Jamie's small chest rise and fall filled his own heart with pride and joy. It wasn't often that Nathan got emotional but today was different. He went over to Jamie's bed, and sat down.

"Hey buddy. It's time to wake up." Nathan ran smooth circles along Jamie's back trying to lure him from his sleep. "C'mon Jimmy Jam it's your first day of school, and I know you don't want to be late. Mom made your favorite. Bacon and Pancakes!"

With that Jamie opened his eyes. "Bacon?"

"Yeah bud, and if you don't get up Chester is gonna eat it all." Ruffling his son's hair Nathan couldn't help but laugh at his own joke.

Jamie shot out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Nathan smiled as he listened to Jamie rummage around the bathroom. He was only five but this five year old, his five year old was so independent it scared him a little. Jamie spotted the outfit he and Haley picked out and started to undress as Nathan watched amusingly.

Nathan glanced at Jamie all dressed and ready when he noticed that something was a little off. "Alright Jamie let's run through the check list. Pants?"

"Check." Jamie smiled, knowing he even fastened his button correctly.

"Socks?"

"Check." Jamie was triumphant in every 'check' he said and was incredibly proud that he had gotten dressed on his own.

"Shoes?"

"Check, and look Dad, they are on the right foot." Picking up one of his feet he wiggled it showing of his success.

Noticing a lose lace on Jamie's shoe Nathan intervened, "Hold on champ, let me tie that one a little better I don't want you tripping down the stairs." Jamie lifted his foot onto Nathans thigh and let his father methodically pull the bunny ear through the hole. "So what's next? Oh um shirt?"

"Check"

"You sure there? You might want to check again." Nathan raised his brow letting Jamie know that there seemed to be a dilemma.

Confused Jamie looked down at his shirt and found no problem. His head was coming out of of the top and his arms in the the right sleeves. It wasn't until Jamie stepped by the mirror that he noticed his mistake, it was on inside out. "Whoops."

"Alright arms up. Let's get this shirt right side in before you go downstairs."

Jamie lifted his arms as Nathan pulled Jamie's shirt off. When both Nathan and Jamie were content with the little guy's outfit, Jamie grabbed his Spider-Man backpack and ran for the stairs.

"Whoa, don't run. You'll fall!"

**OTHOTH**

"Morning Mama. Daddy said you made bacon and pancakes!" Pumping his fist in the hair he couldn't help but show his enthusiasm toward his favorite morning meal.

"Morning baby. Yep, Today is a big day and I wanted you to have a hearty breakfast." Haley placed a heaping pile of food in front of Jamie and poured him a glass of orange juice."Are you excited about today?"

"Uhm huh." He had crammed a giant bite of pancakes in his mouth and his response was limited so he nodded.

In a playful tone Haley's eyes grew large and she smiled brightly, "You're going to have so much fun."

Nathan walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plate for himself and sat next to Jamie. As he ate he realized that Haley was basically staring at Jamie so he waved his hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Hales."

"Hey sorry, I was just thinking."

Crinkling his brow and taking a bite of bacon he asked, "Oh yeah, about what?"

"When he took his first steps." Haley's eyes were glossed over and she was clearly reminiscing about Jamie's days as a toddler.

"_Hales? You here?" Nathan opened the door to the house he shared with Haley, Jamie, and Lucas._

"_Nathan?, Nathan! Come here quick. I think he's about to take his first steps!" She sounded frantic but excited as well._

"_What? Where are you?" Concerned he dropped his bag and walked towards the sound of her voice._

"_The living room." Haley called out in a sing song voice. "Hurry!"_

_Nathan rounded the corner and saw Jamie standing up right holding on to the coffee table._

"_Jamie, hey buddy. Come here." Nathan kneeled down and reached out for Jamie. _

_Haley grabbed the camera hoping to get a shot of Jamie's first steps. As Jamie let go of the table and reached out for Nathan, he began to sway back and forth. Nathan moved a little bit closer afraid Jamie might fall backwards. With the camera by her side Haley bit her lip, praying that he would walk while they were both home. Nathan reached out again to Jamie and the little boy grabbed a hold of one of Nathan's fingers and started to walk. Haley squealed and Nathan smiled wide. Nathan knew that he needed to let go of Jamie's hand for it to really count so he did._

"_Hales. Haley look. He's doing it!" Crouched in front of his son, Nathan laughed at the sight. His son was walking._

"_I know. I know. He's really doing it." Haley snapped a few quick shots and shook her head in awe._

_It was only about four or five steps but Jamie did it all by himself. Once he made his way to Nathan completely his father scooped him up and hugged him tight._

"_You did it buddy. You walked all by yourself." Nathan kissed Jamie's forehead and was amazed by his little boy. _

_Haley stood their, frozen in the moment. Her son had just walked for the first time and she didn't know what to think. She was happy he took his first steps. But a part of her was sad. He was growing up and she couldn't do anything to stop it. After seeing Nathan's reaction and Jamie giggling in Nathan's arms, Haley decided that this was definitely a good thing. She blinked back the tears thinking how fast he had grown and what other firsts she was going to get to see. If they were anything like this she couldn't wait._

Haley's thoughts were interrupted when Nathan called out. "Hales you ready? Jamie's already in the car."

"Yeah. Let's go." Taking a swig of her orange juice she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

**OTHOTH**

An extremely excited Jamie jumped out of the car as soon as Nathan put in in park. Nathan quickly hurried out to make sure Jamie didn't run in the parking lot. Still sitting in the car, Haley folded down the visor of the passenger seat and checked her make-up in the mirror. "You can do this", she told herself, with a few quick words of encouragement and a deep breath she opened the door.

Jamie held on to both Nathan and Haley's hands as they entered the school and when they got to Jamie's classroom Haley bent down to Jamie.

"Have a good time buddy." She hugged Jamie and ran her hand through his hair. "We will both be here to pick you up right at 2:45." Once more she hugged her son not wanting to let go. It wasn't until Nathan cleared his throat that Haley let him go. "We love you."

"Love you too. Bye Mama. Bye Daddy." Nathan patted Jamie's shoulder and offered Haley a hand to get back up.

Nathan could tell Haley was getting upset so he squeezed her hand and led her outside the school. As soon as the warm August breeze swept through her hair she raised her hand to her quivering chin trying to stop the inevitable. Her attempt to stay brave failed and big, fat, salty tears radiated from Haley's eyes that she couldn't seem to stop. Nathan pulled her into the side of his body while she sobbed. He could feel her body shake as she wept. She rested her head on his chest when her cries subsided and Nathan tucked a stray hair behind her ears.

"Baby, he's going to be fine. Did you see how excited he was?" Nathan looked down at his wife whose mascara was now running down her cheeks. He rubbed his thumb across the stream of tears trying to ease her pain.

In between sniffles Haley replied, "It's just hard."

Turning her body so she was facing him he looked down and kissed her forehead. "He's still your son and you're always going to be his mom." Smiling he added, "Always and forever." She looked up and smiled at his use of their catch phrase. "Just because he is in school doesn't mean he won't need you anymore. He's gonna want you to help him with his homework, and he is still gonna run to _you_ when he gets hurt. He loves you Haley. I love you." He ran his hand over the top her her head and pulled her close.

She didn't know how he could be so strong in such a sad moment, and Haley was sure she had never seen him act more sincere. She looked up and all she saw was comfort. He knew she was taking it pretty hard, but with a few words and the way he looked into her eyes her worries melted away. She found a comfort in those familiar baby blues.

"God the way you look at me sometimes." She glanced up and kissed him softly.

He knew all the right things to say. Even if her heart was breaking because her little boy was growing up, having Nathan by her side made it all okay.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there's the second chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. Anything in particular y'all want to see next? Reviews are sincerely appreciated! **


	3. Summer Day

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 3: Summer Day**

**Disclaimer: All credit belongs to the creators of OTH, wish I was among them.**

**A/N: Again I can not say thank you enough to everyone who has reviewed, alerted and or favorited this story. It really means a lot. A big shout out to those who have sent me ideas about what they want to see next, you know who you are. Hopefully I can write them all to your liking! IMPORTANT: this chapter contains a new character! It takes place in the future where you will find Nathan and Haley not only have Jamie but a daughter as well. Enjoy.**

Haley sat quietly on the porch of the beach house and sipped her coffee slowly. The weather was perfect and in a little while both of her children and husband were bound to wake up. She enjoyed the quiet and stillness of the summer breeze and the faint sounds of the waves crashing onto shore. There had always been something about the beach that made her smile. Maybe it was because of the time she threw up on Dan, or the fact that she and Nathan's first wedding took place just over the dunes. She didn't know, all she knew was that she loved it here. Gathering up the blanket that lay splayed across her lap she returned inside to find Jamie rummaging through the fridge.

"Hey Jamie, I was going to make breakfast." She set her coffee cup in the sink and pulled her hair into a loose bun.

"Nah it's okay. I want to eat quick and head down to the water." Jamie reached into the cabinet and grabbed three bowls, three spoons, and sat them on the counter.

"You planning on eating the whole box there? Mister three bowls." Haley looked at her growing son. In the last few years she could have sworn that he had grown almost a foot and a half. Her little boy was not so little anymore. He was 10, double digits, and soon he would tower over her like his father did.

"No, ones for you, and the other is for Dad." Jamie said matter-of-factly. Looking in another cabinet he frowned when he didn't see what he was looking for. "Mom, where is Charlotte's bowl?

"It's in the dishwasher." Haley walked over and pulled out what he wanted. She handed it to Jamie who put it next to the others. The simple fact that he was 'preparing' breakfast for his family was heartwarming.

Haley turned around when she heard footsteps behind her. Nathan entered carrying Charlotte who was curled up on her father's chest. Her brown hair messy and tangled, and her eyes were semi open allowing Haley to only see specks of her big brown eyes. Haley moved towards Nathan and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"Morning."

"Morning." He replied back.

Haley ran her hand over Charlotte's back and spoke to her 2 ½ year old daughter. "Hey baby. Did Daddy wake you up?" She looked up teasingly at Nathan who shook his head. Nathan passed Charlotte off to her mom and headed for the food.

"What'd ya make Jame, anything special." Nathan raised his eye brows and laughed.

"Uhm yeah, the Cap'n Crunch special." I got you a bowl out. Jamie passed Nathan the box of cereal and took a seat at the bar.

"You know, your mom loves snarfing down Cap'n Crunch watching Saturday morning cartoons." He looked over to Haley who smiled and rolled her eyes. After he finished pouring himself and Haley both bowls of cereal he leaned against the counter and ate the deliciousness that was...Cap'n Crunch.

"Alright I'm done. Can we go outside now?" Jamie ran his arm over his mouth and eagerly looked at his parents.

"Hold your horses there Jamie, you've got to let your food settle, put on your bathing suit, sunscreen, and help your dad carry everything out ." Haley was feeding Charlotte her breakfast while simultaneously trying to eat her own.

"Oh alright." Jamie sighed. He solemnly walked towards his room to change clothes.

Nathan laughed at his son's sudden change in demeanor. "He's not so excited now."

**OTHOTH**

Dragging the cooler down the pier Jamie stopped shy of the stairs wondering how he should handle the situation. Carry it and probably fall over, or slide it down and hope it doesn't tump over spilling all their drinks and snacks into the sand. He certainly didn't want to eat sandy goldfish so he tried picking it up. With both hands he clutched the side and took a step forward.

"Hold on there bud, you don't want to fall face first down the stairs do you?" Jamie looked up and saw his dad approaching. Nathan traded Jamie the bag of sand toys for the cooler and they made their way towards to water.

"This good?" Jamie pointed to the ground holding the umbrella.

"Yeah it'll be fine. Make sure you get it in deep so it doesn't fly away."

Nathan put down their other things and turned back toward the house. He saw Haley at the top of the stairs and he couldn't help but stare at his wife and daughter. Haley was wearing a simple black tan-kini with sunglasses. While Charlotte was in a lime green bathing suit accompanied with a white beach hat. Watching Haley move through the sand, the way her hips swayed, the way her hair blew in the wind, he was certain she was the sexiest woman on the entire beach.

"Hey, thanks for putting everything up." She sat Charlotte on the blanket spread out under the shade. Searching through her bag she found the sunscreen and tossed it to Nathan. "Will you put some on me?"

"Yeah, sure," He certainly wasn't going to deny the opportunity to rub down his wife. He opened the top and with a lovely noise sounding much like a fart, the lotion came out.

"Dad!" Jamie turned towards Nathan and made a gross face.

"Wha.? That wasn't me. I swear." He looked completely dumbfounded.

Haley stood there laughing but finally nudged Nathan to go ahead and apply the sunscreen. His hands moved from her shoulders down her back and he traced those two small numbers permanently marked on her skin. She shivered at his touch and turned to face him. He continued to apply the sunscreen running his fingers over the tops of her shoulder and moved them down her sides. Holding firmly on her hips he leaned towards her and kissed her forehead. She was about to say something but he interrupted.

"Hales,why are you wearing this? You know you look so much better in an actual bikini." He tugged on the hem of her top and arched his brow.

"I don't know, cause I don't have the body I used too. After two kids my figure hasn't exactly stayed in perfect form." She glanced down in embarrassment.

"What? Are you kidding? You're beautiful." He kissed her softly and stared long and hard into her eyes.

She smiled shyly and kissed him back. "You know, you always say the right thing."

Laughing he replied, "I know."

Haley rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm. She knelt down to Charlotte and started playing in the sand with her small daughter. Jamie grabbed the football and tossed it towards his dad. Too bad for Nathan he wasn't paying attention and the ball struck him square in the back.

"Ow, Jamie, what was that for?"

"Come on Dad, let's see your football skills." Jamie ran towards the water hoping his dad would throw him a 30 yard pass. Nathan had never been particularly great at football, most of his time was devoted to basketball but football was one thing Jamie really enjoyed. Not that Jamie didn't follow in dad's footsteps, it was just, he was a multiple sport athlete and it was kind of hard to play basketball on the beach.

Haley watched Jamie run slants and try and tackle his father which was a sight to see considering Nathan was at least a hundred and twenty pounds heavier. Haley covered her mouth when Jamie finally took Nathan down. They both emerged from the sand covered head to toe.

"You're going down now." Nathan leaped towards Jamie and scooped him up walking towards the water. Though Jamie was far to old to be carried and too heavy Nathan was certainly going to pay him back.

"No! Dad it's gonna be freezing!" Wrestling from his father's grip, Jamie tried to get away, but Nathan was not going to let that happen.

Nathan was thigh deep when he saw an approaching wave. Right when the wave crested he tossed Jamie and went under himself. Surfacing he saw Jamie laughing and swimming towards him.

"It's actually not that cold." Jamie said surprised.

"I know, now we just gotta figure out how to get your mom in." Smirking he and Jamie devised a plan.

**OTHOTH **

"Mom will you hand me a drink please?" Jamie walked towards the umbrella and reached for a towel.

"How was the water?" Haley gave Jamie his Gatorade and looked out across the ocean.

"Not too bad. I think..." He was cut off when Nathan interrupted.

"You should get in Hales, it feels pretty good." He grabbed his towel and ran it over his face.

"I don't know, I'm not really a fan of the whole cold water thing." Shaking her head she looked back towards the water.

"Well if you won't go, I'm gonna take Charlotte." Nathan picked Charlotte up and headed towards the waves.

"What, wait, Nathan she's too little to get in." Haley nearly jumped out of her chair chasing after Nathan. She caught up to him right as his feet hit the water. "Nathan, don't she's little and I don't want her to be scared."

"Do you want to get in Charlotte?" Nathan tilted Charlotte's hat up to see her face.

"Yes!" The very enthusiastic little girl responded.

"See, she wants to Haley it's fine. Now come with me." Holding Charlotte in one hand and reaching for Haley with the other he gave Haley a pleading look.

"Yeah come on Mom!" Jamie ran up from behind her and dove into the surf.

Charlotte giggled at her brother's actions and called out for Haley. "Mama, swim!"

How could she say no to that. She didn't, and grabbed Nathan's free hand and waded into the water. She reached around his side each time a wave passed so she wouldn't get knocked over. The waves weren't necessarily large but she was so short that she had a hard time trying to stay above the water. Holding onto both of the girls Nathan braced himself as a larger waved crashed onto them. Charlotte laughed and kicked and when he turned to Haley she was gone. Apparently she had disappeared under the water. Scared she might not be alright he frantically searched the surface looking for any signs of his wife. He heard laughing coming from behind him and saw her. She was standing with Jamie about 20 yards away.

"That was awesome!" Jamie yelled.

Haley laughed ran her hands over her face. "Yeah, and I so went further than you."

"What. No way Mom. Did you see how far I went?" Jamie was in denial that his mom out body surfed him.

Nathan maneuvered toward his wife and son. "Sorry bud, but I think your mom beat you."

Haley smirked at Jamie who put had crossed him arms. "Wanna go again?"

He certainly was not going to let it happen again. "You're on!"

Nathan watched as Haley and Jamie swam to where the waves broke and pointed so Charlotte could spot them. Jamie found their wave and when it was about to break both he and Haley dove forward. It was a close one and when Jamie got up he was sure he had won this time.

"I don't know Jamie." He turned to Charlotte ad asked the young girl. "What do you think Charlotte? Who won? Mom or Jamie?"

Looking back in forth between her big brother and mom, Charlotte had made up her mind. "Mama!"

Jamie shook his head but he wasn't going to be a poor sport. If he new anything about a good competition, it was that someone always had to lose. Haley did a cute little victory dance and walked toward Nathan and Charlotte.

"So I won." She smiled brightly. "I think that is the only semi athletic thing I have ever won in my life. "Spelling bees don't count right?"

Laughing Nathan shook his head. "Definitely not."

**OTHOTH**

About 15 minutes later Nathan had successfully created a hole large enough Jamie could sit in. Grabbing a small orange shovel he showed Charlotte how to dump sand on her brother.

"We're gonna bury Jamie. Look, watch me Charlotte." Nathan used his shovel and poured the sand on Jamie. The little girl followed her father's direction and found a great joy in plunking the sand on Jamie.

"Oh no Charlotte, don't do that." Haley frowned as she saw Charlotte drop some sand on Jamie's head.

Nathan started laughing which caused Charlotte to giggle as well. Jamie scrunched his eyes and blinked a few times. "Charlotte!" He spit a couple times trying to get the sand that had landed in his mouth out.

At that point he was buried up to his chest with his arms and legs covered. He tried to wiggle free but the pressure from the sand made it hard to move. Struggling Jamie started rocking back and forth trying to bust free. And then it was as if he turned into the Hulk. One arm busted through the sand and the other followed shortly. He jumped up and ran towards the ocean.

Charlotte ran after her brother and Haley gasped. "Nathan hurry get her!"

Nathan looked over to Haley and shook his head. "Hales, she's fine. Jamie's with her. He won't let anything happen to her." He smiled and glanced back towards the kids.

Charlotte had made her way to Jamie where he was standing ankle deep holding his arms out for her. "Come on Charlotte." Grasping both her hands, he lifted her in and out of the water as the waves crashed down.

Both Jamie and Charlotte were having a blast. Jamie made funny noises when her feet hit the water and Charlotte laughed and screeched in delight. Haley grabbed her bag and searched for the camera. Snapping a few photos she stared at her children. Jamie and Charlotte were now walking towards her hand in hand. The little girl climbed on Nathan and rested her head on his broad chest. That little girl was so tightly wrapped around his finger and he loved it.

**OTHOTH**

Right around 8:30pm Haley had gotten Charlotte to sleep and found Nathan and Jamie sitting in the living room watching Sports Center. It seemed to be the only show they ever watched. Haley had seen it so many times that she had memorized nearly all of the anchors names and nicknames. Both Nathan and Jamie sat in the same position. Elbows on their knees, slightly hunched over, and their blue eyes glued to the screen. It was pretty ridiculous as to how similar they were. Aside from Jamie's lighter hair, he was practically a mini Nathan.

Haley walked out on the porch and leaned against the railing. She had basically done the same thing this morning, but this time the sky had changed from the pale blue to a dark indigo. There were plenty of stars out and she could see the waves' white foam crash on shore. The roar of the ocean seemed louder at night but it was actually a very soothing sound. She closed her eyes thinking about how much fun she had today when she heard the door shut behind her.

"Out here all by yourself?" Nathan walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

"Not anymore. Did Jamie go to bed?"

"Yeah, he's had a busy day. I think all the sun and running around wore him out."

"Charlotte too, she was out like a light." Smiling thinking about her two sleeping children Haley turned to face Nathan. "Today was great."

"Today was great." He leaned down and kissed her.

"You know what I was thinking about his morning?"

What?" He tucked a hair behind her ear.

"Remember all those years ago when I threw up on Dan?" She laughed and he contorted his face

"Yeah, highlight of my year." He laughed and shook his head. "Kidding. Highlight of that year... marrying you."

She ran her palm over his cheek and into his hair. "I love you." Standing on her tip toes Haley kissed Nathan once more.

There was definitely something she loved about the beach and she had figured it out. It wasn't the weather, or the sunset, or anything like that, it was simply that Nathan was always there with her. Always and forever.

**A/N: So Nathan and Haley have a little girl. Adorable right? I think it's about time for Nathan and Haley to have another baby on the show, anyone else agree? Alright so chapter 3 is complete. Let me know what y'all think. My review count went down last chapter and that was a little disappointing so please leave me your thoughts. And as unusual if you have a request, I'll be sure to add it to my list. Thanks for reading! **


	4. I Love the Rain the Most

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 4: I Love the Rain the Most**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...boo!**

**A/N: Again I can't thank you all enough for the reviews. Holy cow I got 10 last chapter! The more I get the more inspired I seem to get. No joke. So here is; a little chapter as a present from me to you. Keep up the awesome reviewing and you'll get another chapter ASAP! This one is a little more Nathan and Haley based. Enjoy!**

OTHOTH

Brooke was tucking Jamie in bed when the telephone rang. "I wonder who that is?" She sarcastically asked the very sleepy 6 year old.

"Daddy! He always calls after his games." Jamie sat straight up in bed and reached for the phone.

Brooke handed the house phone to the little boy whose face lit up as soon as he heard the voice on the other line.

"Hey Jimmy Jam." Nathan's voice bellowed through the small speaker.

"I saw the whole game Dad. You played great. 14 points and 8 assists. I counted!" Jamie couldn't hide the excitement in his voice and a smile overtook his face.

"Ha yeah, well Seattle has a pretty tight defense but I managed to score a few." Nathan couldn't help but chuckle at his son's knowledge of his game stats. "How was your day? Did you do anything fun?"

"Well, Aunt Brooke picked me up from school and took me to get ice-cream and told me not to tell Mama." Jamie widened his eyes and glanced over at Brooke who had her hands on her hips and shook her head. Changing the subject, Jamie added,"school was fun, we did jump ropes today in gym and I did twenty three in a row without messing up."

"Twenty three huh?" Nathan smirked, his mind instantly flew to the importance of that number and a particular version of those digits came to mind. "Hey, put your mom on the phone will you?"

"She's not here. Aunt Brooke is babysitting me." Jamie saw Brooke move towards his bed and signal for the phone. "She wants to talk to you, but I'll see you in a week right? You'll be home then?"

"Of course. We play the Celtics at home so I'll be in North Carolina soon." Nathan felt a lump form in his throat. He loved playing with the Bobcats but their were certain drawbacks that made him question it all together. Being away from the ones he loved was one of them.

There was a silence for a few seconds until Jamie spoke again. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too Jamie. I'll call you tomorrow."

Jamie handed the phone to Brooke who kissed him on the forehead, pulled the covers up to his chest, and turned out the lights. Walking towards the living room of Nathan and Haley's new house she put the phone to her ear.

"Hey Nate."

"Hey Brooke. Where's Haley?" He sounded a little worried and confused as to why Brooke was watching Jamie.

"Oh you know, making the rounds at the Tree Hill bars. You'd never guess how many guys flock to her when her husband's not around." She couldn't help but laugh at her attempt to crack a joke.

"I'll bet. That girl has a way about her." Nathan knew Brooke was only kidding so he played right along.

"Well she ran out for a bit but you can probably catch her on her cell." Brooke knew that Nathan would instantly call Haley so she left their conversation at that.

"Okay, I'll do that." Nathan and Brooke said their goodbyes and before he called Haley, Nathan dialed room service. After speaking with Jamie a sudden feeling of homesickness rushed over him, and he thought some food would make it better. Prime rib and macaroni and cheese to be more precise.

OTHOTH

Haley was waving for a taxi when her phone started to vibrate. Knowing instantly that it was her husband she smiled.

"Hey baby? How did you play?" Haley asked as she slipped into the cab.

"Alright. But enough about me. How are you? I know these long road trips are always hard on you." He grimaced thinking about his time away from his family.

Nathan knew that the last three months had been really crazy. Haley and Jamie had come to nearly all of his home games in Charlotte but they couldn't go with him to every other city. They went with him to Dallas when he played away for the first time, but after that, with Jamie in school it got harder and harder for them to make the trips.

"Uhm better. I think I've gotten used to sleeping by myself." She let out a heavy breath. She didn't want to make him feel bad but it was the truth. Even when he was in North Carolina, Charlotte was 3 ½ hours away so when the season started they didn't realize how much time they would spend apart.

"Hales, I'm sorry." He rubbed his hand over his face, idea of Haley having to be by herself trying to raise their son alone was killing him.

"Nathan I'm okay. We're okay." Haley looked out of the car's window and noticed the sky had a gray haze over it. It looked like rain, a situation she was very familiar with.

They continued their small chat about Tree Hill and what everyone was up to. It wasn't until Haley's phoned beeped that she realized her battery was about to die.

"Oh Nathan that's my battery I gotta go, I call you tomorrow, I lo..." The line when silent.

Nathan finished Haley's line for her. "I love you."

Leaning back on his bed he was starting to wish he had never ordered the room service. Nothing was going to change or help the fact that the two most important people in his life were hurting because he was away.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie had been asleep for about an hour when Haley called. Brooke had made herself comfortable on the couch watching a Lifetime movie when she heard the phone.

"Hey Brooke, how's Jamie. Did he get to sleep alright?" Haley knew that Jamie loved Brooke but since neither his mom or dad were there she just wanted to check on him.

"He's fine Tutor-mom. Go have your fun."

"Are you sure, I know this was last minuet but..."

"Yes! Every thing is fine. I know that you keep the cereal in the pantry next to the goldfish. The first aid-kit is in the third drawer to the right of the fridge, and I'm pretty sure I can remember how to dial 911 for emergencies." Brooke knew that Haley was a little apprehensive about the whole thing. But she convinced her friend that she knew everything a responsible person should know.

"Okay but..." Haley tried to speak but Brooke wasn't having any of it.

"Hales come on. He's my God-son. He is in excellent hands. Chester too!"

Haley laughed at the mention of Jamie's pet rabbit. "Okay. Alright. Thanks a million Brooke for watching him"

"You know I love it. So seriously go, shouldn't you be there by now, have a good time, and tell that husband of yours I say hello. I'll call if anything comes up." Without letting Haley get a word in Brooke said goodbye. Increasing the volume of the television, went back to watching the Lifetime movie _15 and Pregnant_.

**OTHOTH**

Haley walked up to the concierge desk and smiled politely when the man greeted her.

"Hi, I'd like to know Nathan Scott's room number."

"I'm sorry ma'am we don't give out privileged information. You'll have to wait for an autograph when he leaves in the morning." The man didn't even look up as he spoke to Haley.

Laughing Haley shook her head. "Oh, I won't be needing an autograph," She grinned. "I'm his wife. And I'd just like to see my husband."

The man had heard a lot of stories about how fans would make up lies to get into pro athlete's rooms, so he nicely looked up and shook his head.

"Unless you can provide proof of identification I won't be able to give you his room number." The man tilted his head down and looked above the rim of his glasses like he was trying to stare the truth out of her.

"That's fine. Here's my license." Haley handed him her little card and he looked over it thoroughly.

"Haley James Scott?" The man lifted his eyebrow questioning the woman before him.

"That's me." Haley smiled.

"Well it's probably just a coincidences that you have the same last name, do you have anything else?"

"Wha..., well I have a picture of us together with _our_ _son_." Haley dug through her purse and pulled out a picture of her family.

The man studied it with raised eyebrows. "You could have photo-shopped this." The clerk still wasn't buying it.

While Haley was still trying to convince the employee that she was in fact Nathan Scott's wife a group of people entered the lobby. Haley looked over towards them and recognized a few of the faces. Hoping that one of them was sober enough to recognize her she called one of their names.

"Ray! Raymond."

Looking towards the front desk, he waved. "Hey Haley. What are you doing here?"

"Well I was supposed to surprise Nathan but _someone_ doesn't believe that I'm his wife." Haley raised her brow looking at the man behind the desk.

Shaking his head,Ray turned to the man and whispered. "Nah man,she's one of those crazy stalker chicks."

Haley gasped. "No I'm not."

Laughing, Ray covered his mouth. "Chill girl, I'm just playin." He turned to the concierge. "In all seriousness, this woman is Nathan Scott's wife, honestly. If I was you, I'd give her the number to his room. Actually why don't you give her a key?" He smirked and looked at Haley. "I would hate for Nathan to storm down here when he finds out you wouldn't let _his wife _come see him. Trust me bro, give her the key."

The employee got out a key so quickly that Haley didn't even realize what was going on. She turned to Ray who simply nodded.

"Thanks a lot Ray."

"No problem. How's Jamie by the way? Working on his jump shot. He told me that he was gonna beat me next time we played horse."

"Yeah he's out everyday working to be just like Nathan." Haley smiled at the thought. Jamie was trying to be like Nathan and within a few years he probably would be.

"Good. Tell the little man I said hey when you get back."

"I will, thank you." She turned to walk away and really wanted to stick her tongue out at the hotel employee but in reality he was just doing his job. Very thoroughly but still, just doing his job.

When she got in the elevator she punched the button for the 12th floor and waited for the doors to open. Walking down the long corridor of hotel rooms she took a breath before she slid her key through the lock.

It was 12:28am and back home it was a lot later. She was actually quite surprised she wasn't tired but guessed she was running on adrenalin.

When Haley opened the door the Nathan's suite was dark. All the lights were off and only the moonlight illuminated the floor. She tired to maneuver through the blackness without too much noise. She bumped into a cart with what looked like some sort of meat and maybe mash potatoes. She couldn't really tell but was glad that he was at least eating well.

When she made her way over towards the king sized bed she set her bag on the ground. Watching Nathan sleep was captivating. The way his chest rose and fell, the sounds that crept out of his mouth and the little movements were enough to sooth her prior loneliness. When she saw him reach out towards the left side of the bed it broke her heart. He was reaching towards her spot. After she saw that she crawled on the bed and hoovered over Nathan. He didn't stir one bit. She leaned down placed a few kissed on his face and he began to wake.

"Wha? What the hell." Nathan woke up and realized there was someone in his bed.

"Surprise." It was still dark but he didn't need to see her face to know who was pushed up against his body. He'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Haley! What? How? When did you get here." At this point he sat up in bed facing her. His sleeping eyes had adjusted to the dim light and he could make out nearly all of her features.

"I missed you." Haley ran her hand over his bare chest.

Nathan pulled her on top of him and kissed her passionately. He had been on the road with the team for the last week, and the week before he had been so busy in Charlotte that Haley and Jamie couldn't come see him. It had been a while since he had seen his wife, much less be in the same bed. He made quick work of her shirt which left her in only her bra and jeans. Haley rolled on her back and shimmied out of her pants. Nathan stared at his scantily clad wife and even though the darkness encompassed them both, he knew every inch of her body.

Haley saw Nathan's eyes roam over her and a sudden blush crept over her cheeks. After eight years together he still made her feel like a giddy school girl when he looked at her like that. "God I love you." She was silenced when his lips met hers and instantly she felt like they were teenagers again.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan woke up his feet were tangled among Haley's and she lay fast asleep facing him. He found that she was even more beautiful in the morning then any other time of day. She looked so peaceful, so comfortable.

He put his face parallel to hers and waited for her to wake up. When Haley's eyes fluttered she moved her face further into the pillow slowly opening her eyes. Brown met blue and she smiled.

"Morning." Haley spoke quietly.

"Morning." Nathan leaned in and kissed her softly. "So tell me again how you managed to put this little trip together?"

"Well, I found a hole in your schedule while you were out here on the West Coast and decided to come see you." Haley rubbed his cheek. "And it was either L.A, or Seattle."

"So why Seattle?" Nathan propped his head on his arm.

Smirking, she pulled him towards her body and whispered in his ear. "The rain."

Laughing he kissed her quickly and got up. Haley rolled over and glanced at the clock. She was only staying for the day and then was leaving that night. "Can't we just stay in bed all day!" Haley whined when she heard the water running.

"Not if you wanna see the rain. So chop chop. Let's get going." Nathan smiled when he saw Haley saunter out of the bed.

**OTHOTH**

For the next few hours Nathan and Haley strolled through downtown Seattle. The day was gloomy but they had yet to encounter any rain. The air smelled of salt and the breeze came and went as it pleased. They found a quaint little restaurant to eat lunch in and after they ate they were to ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

On the ride back Haley had pointed out Mt. Rainier. She knew so many things that sometimes he wondered how she remembered the names of random mountains and geographical locations. He wasn't really a fan of geography but listening to Haley point out certain landmarks made him laugh. That girl remembered everything she ever learned. She was always so enthusiastic about things and Seattle's landmarks were no different.

"After you." Nathan moved his arms across the air, gesturing for Haley to step off before him.

The twosome found themselves sitting on the pier looking out over the cool Pacific water. The sun had vanished behind the fog and it looked like it might rain. Haley leaned over to Nathan and closed her eyes.

"You know it reminds me of home." She looked back toward her husband who nodded.

"Kinda, I mean it's got the whole water thing going for it, but it doesn't really compare. Nothing compares to Tree Hill." He wrapped his arm around Haley who slid into his side. "I miss it everyday."

"You know who else misses you?"

He knew exactly who she was referring too so he nodded. "Jamie."

"Yeah, you should see him when he watches your games. He gets so excited."

Laughing he smiled, "How did you manage to get away from our boy anyway?"

"Well he doesn't know where I am." Nathan looked at her in surprise. "He would have been crushed if he knew I was here without him."

"I would have loved it though, seeing him. I miss him just as much as I miss you."

"Honey I'm sorry. If I had put more thought into it I would have, but it was very last minute. And besides, we definitely couldn't have done what we did last night if Jamie was around."

Smirking at his wife he couldn't help but agree. He smiled down at her and kissed her sweetly, "Definitely not."

**OTHOTH**

When they arrived at the airport Haley didn't want to go. They stood there in silence for a while until Haley decided to speak.

"I'll see you in a few days." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Hear heart was breaking and Nathan couldn't do anything to stop it. He had to be in Denver tomorrow night.

"Haley.." Nathan began but the words wouldn't seem to come out. He reached for her hand and and took a breath. "Thank you. Thank you for coming all the way out here. Thank you for everything."

She nodded and tears were starting to form in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his body and held on to him for what seemed like forever. It was then that something unexpected happened. Nathan felt something land on his head. It was cold and wet and when he looked toward the sky he knew exactly what it was. It was raining.

"You came for the weather right?" He looked into her glossy brown eyes and she nodded.

Haley smiled and wiped her face. "Among other things."

"I love you Haley James Scott." He kissed her forehead and nodded in response.

"I love you too." She kissed him once more, softly and intimately on the lips.

With that Haley turned and walked inside the airport. If she didn't have to go through the excruciatingly long line at security she would have stood out there with him for a lifetime. The rain had always been their thing. Even though they were saying goodbye and it was hard on both of them, somehow the weather made it easier. It it had always been a sign for them. And Haley knew that even if they were thousands of mile apart she and Nathan were always going to be together.

**A/N:Well hopefully y'all liked it. A big shout out to HarleyQuinn23 who inspired me to write this. She has a one-shot like this called Missing You where the roles are a little reversed. Great author, great story, check it out. I know that there wasn't much 'family time' in this one but have no fear guys there will be plenty next chapter. Any guesses as to what I have up my sleeve? Please leave you thoughts in a review!! The more I get the faster the update!**


	5. Trick or Treat

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 5: Trick or Treat**

**Disclaimer: Mark and co. own everything, not me.**

**A/N: Wow guys, 12 reviews for last chapter, I feel like I have the most loyal and most awesome readers ever so here's another new chapter. I have a psych exam today I really should have studied a little more for instead of writing this but who cares, this is way more important right? Yeah I thought so. This one contains more of the whole family together along with other familiar faces. I should have posted this like 2 weeks ago but I hadn't published this story then , oh well. Hope you all like it!**

**OTHOTH**

"Mom! Mom!" Jamie burst through the front door as he called out his mom's name.

"Shh Shh." Haley raised her finger toward her mouth. "Your sister is sleeping. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't wake her up."

"Oh sorry." He dropped his backpack next to the sofa and sat next to his mom. "Guess what? I won 2nd prize today for the best Halloween costume of the whole 2nd grade! Chuck came in 4th, but still isn't that awesome?"

"That's great Jamie." Haley looked over at her son who was covered head to toe in black plastic and rubber.

Jamie had gone to school dressed in his costume because all of the kids got to wear their outfits for the day. Jamie and Chuck dressed up as one of the most famous duos of all time. Batman and Robin. Jamie dressing up at Batman and Chuck Robin. When Jamie told his mom he wanted to be Batman for Halloween she approved remembering how his father had once donned the same costume.

Smiling at her son, Haley glanced down at her watch and saw that it was 3:30pm. "Well we'll be going to Lucas and Peyton's around five so if you want to take that off for a little while you can. Did you tell Chuck that we would pick him up at around four-forty five to go trick-or-treating?

"No way, I wanna keep thing thing on for forever." He patted his chest which made a hard knocking sound. "But yes, I did tell Chuck what time we would get him."

Charlotte's faint cries could be heard through the baby monitor and Jamie perked up.

"Can I get her Mom? I'll be careful." Looking toward his mom he smiled and nodded.

"I don't know Jamie, you might scare her. She wont be expecting Batman. Why don't you let me get her now, you can see her once I get her up."

Haley knew that Jamie was careful and always protective of his baby sister, but she honestly thought that a caped figure dressed in all black might scare her little girl. It's not 'exactly something you want to wake up to.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan broke the speed limit numerous times trying to fight traffic driving back to Tree Hill from Charlotte. Luckily for him, his coach was a family man himself and let the guys leave a little early. When he pulled into the driveway Jamie ran out and greeted him.

"Dad look! I'm Batman. Do you like my costume?" He held his arms across his chest and put on his most serious face.

"Yeah Bruce, you're looking good." Nathan patted Jamie on the shoulder and opened the front door for them both.

Haley saw her son and husband walk through the front door and moved toward them with Charlotte in her arms. Nathan grinned when he saw both of his girls. He had been with the team for the last few weeks and really missed out on being home watching Charlotte grow each day. She was 4 months old and he was certain that she had grown taller and gotten more hair since he'd been away. Nathan bent down and kissed Charlotte on the head and could smell her no tears baby shampoo. It was things like that, that he missed the most.

What about me?" Haley lifted her brow and got on her tip-toes.

He kissed her soft and long. They hadn't seen each other in over a week and he craved her delicate lips.

"You better get dressed. We have to leave in about 30 minutes." Haley bumped Nathan towards their bedroom and continued to pack Charlotte's diaper bag.

Before going to change he turned towards Haley."You never told me what you were going to be." Looking at his wife he saw that she was dressed in black skinny jeans, a white cotton shirt with a black vest over it, accompanied with spectacles that were tinted dark enough so her eyes couldn't be seen.

"I'm one of the three blind mice. Peyton and Brooke are the other two." She reached for a cane leaning against the sink and laughed. "Who knew this would ever come in handy." With the cane in her hands, she swatted at Nathan. "Really go, go get dressed. I don't want to be late."

Nathan entered their bedroom and headed straight for the closet. He pulled out a pair of khaki pants, a t-shirt he could wear as an undershirt, a light blue blue button up, and a tie. At first glace he didn't look like he was any sort of character but when he put on the pair of black horned rimmed glasses, suspenders, and his sport coat it was apparent that he dressed up as a nerd. He walked out to the living room to find Haley buckling Charlotte into her car seat and Jamie running around the house watching his cape fly behind him.

Haley saw Nathan approach and shook her head. "Really funny. I suppose you being dressed up like a nerd is a little dig at my high school days?"

Smirking Nathan shook his head. "High school days? Nah, more like everyday." Haley playfully smacked him on the arm and he pulled her close. "I love that you're a nerd. Cause if you weren't I would have never met you and I'd be probably married to some other tutor." Laughing at his own words smiled and kissed her.

"You are the sexiest nerd I have ever seen." Haley looked up and saw Nathan nod in approval.

"I know. Even the with the glasses, you can't help but deny the fact that I'm hot."

"Before that head of yours gets any bigger we should probably go. We have to pick up Chuck." Haley called out for Jamie who ran to the car and left Nathan to carry Charlotte. He picked up the car seat and looked down at his daughter. She was dressed in an orange onesie with black triangles that represented eyes, nose, and a mouth. Her little green hat topped it off and it was clear to Nathan that Charlotte's first Halloween costume was a pumpkin.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan parked in front of the small yellow house and instantly Chuck and Jamie ran out of the car. Haley looked over at Nathan who returned the gesture and she put her hand on his cheek.

"I'm so glad you got to be here for this." She grabbed for his hand and squeezed it.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world." He kissed her sweetly and stared into her eyes. "I love you Haley James Scott."

Haley opened the car door and headed for the trunk. She pulled out Charlotte's stroller while Nathan got their daughter out of the car. Haley pushed the stroller onto the sidewalk when a certain someone tapped her on the back of the leg.

"Boo!" A little voiced beamed through the thin white sheet that covered her face.

"Ahh!" Haley wasn't all that scared but played along so her young niece could enjoy it. "Sawyer Scott you scared me!" Haley picked up 2 year old little girl.

Peyton was right behind Sawyer and smiled at her sister-in-law, then laughed when she saw Haley's cane. "You know, I wish I had one of those things. People are gonna wonder what the heck we are if Brooke doesn't get here soon with our mouse ears."

Nathan walked towards the house with Charlotte in his arms and greeted Peyton and Sawyer. Haley took Charlotte from him and Peyton cooed over her adorable pumpkin outfit. He let the girls do their talking and walked up the steps to the house. He called out Luke's name and was completely startled when he saw his costume.

"What the hell man, Haley's gonna freak when she sees you." Nathan looked his brother up and down and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lucas was in a a yellow polka-dotted jump suit complete with a white painted face, orange wig and a red rubber nose. "You do know that Haley hates clowns, like is terrified of them."

"Well Sawyer asked me to wear it and Haley won't mind, she'll know it's just me." Lucas looked down at his big clown shoes and grimaced. "Hopefully."

"Well don't scare her. At least make sure she's not holding Charlotte so she doesn't drop her when she freaks out." Nathan ran his hand over his head. "I can't believe you're a clown."

**OTHOTH**

"I'm here I'm here." Brooke got out of her car waving the mouse ears in her hands. "I've got our ears!"

Peyton and Haley were still outside chatting when Brooke pulled up. Both of them rolled their eyes at Brooke's timing but that was just how she was. Brooke walked over to her two friends and saw that Sawyer was dressed as a ghost and Charlotte a pumpkin.

"You too have the most adorable children!" Brooke took Charlotte from Haley and rocked her gently. "Where are the boys. What are they dressed up as?"

"Inside." Both Peyton and Haley replied in unison.

Haley began to describe what Nathan was wearing. Peyton on the other hand was wondering how she was supposed to say Lucas was a clown. She knew Haley hated clowns,they all did. But when she and Lucas took Sawyer to get her Halloween costume she had been adamant that Lucas dress up as a clown. It was just Lucas, Haley surely would be able to see past the white make-up and outfit.

The girls all made their way inside. Brooke still holding Charlotte walked to Jamie and Chuck who were looking at Peyton's record collection. Nathan was kneeling down tickling Sawyer who's laughed echoed throughout the house. Haley was in the kitchen throwing away some paper cups when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Thinking it might have been Sawyer, she was expecting to see a little girl dressed as a ghost and turned around.

"Ah, Shit! What the hell." Instinctively she punched outward and caught Lucas square on the shoulder.

"Ow! Hales. Haley, it's me." Lucas grimaced and reached out for her.

She swatted his hand away and started yelling for Nathan. "Nathan! Nathan come here! Some clown is attacking me."

"Haley... Haley it's me! It's Lucas. Haley?" Lucas was trying to get her attention but his red nose and orange hair were making it hard for Haley to see Lucas under the disguise.

She managed to slip by him and walked briskly into the living room. "Peyton, what the hell. There is a clown in your kitchen."

"I know." Peyton tried to cover the smile that crept over her mouth.

"You know. What do you mean you know?" Haley had folded her arms and looked like she could kill someone.

"It's Luke Haley, he's dressed up as a clown."

Lucas had entered the living room and was holding his shoulder. Haley sure had a nice punch. "Hales, look I'm sorry." Lucas started to talk when she turned toward him.

"You have to go wash your face or something, I can't even look at you." She shook her head and couldn't believe that he chose to dress up as a clown of all things.

"Wha.. Hales, come on. Can't you just get over it for the night." He was pleading with her. He knew that Sawyer wouldn't want him to change but Haley had every right to be mad. He knew full well that she was afraid of clowns but he never though she would react like she was.

"No, I've been scared of clowns for longer than we've even been friends. So no."

Peyton could feel a heated debate between Lucas and Haley brewing and she though of an idea to save both of them from both any bloodshed. "Luke why don't you stay here and handle giving out candy and the rest of us will take the kids around the neighborhood?' She nodded hoping that her gesture and idea would sit well with Lucas and Haley.

Everyone had agreed that Peyton's idea was the best so Lucas stayed at the house to give candy out while the others headed out with the kids.

**OTHOTH**

"Jamie slow down. You and Chuck are getting ahead of us." Nathan watched his son cross the bushes to the house next to them.

"Aw come on Dad! If we don't hurry all of the good candy will be gone." Jamie darted off and met up with Chuck who was already ringing the doorbell.

Nathan pushed Charlotte's stroller down the street when a group of teenaged boys approached him.

"Uhm sir, are you Nathan Scott?" A boy dressed in a Michael Jordan jersey looked up. There were five of them. All dressed up as former NBA greats. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and even Scottie Pippen.

"Yep, what can I do for you guys?"

"Well sir, do you think you could sign our jerseys?"

"Sure do you have a pen?"

The boys all looked around to each other and shook their heads.

"Ok well hold on." He looked back towards Peyton, Haley and Brooke and called out to them. "Do you have a pen?" He motioned his hand like he was writing and Haley understood what he wanted. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sharpie and tossed it to Nathan. It wasn't a very good toss, but he caught it anyway

He smiled. Not only was it a pen, but a permanent marker. He signed his name and thanked the guys for their support and dedication to the Bobcats. The five-some walked away and Haley moved over to him. "Fans?"

"Yeah, it's weird they all act like I'm some kind of hero."

"Baby you are a hero. And you know what, that little boy dressed up as Batman thinks the world of you, and if he could he'd take you to show and tell everyday he would. He is so proud of you. I'm so proud of you." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

Brooke and Peyton couldn't help but watch the couple's exchange. "Naley are so cute." Brooke grinned as she watched Nathan and Haley.

"Yeah they make our relationships look lame." Peyton laughed at her statement. "I mean they've been together what like ten years and they are still so..." Peyton couldn't seem to find the word to describe them but Brooke interjected.

"Adorable."

Brooke and Peyton made their way towards the others and when they wrangled up Jamie and Chuck they got a neighbor to take their picture. They would have to take another one later so Lucas could be in it but it was a great picture. It was for sure something that it would be going in a frame in each of their houses soon.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan and Haley dropped off Chuck they headed home to retire for the night. As they pulled into the driveway Jamie got out and lugged his candy bag inside. Nathan carried Charlotte into her room and Haley went to change into something more comfortable.

Nathan walked into Charlotte's room and laid her on the changing table. He got out some pajamas for her and put them on like a pro. It was something he loved to do. He would change her diaper if it meant he got to be around her. He didn't care, he would take any little bit he could. She was nearly asleep as Nathan held her against his chest. He swayed back and forth trying to lull her to sleep. It worked because within a few short minutes she was out like light. He laid her down and pulled her blanket up. He double checked the baby monitor and before he left he watched Charlotte's tiny body move with the rhythm of her breaths. It amazed him that this small little thing brought him so much pride and he knew that she was always going to be his little girl.

He walked to Jamie's room and was surprised at what he saw. Jamie had managed to get out of of most of his costume but still had his mask and pants on, and had fallen asleep sprawled out on his bed. With a half eaten Snickers in his hand Jamie was officially passed out. Apparently he had a lot of fun running around with Chuck so as soon as he felt the soft sheets and comfort of his covers he zonked out. Nathan laughed at the sight. He took the candy bar from Jamie and ate it himself. He tried to wake Jamie up so he could at least put some pj's on.

"Jamie, bud, wake up." Nathan gently shook his son's shoulder but nothing was happening. He took off the rest of Jamie's costume and put a shirt on him. Once he was satisfied he leaned down and placed a kiss on Jamie's head. "Night Jamie." Nathan pulled the covers over Jamie's body and turned out the lights.

"Dad?" Jamie stirred in his bed and called out for Nathan.

"Yeah bud?" He went back over to Jamie and sat on the side of his bed.

"Are you going to be here when I wake up?" Jamie's eyes were closed as he spoke and Nathan knew he was trying to fight sleep.

"Yep, I'm gonna eat breakfast with you and drive you to school if you want. I don't have to be back until the afternoon."

"Good." Jamie rolled over and was facing Nathan. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too son." With that Nathan turned and left Jamie's room. He hated that Jamie had even asked if he was staying but it was the harsh reality that called itself life. Playing professional basketball in a city 3 ½ hours away was bound to take its toll and it did ,but sometimes he wished he could change it all. Walking into his room he heard Haley in the bathroom.

"Well they're both out. You should have seen Jamie, he fell asleep with his mask on. It was pretty funny." He walked toward the his closet and loosened his tie.

Haley turned out the bathroom light and walked toward Nathan. His back was facing her so she put her hands on his back and ran her hands over his nicely sculpted muscles. He turned around and was taken back by what he saw. His jaw dropped and he couldn't take his eyes off of his sexy wife. Dressed only in one of his basketball jersey's she certainly had his attention.

"Surprise." Haley gave him a cheeky grin and grabbed his suspenders and kissed him. "What did you eat? You taste like chocolate." Haley licked her lips and looked up at Nathan.

"A candy bar, Jamie was asleep and...."

"Nathan! You stole from our son!"

"What, no, well technically yes, but he was asleep with it in his hands. If I had just left it there he would have dropped it and it would have melted on the floor. I know you wouldn't have wanted to clean that up." Nathan was backpedaling, fading fast so he changed the subject. "Uh what happened to the blind mouse?" He gave her a questioning look "I mean I like this much better but uhm...."

"Well I loved you as Clark Kent and I figure this would be more fun to take off than my mouse costume." She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and smirked at him.

"Clark Kent? Wha?" Nathan raised his brow and shook his head. He had in-fact dressed up as Clark Kent but hadn't told Haley or anyone else for that matter, and was dumbfounded at her discovery.

Haley slowly ran her hand over the collar of his shirt and unbuttoned the top few buttons. She exposed the blue undershirt he was wearing and could make out the top of the Superman logo on his chest.

"How did you know?" He looked down at her and she smiled.

"I have superpowers too." She laughed and he bent down to kiss her.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Alright guys so there was chapter 5. Hope you all enjoyed it. Again I can't thank those of you who have reviewed enough so thanks again! Really all of your kind words are inspiring. The next chapter will be up soon. Hey, maybe if I get like 15 for this chapter I'll post if ASAP. Like maybe tomorrow or tomorrow night! A little bribery going on, yeah. But you know you want the next chapter (and trust me I think you all have been waiting for it) so hit that little button and tell me your thoughts. Remember, I am still open to any ideas for chapters so if you have any feel free to let me know.**


	6. Tell Him

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 6: Tell Him**

**A/N: You guys rock, like really, I got 16 review last chapter and it literally means the world to me. So I am keeping my word and giving you all a new chapter. Again I cannot thank you all enough for reviewing. I love reading what you all have to say. I really take everything you all say to heart. So with that being said I am thinking most of you are going to be happy with what this chapter is about. Enough already just let us read...okay okay, read on. Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

Haley sat nervously in the doctors office. She had done this before, seven years before to be exact and that time Brooke was with her. This time she was alone. Nathan was in Charlotte and Brooke was busy with Julian. She had decided that it would be best to just do it alone.

"Mrs. Scott." Haley heard her name and rose to her feat.

Looking around at the expectant mothers and their respective husbands or baby daddies she wished she had asked Nathan to come, but with him being far away and the NBA about to start it's regular season she knew he wouldn't have the time. Not only did she want him there but she also started to think about how she was going to tell him she was pregnant if the doctor confirmed it. It was a topic they often discussed but never really put into action until a couple months ago. They weren't exactly trying to have a baby but they weren't trying not to either. Jamie had turned 7 only a few months ago and they both thought that it was time he got a brother or sister. Nathan had always been adamant that he wanted a little girl that looked like Haley and she smiled thinking about a daughter. She honestly didn't care what they had as long as the baby was healthy, that was all that mattered.

A nurse escorted her to a room and she sat on the exam table waiting anxiously for the doctor to come in. She nervously bit her lip and noticed the pictures on the wall. Diagrams and images of the female reproductive system were scattered along the walls and she couldn't help but grimace. Childbirth was a beautiful process and the outcome was even greater, but looking at the parts and insides of ovaries were kind of grossing her out. She spun her wedding ring on her finger trying to keep herself occupied when she heard the door open.

"Hello Haley. I hear you think you might be pregnant?" The doctor took Haley's chart and glanced over it.

"Hi Doctor Walker, and yes, I think I may be pregnant." She twiddled her thumbs unable contain her nerves while Dr. Walker continued to overlook her medical history.

"Well we are going to draw some blood and from that we will be able to find out if you are in fact pregnant." He asked her some routine questions and she happily answered.

Dr. Walker left Haley with the nurse who took her blood. "Honey you doing alright?" Annette looked over at Haley worried.

"Oh yeah I'm, I'm just nervous."

"First baby? All mom's get like that. Don't be worried." Annette put a bandage over Haley's finger and smiled.

"Uhm actually no, I have a seven year old. This will be my second."

"Seven years old? Lord child, you started early." Annette laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah we did." Haley let out a half laugh and shook her head in amusement. "I'm actually more worried about how or when I'm going to tell my husband."

"You'll find the right time. It may seem like you won't be able to find the perfect time or right place but trust me, and you probably know this if this is your second, but you're husband won't really care how or when it's done just the fact that you're having a baby will be news enough itself." With that Annette took Haley;s small ville of blood to run the tests.

Haley couldn't help but think of the first time she had told Nathan she was pregnant. It couldn't have come out at a worse time. Not to mention Nathan reacted like a complete jerk and left Haley in tears. It wasn't until she watched him at that press conference from Karen's that she knew everything was going to be okay. Hopefully she would figure it out quickly because if she was pregnant she was going to have to tell Nathan soon.

**OTHOTH**

Two days after Haley had gone to the doctors the phone rang. Putting down her groceries she picked up the phone and took a deep breath. This was it, she was going to find out if her home pregnancy test was right.

"Hello." Haley waited for the other voice to speak before she said anything again.

"Hey Hales. Are you about to leave?" Nathan's familiar voice filled her head and she smiled. It wasn't the doctor's office calling, but she was perfectly content on listening to her husbands voice.

"Yeah, I am actually packing a few things and then I'll be on the road in a little while. I should be able to see you at the the loft before you head to the arena."

"Ok, I'll you see in a little bit. Oh and Haley, I love you."

"I love you too." Haley hung up the phone excited that she got to go to Charlotte for the weekend.

The season had started a few days or so ago but Nathan had been in Charlotte for the last few weeks doing pre-season training and two a day practices. They had decided that they should rent a loft downtown he would live in so he would be close to the arena. Nothing too fancy. Two bedrooms, two baths, with exposed brick walls. To Nathan, it reminded him of Tric, which reminded him of Haley, so he put down his first payment as soon as he could.

Haley was about to walk out the door when the phone rang again. Dropping her bag in frustration she walked to the phone.

"Hello?" Haley sounded a bit annoyed. She was ready to get out of town and it was probably some telemarketer trying to sell her something and it was keeping her from her husband.

"Mrs. Scott?" A woman's voice questioned.

"Yes?" Haley didn't recognize the woman's voice and was curious as to what she wanted.

"I'm Sharon with Dr. Walker's office and I have you're blood tests results. It seems to be you are indeed pregnant. Around 6 weeks along. Congratulations."

"Oh wow, okay, thank you."

"You're welcome, congratulations again. We will be expecting a follow up appointment in the next few weeks so if you would call us back later we can schedule your first ultrasound."

"Actually can I do it now, I need to check my schedule really fast can you hold on a sec?" Haley heard Sharon say yes so she scurried over to the fridge to look over her calendar. She picked a date and gave it to the woman. Thanking her again Haley hung up and brought the phone to her chest. Closing her eyes she nodded her head smiling, thankful for her positive results. Now the important part, how to tell Nathan.

**OTHOTH **

Haley made her way into the elevator that lead her up to Nathan's place. As the doors closed Haley took a deep breath. She kept thinking about how she should tell him, when she should tell him. He had to leave for the arena in two hours and then he would be busy on the court. Maybe she should wait till afterwords so it won't mess with his game. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and she made her way to the front door. Just as she got out her key and put it in the lock, the door opened.

"I was wondering when you would get here." He greeted her with a smile.

"Yeah, sorry I got help up on the phone." Haley couldn't hide the grin on her face and turned away.

Nathan saw Haley's gesture and arched his brow. "Something up?" He looked back to her but she didn't respond. "Hales are you ok." He walked moved toward her and ran his hands over her arms.

"I'm fine, really. Sorry, I just spaced out there for a minute." Haley couldn't tell him now, she wanted to but the words that had come out of her mouth had formed on their own. She knew that she should wait until after the game so she decided that she would not to tell him. "I uhm actually have to go to the bathroom."

"Ok well don't take too long, I've only got a little while before I have to leave and I want to take advantage of the time we have." He flashed her his trademark smirk and she headed toward the bedroom.

Once she was alone in the small room. She took a long hard look at herself in the mirror and spoke softly too herself. "Ok Haley, you can do this. Stop acting so weird around him. He knows you're up to something." She took a deep breath. She ran her hand through her hair and then over her stomach. Lifting up her shirt she looked at her belly in the mirror. "No he won't be able to tell." She was freaking herself out. She was convinced he was going to find out someway but she wanted to be the one to tell him, so if she could just hold in in a little while longer it would all be okay.

Nathan was sitting on the couch when Haley walked back into the main room. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay, you seem a little different."

"What? No I'm fine. I've just had a busy week. Jamie had a project I helped him with, I've been in the studio a little but now I'm fine. I promise." She looked up to him and kissed him square on the mouth.

"You don't have to go to the game if you're feeling tired or anything, you can watch it here."

"No way, I'm gonna watch my sexy husband play from the stands not from the couch." She smiled and raised her hand to his cheek.

"Well if you feel ba..." Haley silenced him when her mouth landed on his.

"I promise I'm fine. Now if you don't stop worrying, we won't be able to do our pre-game ritual. Besides if I was so sick I wouldn't want to be doing this." She slid her body closer to his and ran her hand over his chest. She grabbed his tie and pulled him down on top of her. He tried not to put all of his weight on her but the couch wasn't quite big enough to hold both of them comfortably. "Now shut up and kiss me." Nathan smirked and did as his wife asked.

Nathan got the picture. Haley was fine. She was more than fine and on top of that he was sure that he was going to have a great game. He always played well when Haley or Jamie were in Charlotte and this day was no different.

**OTHOTH**

It was the 2nd half and the Bobcats were down 14 points to the Spurs who had a the ball at the moment. Haley saw Nathan steal the ball and sprint to the other end of the court. She couldn't help but smile at his antics, he was just to damn sexy on the court. He passed it off to a teammate who dunked it through the thin white net and the crowd went wild.

"Nathan Scott is so hot." Haley laughed and shook her head when she heard the woman sitting a row in front of.

"Yeah his wife is one lucky lady." The woman's friend added and Haley nodded at her statement. She was one lucky lady.

Normally the wives and families of the players got to watch the games from boxes with waiters who served food and drinks but Haley had always enjoyed watching from the stands better. It made her feel like they were still in high-school. Back when they first started dating, when she wasn't a cheerleader and would sit next to Keith cheering for both Nathan and Lucas. Something about being in the middle of it all made it more fun and entertaining.

With 2 ½ minutes to go the the Spurs had run away with the game. Nathan was still trying his hardest but there was no hope. Tony Parker was on fire and had made nearly 85% of his shots. Haley knew that Nathan hated losing but he would be a good sport about it. When the game ended she made her way through the mass of crowds to the car and drove back to the loft. Nathan would have to do a lot of post-game interviews and press conferences so she knew better than to try and wait. He knew she would be waiting for him when he got back anyway.

Nearly an hour after Haley had gotten back Nathan still hadn't come home. She was getting pretty tired and didn't know if she could stay awake. She had changed into something more comfortable and walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge to find it packed with Gatorade, beer, and bottled water. She somehow managed to find a diet coke laughing at the fact that the fridge was filled with 'boy' food. She walked to the couch and turned the T.V. on. Hoping that the noise from the television would keep her awake she started to watch the reruns of The Office on TBS.

Nathan was drained. The game took a lot out of him but he knew that Haley was waiting for him. When he opened the door he saw that Haley was lying on the couch fast asleep. It had taken him much longer than either of them anticipated getting back. He walked over to Haley and sat on the coffee table starring at her. She looked so peaceful. Nathan didn't want to wake her but he knew that if he left her on the couch she would wake up with a severe backache. Deciding what he should do he scooped her up and carried her toward the bedroom. While in his arms she didn't budge. Not a sigh, not a murmur, nothing, she was completely immersed in sleep.

Careful not to smack her head or legs on the door frames he gently made his way into the bedroom. He carefully and gracefully laid her down. Luckily the bed was already turned down so he could just slide her feet under the covers. He leaned putting his face just inches above Haley's and studied her face. He looked at her skin, her lips, her nose, her little laugh lines that seemed to be protruding more with age and he smiled.

"You're beautiful." He whispered softly and kissed her forehead.

He wandered toward the closet and began undressing. He had taken a shower after the game in the locker room so he didn't have to take one now. Once he had stripped down to his boxers and put on a clean shirt he slid into bed next to Haley. Nathan pulled her close and breathed in her smell. She smelled like home.

"I love you Haley James Scott."

Nathan closed his eyes. He was thankful that Haley had gotten to spend the weekend with him. He missed Jamie too, but having time alone with his wife was something he didn't get often. It didn't take him long to fall asleep. Something about Haley being next to him made it easier for him to sleep. Knowing that she was safe, that she was okay, and that she was just inches away took any worry away and he fell fast and hard into a deep sleep.

**OTHOTH**

Haley opened one eye to find that she had made it to the bedroom last night. She didn't remember how or when it happened but she was thankful that she was in bed instead of on the couch. She rolled over to face Nathan and was surprised to find that he was already awake. Scooting closer to him he smiled.

"Morning."

"Morning." She leaned in and kissed him softly.

They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Nathan broke the silence.

"So you were pretty tired last night. You fell asleep on the couch." He let out a laugh.

"I did? Thanks for bringing me in here." She looked embarrassed but Nathan didn't seem to mind.

"Nah, it was fine. It wasn't like it was hard carrying you."

"Not for long." Haley let her last statement slip out and as soon has she said it Nathan reacted.

"What do you mean, you're not fat. You're perfect. I don't know wh...."

Haley smiled raising her eyebrows. "I'm pregnant."

He raised up on one of his arms and leaned closer to her. His mouth was open but he was unable to find the words to say. When he didn't say anything back she said it again in case he didn't hear her.

"I'm pregnant. We're pregnant." She smiled at him and waited for his response.

Nathan smiled and kissed her. She wasn't quite expecting it but gladly kissed him back. He kissed her forehead and then wrapped his arms around her small body. He hadn't said anything but he didn't really need to. His body language and his reaction said it all. He was happy and small tears fell from Haley's eyes.

Nathan looked at Haley and concern washed over his face."Baby what's wrong. We wanted this. God we've wanted this for so long."

"Happy tears." She laughed and wiped the corner of her eyes. "I'm just glad you're happy."

"Of course I'm happy." He placed his hand over her stomach, "I've never been more excited. Well there have been a few other times..." His joke made Haley laugh and then she smacked him in the arm.

"The first ultrasound is December seventeenth. I checked you're..."

"I'll be there. I'm not missing any of this." He placed a soft kiss on her lips and smiled. "Nothing."

Haley had to wipe her eyes again. It was the small things he said like that that made her fall in love him even more than she already was.

Nathan ran his hand over her flat stomach and smiled, "It'll be a little girl, I can feel it."

"Oh yeah and what if it's a boy" Haley raised her brow.

"It won't be."

He seemed so sure. He had always wanted a little girl. One that looked just like Haley and he had a 50/50 chance at being right. Nathan was never very good at math but all signs pointed to him being right. A little girl with big brown eyes was exactly what he wanted, and in 7 ½ months he would meet her for the first time.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there you go Haley told Nathan about the newest little Scott, Charlotte. I can't even tell you guys how many things were running through my head with this chapter. It took me forever to finally decided how I wanted to do it. So if it was nothing like you expected or wanted, I apologize. It was really intimidating writing, cause hopefully (crossing my fingers) it will happen on the show and I didn't want it to be too far off or too close to how it might happen if it ever does. Oh and Jamie was not home alone if you were wondering, he was in the company of a babysitter, but I didn't think you all would really care if I left him out, I didn't think it was all that necessary. But Nathan and Haley are responsible so Jamie was obviously being cared for while they were both away. Probably not my best chapter I know, but I feel like the next ones will be better. You all know reviews make me write so leave your thoughts and or comments! **


	7. You Give Me Fever

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 7: You Give Me Fever**

**Disclaimer: I think I forgot this again last time. I own nothing. Such a shame.**

**A/N: So guys, I love y'alls reviews. Literally I read them and it makes me write, it's like a disease. Seriously, I am not just saying that. It is so nice to know that people care enough to say what they think. So I reward you all with a chapter! This one is set during the missing college years that I think we all wish we could have seen more of. And to back up a second, all of these chapters are out of order, some are set in the future, the past, or present if anyone was confused or questioned the time line. They are random and I think I like that it keeps you guys guessing as to what comes next. Ok I'll stop there. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Faint cries could be heard coming from the baby monitor and Nathan and Haley both stirred from their sleep. Haley started to get up but Nathan stopped her.

"I'll get him." Haley looked at Nathan and nodded in appreciation. She had had a rough week and with an exam in the morning, he knew she would need the sleep.

Nathan stumbled into Jamie's room and looking at the crib, he never though in a million years that his freshman year of college would include diaper duty and burping. When he picked Jamie up he could feel that Jamie's onesie was damp. He shook his head assuming Jamie's diaper leaked and turned on a lamp. He set his son on the changing table and took off his clothes. Jamie's diaper was in need of changing but it wasn't leaking. Nathan habitually put a new diaper on Jamie but was still curious as to why Jamie was wet.

"What did you do bud?" He held Jamie close to his face halfway expecting him to answer.

When Nathan's hand felt the bare skin on Jamie's back he found that the wetness he was feeling was sweat.

"Jeez Jamie, you're burning up." Nathan looked at his son and concern filled his eyes.

Cradling Jamie in his arms Nathan walked to the kitchen and started searching through some drawers.

"Come on where is it?" He was looking for the thermometer, the kind you put in your ear. He knew they had one, but didn't want to have to wake Haley up if he didn't have to.

"Hey man, what are you doing." Lucas walked into the kitchen and scratched his head.

"I'm looking for the thermometer. Do you know where it is." Nathan looked a little frantic.

"Uhm no. Is Jamie hot? Do you think he's sick?"

Nathan looked at his brother like that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. "My son woke up so soaked in sweat that I thought his diaper had leaked, so yeah something's up." Nathan's tone was harsh but to say he was worried was an understatement. If Nathan was this frantic there was no telling what Haley would do.

"Have you woken Haley up?" Lucas looked toward Nathan and Haley's bedroom wondering if Haley was awake.

"No. She has a mid-term tomorrow and this would totally blow it for her." Nathan was still looking for the thermometer when he sighed. "Ah Ha! Here Luke put on a new clear thingy."

Lucas did as he was asked and then handed it to Nathan. Nathan carefully put the thermometer in Jamie's ear and held down the button. Anxiously waiting for it to beep he mumbled under his breath, "Come on, come on!" He heard the beep go off and put the screen in front of his face. "101.7. Luke, Google it to see if that's bad." He fixed Jamie a bottle of water hoping that might help cool him off.

"What, uh yeah it's bad. Isn't anything over 100 bad." Lucas looked worried now.

"Well babies temperatures are different than adults so will you just go Google it now? Please?"

"How did you know that?" Lucas walked over to his laptop and turned it on.

"I've read some books okay, no big deal." He looked embarrassed and tried to play it off.

Lucas smirked trying to picture Nathan reading a baby 'how to' book. Nathan was never big on reading so it brought a smile to Lucas' face. He new Nathan was a great father and him taking the time to read baby books instead of Sports Illustrated was a perfect example.

"Come on, what's taking so long? Just Google what a normal 6 month old's temperature is." Nathan was starting to get frustrated.

"Ok here it is, 'if your 6 month old has a fever above 103 take him/her to the hospital'." Lucas looked at Nathan who was contemplating what to do.

"I'm gonna call the doctor." He felt his pockets and realized that he had on flannel pajama bottoms and his phone was on his bedside table. "Shit, my phone's in my room. Luke get me yours."

"What, why?"

"Cause I am not waking up Haley. She will be like some crazy lunatic if she finds out Jamie has a fever."

"Fine." Lucas walked to his room and came back with his cell phone and handed it to Nathan.

Nathan looked at the emergency contact list on the fridge and dialed the number for the pediatrician. Thankfully their doctor gave his home phone number for emergencies, and Nathan considered this an emergency.

"Hi Doctor Griffith. It's Nathan Scott, Jamie's dad. I'm sorry it's so late but he woke up with a temperature of 101.7 and I don't know what I am supposed to do exactly." Nathan had spoken so quickly that he was amazed Dr. Griffith had heard a single word he said.

"That's fine Nathan. Is he keeping down liquids and other substances? Does he seem alert?"

"Yes sir, he seems totally normal besides his temperature." Nathan looked down at Jamie who looked back at his dad. His blue eyes matched Nathan's.

"Well in that case give him a lukewarm bath, check his temperature again and if it hasn't gone down, then keep him in cool clothes and he should be fine. You won't need to use any medication if his temperature goes down."

"Ok. Thanks so much Doctor, and again I'm sorry it's so late."

"Oh it's alright son, I've had quite a few late night calls in my 25 years of practice. I'll call tomorrow to make sure Jamie is doing alright. But if he gets worse, bring him in."

"Alright. Thanks. Bye." Nathan hung up the phone and looked at Lucas then down to Jamie. "Bath time."

**OTHOTH**

Nathan gave Jamie a bath with Lucas' help and they checked his temperature again.

"100.1, it's going down." Nathan read the little screen and looked up smiling. "Now maybe if I change him into to some cooler clothes it will help too, that's what the doc said."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah. What does Haley do when he's sick? Maybe that would help too."

"She sings to him." Nathan looked back to Lucas who raised his eyebrows. "No way man, not a chance in hell, he'll get worse if he has to listen to me sing."

"Well why don't you just wake Haley up, I'm sure she won't mind."

"Not happening. I said she had a mid-term tomorrow and that's that. I'm handling it." He fixed another bottle of just water and headed back to Jamie's room, turning around he looked to Lucas sincerely and changed his tone, "Thanks for helping me out."

Lucas nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Anytime little brother."

Nathan spent the better half of the next hour or so checking Jamie's temperature and making sure his fever had gone down. When Jamie's temperature went down to 98.9 Nathan was sure that he had done everything possible to make sure Jamie was okay. He placed his son in his crib and watched the steady rise and fall of the baby's chest while he listened to the little murmurs that escaped his mouth. Content that Jamie was near fever free, Nathan checked the baby monitor and returned to his room.

The four hours he had taken to tend to Jamie had worn on him. He was exhausted and needed to go to bed. Once under the covers he shut his eyes and rolled closer to Haley. She had no idea what had been going on but it was better that way, she would have been an absolute wreck. Nathan smiled thinking about how frantic Haley would have been. Taking a deep breath his eyelids became heavy and sleep approached quickly. About a minute later both Nathan and Haley lay in their bed sleeping peacefully side by side.

**OTHOTH**

Haley woke up that morning thinking about only one thing, sociology. Her mid-term was today and even if she wasn't all that prepared she had to find a way to do well. It was incredibly hard trying to keep up her 4.0 and raising a baby at the same time. She carefully got out of bed, quickly threw on some clothes, and walked to Jamie's room.

"Hey baby." Haley was surprised that Jamie was awake but laid in a comfortable silence. "Are you hungry?"

Haley picked up her son and headed for the kitchen. She started to fix his breakfast. He had a handful of teeth and could eat some solids so she cut up some banana and poured some cheerios on his highchair tray. Haley made herself a bowl of cereal and watched her son eat.

"Jamie don't do that." Haley reached down and picked up the slimy piece of banana he had thrown on the floor. Even when he did bad things she found it hard to get mad at him. He was so cute and one look at his baby blues made her heart melt.

Nathan walked into the kitchen and saw his wife and son eating breakfast.

"Hey." Nathan smiled and walked behind Haley. He leaned down and kissed her on her cheek, "Morning."

"Morning." Haley looked up at Nathan, 'Thanks for getting him last night. I was exhausted."

"Nah it's fine, besides I know you have that exam today so I knew you needed to get a good nights sleep." Nathan got himself a bowl of cereal and joined Haley at the table.

She smiled at him. He was quite possibly the greatest husband ever. Not that Haley had anyone to compare him to, but she was certain that Nathan deserved some kind of reward or something. She'd have to make it up to him later. Haley got up from her chair and placed her bowl in the sink.

"Alright I've got to run. My class starts soon and I have to pick up a scantron beforehand." Haley put her bag over her shoulder and walked over to Nathan and Jamie. She kissed Jamie's forehead and ran her hand over his soft blond hair. Haley moved towards Nathan and kissed him on the mouth. "I'll see you later."

"Kick that sociology exam's ass." He smirked and kissed her once more. Nathan watched Haley leave when Lucas stumbled into the kitchen. "You look like hell."

"Thanks. I was up really late helping out a certain little guy and his dad." Lucas walked over to Jamie and felt his forehead. "He seems fine. Have you taken his temperature this morning?"

"No not yet, Haley was still here and I didn't want to do then." Nathan got up and took the thermometer out of the drawer. "Now we can." Nathan placed the nozzle in Jamie's ear and clicked the button, when he looked at the screen it said 98.6. "That's normal. I think he's good."

"So are you ever going to tell Haley." Lucas took a sip of his coffee and questioned his brother,

"No she won't have to find out." Nathan looked over at Jamie who was chomping down on some cheerios. Pointing at Jamie Nathan spoke, "This is between you and me bud."

**OTHOTH**

Haley walked out of her sociology class and breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that she had a new voice-mail. Pressing the call button she punched in her password and put the phone up to her ear.

"Hello Mrs. Scott. This is Donna with Dr. Griffith's office and we just wanted to call and check up on Jamie. Your husband seemed to have everything under control but if he is still running a temperature go ahead and bring him in alright, thanks."

Haley stood there in shock. Apparently she slept right through the whole ordeal last night, Nathan definitely had some explaining to do.

**OTHOTH**

Turning the knob Haley entered the front door of the small house and stepped inside.

"Lucas?" Haley called his name wondering where he was. Normally he would greet her at the door with a very excited Jamie but not today.

Haley dropped her bag on the floor wondering where Luke was. He didn't have class then so he would normally watch Jamie while Nathan and Haley went to school but he didn't seem to be home.

There was no response and silence filled the house. Haley walked into the living room and smiled at the sight. Lucas wasn't watching Jamie but Nathan was. The little boy was fast asleep on his father's chest who also seemed to be taking an afternoon nap on the sofa. Haley sat on the coffee table and watched her boys sleep. Nathan's mouth was open and he sounded a little like Darth Vader. His breathing was deep and loud while Jamie was as quiet as a mouse. They looked to be on the same breathing pattern because when Jamie's chest rose so did Nathan's. One of Nathan's hands was placed protectively along Jamie's back and Haley really wanted to get a picture. It was possibly the cutest thing she had ever seen.

Haley ran her hand through Nathan's hair and leaned down to kiss him.

Nathan slowly opened his eyes and saw Haley. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long, but I guess you skipped economics again?" Haley looked at him with a smile and shook her head in disbelief. Nathan had missed class for the third time in a row.

"Yeah but the notes are online and I'd rather be with Jamie anyway." He looked a little guilty for skipping class. "How'd your test go?"

"I think I got an A." Haley smiled, school was something she had always been good at.

"That's my girl." Nathan gave Haley a cheeky grin.

"I got an interesting voice-mail today after my exam." She looked Nathan over wondering if he knew who might have called her.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, Dr. Griffith's office wanted to know how Jamie was feeling. Care to explain?" She tilted her head and smiled.

"About that, well last night when I got him he was covered in sweat and he had a temperature so I called the doctor." He looked like a kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Cause you had that test today." He looked at her and winced.

"Well Jamie is more important than some dumb test." She lightly ran two fingers over Jamie's arm and looked back at Nathan.

"I know but I handled it. Luke helped me out."

"Lucas knew about it too?" Haley's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Hales don't get mad, I was trying to help." He looked at her pleadingly. He knew that he probably should have woken her up but he was trying to be nice. "I knew you would be worried and you were already so stressed with the test that...."

She cut him off with a kiss. Jamie was still on top of Nathan's chest but Haley somehow managed not to crush her son when she all but pounced on Nathan. Jamie didn't even seem to notice the make-out session that was going on just north of his head but someone else did.

"Get a room." Lucas walked through the front door and saw Nathan's and Haley's display of affection. "I don't care how long you have been married it is still weird." He shook his head and walked to the fridge.

Nathan and Haley's lips parted and Haley smiled. "We'll continue this later."

Nathan smirked and nodded his head. Running his hand over Jamie's back he responded, "Definitely later."

**OTHOTH**

After Haley had gotten Jamie down for the night she walked back to the bedroom. It was only 10:15pm but the young parents were both exhausted. Haley slipped under the covers and slid close to Nathan.

He smiled and tucked a hair behind her ear. "The boy asleep?"

"Yep, out like a light." Haley moved even closer to Nathan so their faces were only inches apart. "If he he wakes up with a fever get me up this time." She playfully smiled and he nodded in response.

Nathan let out a laugh, "I will."

Haley pulled him close and looked into his deep blue eyes. "If I got sick would you take care of me?"

"Absolutely." He kissed her softly but she had other plans.

Haley rolled over so she was partially on top of him and deepened their kiss. Nathan gladly accepted his wife's forwardness and ran his hands down her sides. Grabbing a fist full of Nathan's shirt, she started to pull it up exposing his bare chest. Shirtless, Nathan thought he'd even out the playing field and he lifted Haley's top over her head. He rolled her over so she was on her back and he starred into her eyes.

"I'll take care of you even when you're not hurt or sick. I love you Haley James Scott. Always." He kissed her cheek. "And", he moved up to her forehead. "Forever", he placed another kiss on her lips.

Haley smiled up at Nathan. Something about those three little words always made her stomach flip and heart race. They were in his wedding vows and she was pretty sure he'd be saying them for the rest of their lives. Haley looked up to Nathan and mouthed 'always and forever' then pulled him down by his neck into a kiss. "I love you Nathan Scott."

**A/N: I really wish we had gotten to see Nathan with Jamie as a baby for more than like the .5 seconds in the finale of season 4, and the lame flashback episode in season 5. I think Nathan would be adorable with a baby. Oh well, maybe when and if they ever have another kid on the show we will get to see it. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. On a side note, I am going home for Thanksgiving break tomorrow and probably won't get a chance to write much if any while I'm home. So I probably won't get to update as often as I have been. But you never know, I love reviews so much that your words will probably inspire me to write while I'm away. To my American readers...Happy (early) Thanksgiving, and to my foreign friends, have a good weekend and next week!**


	8. I Have You To Thank

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 8: I Have You to Thank**

**Disclaimer: So obviously I own nothing. If I did, there would be lots more Naley on the show!!**

**A/N: Hey guys so I feel like it has been forever but it hasn't really, it's only been a hand full of days but still, it feels like forever to me (and probably to you too). Y'alls reviews are awesome. By now everyone must know that I am a review junkie. Every one I read makes me smile, so thank you a thousand and four times for leaving me your thoughts and comments. I really appreciate it. And in the spirit of giving thanks, I'll leave you all to read the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Wait, actually before you read let me add something. This chapter is based around Haley's family but since we don't even know what her brothers names are or how many she has (though I think she has two) I am going to cut them out. Only because I didn't want to pick names and have everyone hate them so they will be absent from the festivities. So sorry, just a heads up. **

**OTHOTH**

Haley had never been so nervous in her life. In an hour, nearly all of her family would be arriving at her house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Her mom and dad, sisters and their husbands/boyfriends would all be at her house in a short time. Her brothers couldn't make it which was a disappointment but they had to go to their in-laws. Even minus the boys she had a big family so it was a good thing she had a big house. Haley's mom had suggested everyone go there instead of Vivian's place since Haley's was bigger.

Nathan walked down the stairs and when he hit the bottom step his nose was hit with about 50 aromas. Turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, dressing, ham, you name it he could smell it. Haley accidentally said that she would love to cook and that no one needed to bring anything, she was sorry now. Nathan walked into the kitchen and saw that the counters and stove top were flooded with pots and pans. He smiled when he saw Haley go back and forth between the oven and stove. Checking on the turkey then tasting the sweet potatoes. She looked so frantic yet calm. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Smells good." He dug his cheek into the side of her head.

She sighed, "I don't know, I think I undertook a little too much." She stuck a fork in the sweet potato pot and pulled out an orange glob. She took a bite and crinkled her face. "I think their missing something. Here." Haley passed Nathan the fork.

Instead of doing what any normal person would do and taste them regularly, he bent down and kissed Haley. She was a bit taken aback to say the least.

"They taste fine." Nathan smirked and laughed at Haley's reaction.

"Nathan!" Haley swatted at his arm and took the fork from his hand. "I'm serious. If they aren't cooked right I won't here the end of it from Vivian. She's already mad that Mom suggested everyone come here instead of her place."

"Well she can get over it." Nathan scooped up a bite of the sweet potatoes and licked the fork clean. "They're great Hales, really." He handed her the fork back and kissed her cheek sweetly. "You don't have anything to worry about."

Nothing to worry about. Who was he kidding, Lydia and Jimmy are crazy, Quinn is some artsie fartsie photographer with a film maker husband, Vivian is an uptight lawyer married to a clean cut boy version of herself with two photocopied kids to boot, and Taylor, she deserves a whole category of crazy to herself. They call her Hurricane Taylor after all. Not worrying was not on Haley's agenda. .

**OTHOTH**

"Daddy, when is everyone gonna get here?" A 5 year old Jamie looked up to his father who shrugged.

"I don't know bud, soon." Nathan glanced out the window and saw a Jeep pull into the driveway. "Looks like your Aunt Quinn and Uncle David are here."

Jamie ran out the door and greeted his aunt and uncle. Jamie didn't get to see them much but when he did, he loved seeing them.

"Hey Jamie. Happy Thanksgiving." Quinn ruffled Jamie's hair and handed him a tupperware container. "Here how about you take this too your mom. It's pecan pie." Quinn raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"Did you make it?" Jamie looked up to his aunt.

Quinn bent down and whispered into Jamie's ear, "Nope, but don't tell your mom okay."

Jamie looked back to Quinn and nodded in response. He knew that his aunt wasn't exactly the best cook. The little boy carefully walked into the house and took his mom the pie who set it on the already cluttered counter top.

David and Nathan shook hands and talked a little about sports while Quinn made her way to the kitchen were she found Haley checking the temperature of the bird.

"So the youngest of us all is cooking the family Thanksgiving, huh?"

"Quinn, hey!" Haley turned around to see her older sister leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed. She scampered over and hugged Quinn.

"How's the cooking going?"

"Oh you know, I burnt the first batch of rolls and I'm afraid that..." Haley didn't even finish before Quinn cut in.

"Viv's gonna hate it? She won't. She's a little pissed that we aren't all eating at her house but Hales, I guarantee that this will be more fun than it ever was at her plastic covered sofa, 'don't touch that' house. Besides I made you a pie." Quinn pointed at the pie and smiled. Even though she didn't make it, it was the thought that counted. Haley was doing so much to make this a good Thanksgiving that Quinn thought it was least she could do to go to the Food Lion and pick up a pie.

Jamie was sitting on the couch next to David when the front door opened.

"Hey hey, the old folks are here!" Jimmy James bellowed as he entered the house.

"Jimmy we are not old, just more mature." Lydia replied.

"Well considering that we have what 3 grand kids I would classify us as old." Jimmy looked over to his wife and smiled. "And speaking of grand kids...."

Jamie ran up to his grandparents and hugged them both.

"How ya doing sport?" Jimmy knelt down and asked his grandson.

"Great. I got a floppy eared bunny named Chester wanna see?" Jamie looked at his grandfather enthusiastically and before Jimmy could answer Haley and Quinn entered the room.

"Mom!" Haley ran over to her mom and hugged her tight.

"Dad!" Quinn moved towards her father and threw her arms around him.

Lydia looked over to Jimmy who looked back to her. They missed this. Being around their kids. It had been a while since all of them were under one roof. Even though everyone couldn't make it, the fact that they got to see most of their kids was heartwarming.

**OTHOTH**

Most of the food was done cooking and the family was waiting the arrival of Vivian and her family and Taylor and her boyfriend. Vivian lived in Virginia and had called half an hour ago letting them know that traffic was horrible and that they would be a little late. Taylor being late and not calling to let them now why wasn't quite so shocking.

"So I'm betting Tay doesn't even show." Quinn looked over to Haley and raised her eyebrows.

Jimmy folded his hands together and responded, "Well honey, don't underestimate your sister. She'll be here it will just be a matter of when." Jimmy looked to Quinn who agreed with her dad.

"Yeah, she'll probably be knocking at the door right when we all sit down. It's just her nature." Quinn laughed and shook her head thinking about Taylor's antics.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Must be Viv since she rang the bell. If it was Tay she would have just barged in." Haley smiled as she got up. She walked over to the front door and opened it.

Standing in a perfect little foursome was her oldest sister Vivian, her husband Thomas and their kids Peter 8 and Jane 10.

"Jeez it's freezing out here. Were you punishing us for being a little late by leaving us out in the cold?" Vivian sneered at Haley and stepped inside.

"I ugh....no, sorry." Haley took a step back and looked a little hurt at Vivian's accusation.

She greeted Thomas and hugged her niece and nephew. Thomas and the kids followed her inside and Haley pointed the kids to Jamie's room. They had set up the Wii in his room so the noise wouldn't bother the adults while they were visiting.

"Mom, Dad, it's good to see you." Vivian was always so formal when speaking and it wasn't that she wasn't happy to see her mom and dad or sisters for that matter, it was just that Viv wasn't the kind to run up and hug everyone and squeal in delight.

"You too Viv, how's work. Still the best lawyer at the firm?" Lydia looked to Vivian who smiled and nodded.

"Of course. Those guys would be sitting ducks if they hadn't hired me all those years ago. I think they're actually going to make me partner this spring." Vivian couldn't help but boast.

She was certainly a highly respected lawyer and it didn't help that she was a scathing bitch when it came to getting her way. She was always right and no one ever questioned her. She had worked so hard in high school and college to get where she was that Haley was sometimes blown away to remember that she had time to have a family and husband too. Haley was a lot like Vivian, driven, motivated, incredibly smart, but Vivian lacked some of the kindness that Haley had. Nevertheless, Viv was Viv, and they all loved her for it.

"So Nathan how's basketball going, getting close to the NBA?" Thomas was a huge sports fan and was always in awe at Nathan's athleticism.

"Well I'm still with Charleston but I'm still hopeful I'll get that call someday." Nathan glanced over to Tom who nodded his head.

"He will." Haley reached for Nathan's hand and squeezed it. "The NBA doesn't know what they're missing." Nathan looked to Haley and smiled.

A timer inside the kitchen dinged and Haley got up, "Well I guess it's time to eat."

**OTHOTH**

Haley, Lydia, and Vivian started to make the kids plates before letting everyone at the food. They set them up at the kids table before making their own. Once the kids were settled, the adults piled into the dinning room.

"Haley Bob, these sweet potatoes are fabulous. What did you do to them." Lydia chewed and looked at Haley.

"Uhm well I just boiled them, put a little salt, cinnamon, and..."

"Family? I'm here. Don't tell me you started without us!" Everyone recognized that voice. It was Taylor. Waltzing into the dinning room Taylor smirked at everyone and introduced her new boyfriend to everyone. "Guys I want you to meet Roberto, he's Spanish." Taylor raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"Well Taylor wasn't it nice of you to join us." Vivian looked up from her plate at her younger sister and her dark skinned lover.

"Well you know me, always wanting to make a grand entrance." Taylor grabbed two plates, handed one to Roberto, made her plate, and sat down next to Nathan. "Hi little bro-in law, how's the back healing these days? Hasn't it been less than a year since you were in a wheel chair? You know if you need any sort of deep tissue massage or rub down I'll be happy to help you if...."

"Taylor!" Quinn tried to stop Taylor from continuing her conversation further. "Please pass the green beans."

"Well sure Quinny." Taylor shot Quinn a look of annoyance. Taylor always tried to find a way to embarrass Nathan but her sister wasn't letting her get her moment of glory.

"Oh Quinn I think we all know Taylor is just trying to get a rise out of Nathan." Jimmy pulled his napkin up to his mouth and tried to cover his laughter at his own joke.

"Ew Dad!" Quinn shook her head at her father and looked over at Nathan apologetically.

"Daddy!" Haley closed her eyes and rubbed her hand over her brow.

Nathan just stared at his plate of food. It always happened. The fact that Nathan and Taylor slept together back in the day always seemed to be a hot topic at the dinner table when everyone was around. David and Thomas had learned to not say anything because they knew it was something Nathan wasn't exactly proud of but Taylor and Jimmy always found a way to bring it up. While Vivian was far too mature and over it to even bother to even comment on it.

Roberto didn't quite know what was going on and looked a little confused. Not only was he Spanish, but he didn't speak English all that well, so trying to figure out what in the world was going on between this group of people was near impossible.

The rest of the meal went without problems as the family talked about jobs and doted on children. When everyone was done Haley got up to do the dishes and Vivian offered to help out while everyone else chit chatted.

Haley took a few of the plates into the kitchen and put them in the sink. Vivian followed close behind and set the few she had in the sink as well. They stood in the kitchen for silence until Vivian spoke.

"You did a great job Haley-Bob." Vivian walked close to Haley and nodded her head. "Really you did. The food was great, you're Thanksgiving is so much better than mine ever was. I'm proud of you little sis." Vivian put her arms around Haley and pulled her into a hug. It wasn't something that happened often. Not only did Vivian hug Haley but she complimented her cooking and even used her family nickname. Haley held on to Viv for what seemed like a while and then took a step back.

"Thank you, that really means a lot." Haley smiled at her older sister and nodded.

"How bout we cut this store-bought pie Quinn worked so hard on." Vivian laughed as she opened the box that said, 'sell by Nov. 29'.

Haley got out a knife and handed it over to Vivian who started to cut the two women passed out plates of pie to everyone who wanted a piece and sat back down.

"This pie is really great Quinn, did you use a certain recipe?" Haley lifted her brow as she asked her sister about the tasty dessert.

"Uhm, well, actually, I don't remember what I used to make it." Quinn was struggling to find the right words careful not to blow her cover.

Taylor laughed, "That's a shame, you should have asked me for a pie recipe. I mean Hales loves my brownie recipe so much I'm sure I could have found a great pie one." Taylor smirked at Quinn who knew exactly why Haley enjoyed those brownies so much.

"Yeah Tay, I do love those brownies." Haley ate another bite her pie and smiled at the thought of Taylor's awesome brownies.

Under her breath Taylor mumbled. "Oh I'm sure you do."

**OTHOTH**

Once everyone was gone and Nathan and Jamie and Haley had said their goodbyes, Haley made her way to the kitchen to pack away the leftovers. When she put the last of it in the fridge she walked in to the living room to find Nathan fast asleep on the couch. She wasn't all that surprised. It wasn't uncommon for anyone to feel extra sleepy after having a huge Thanksgiving meal, after all, Jamie was already upstairs in bed. She walked over to Nathan and placed a quick kiss on his forehead. Haley walked to the dining room and cleared away the table cloth and center piece. After running a few loads through the dishwasher and a heavy mopping of the kitchen floor she made her way upstairs to put on something more comfortable.

After putting on an old pair of Nathan's sweat pants and an old t-shirt she walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She put her short brown hair into a bun and sighed deeply. Cooking all of that food, having her parents and sisters over had taken it's toll. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl into bed and sleep for the rest of November.

Haley maneuvered over to the bed and slid under the crisp sheets. Noticing Nathan's absence she knew that she should go get him from the couch but was honestly too tired to move. He would wake up at some point and come to bed.

It was only 20 minutes or so after she got into bed when she felt the bed shift and adjust for the newly added weight. Nathan got in bed and rolled over to Haley.

"Hey." He looked at her and smiled.

With both eyes shut she replied back, "Hi."

"So were you just going to let me sleep on the couch?" Nathan raised his brow and scooted closer to Haley.

Still with her eyes closed she answered, "Uhm well I was going to come down and get you, but that required me to get up. And I was perfectly comfortable here."

"Uhm huh, I'll bet." Nathan kissed Haley's forehead.

"I'm sorry Taylor and my dad had to bring up, bring up the whole...."

"It's fine, don't worry about me. I've gotten used to it. After nearly 7 years of teasing I've learned a very important lesson ." Nathan ran his hand over Haley's arm and sighed deeply.

"Oh yeah and what's that?" Haley opened her eyes waiting to hear what Nathan's response was going to be.

"Well, I've told you before. But that no matter who my first was, no one will ever be as important as my last." He reached for her hand under the covers and gave it a slight squeeze. "I love you Haley James Scott."

"I love you too." Haley reached for Nathan's neck and pulled him into a kiss.

He really was a great man. A great father. A great husband. He was her everything and it didn't matter to her who he slept with in the past. What was important to her was today, and tomorrow, and the day after that. Those were days that she lived for. The little moments when he would steal her heart away and make her fall in love with him all over again. Lying in bed next to the man she loved Haley was so thankful that he was apart of her life. After all, it was still Thanksgiving and he, along with their beautiful son, was what she was thankful for most.

**OTHOTH **

**A/N: Alright there you go guys. Since I am home celebrating the Thanksgiving holidays with my family I thought why not have a chapter based on it. Hope you all enjoyed it. If for some awesomely awesome reason if my total review count hits the 100 mark you guys just might get another one of those quick updates, like as in next day. I think I need about 17 or so to get to 100. So if you want the next chapter tomorrow sometime leave me your thoughts about this chapter. What you want to see more of, suggestions for future chapters or anything that is on your mind. I really appreciate all of y'alls feedback, good or bad. Thanks for reading!!**


	9. Forget to Remember

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 9: Forget to Remember**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing related to OTH except the DVDs.**

**A/N: I sincerely apologize for updating this late. I feel awful that I have gone against my word and you all must hate me for it and I am so sorry. I myself get irritated with authors that say they'll do something and then don't so feel free to throw some tomatoes my way. I deserve it. It was my fault to tell you guys that I would update a chapter the next day before I had even written it. Poor decision on my part. Not to mention the Thanksgiving holiday made it really hard to sneak away to my computer. With that being said, holy cow guys I never would have thought I would have hit the 100 review mark by chapter 8. That is like a milestone so as promised, I give you a new chapter (late I know, I know). I hope you enjoy it!**

**OTHOTH**

Turning 40 was something most people hated, or maybe not hated, but something most people dreaded. For Haley James Scott turning 40 wasn't that big of a deal. Her children were grown, Jamie was in college at UNC, Charlotte had just gotten her driver's permit and her husband was near perfect. So 40, it was just another number that meant her children were older, her wrinkles a little more obvious, and that parts of her body sagged a little more than they had when she was a ripe 20 year old. The morning of her 40th birthday started out like any other day, and that was when Haley found out she did care about her birthday.

Haley walked into the kitchen to find Charlotte eating a bowl of cereal with her nose in a book. Something she had most certainly inherited from her mother.

"Happy birthday Mom!" Charlotte set her book down and smiled at her mom. "So what did Dad get you?" Looking at her mother's neck, wrists, and fingers she tried to see if she saw any new jewelry.

Haley smiled and walked over to the coffee pot, "Actually he was in the shower when I woke up and I haven't seen him yet, so I don't know what he got me."

"Oh well whatever it is, I am sure you'll love it." Charlotte couldn't help but smirk at her last comment. She knew exactly what her dad was getting her mom and couldn't wait to see how she reacted.

Nathan came down the stairs fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. He walked straight to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. "Morning ladies." He continued to fix his coffee when Haley walked over to him.

"Morning." Haley stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly.

"Ew gross, do you have to do that while I'm in the room." Charlotte violently dropped her spoon in her bowl and pushed it forward. "Ugh, I really hate it when you do that." That was a lie actually. She thought that her parents were kind of cute when they did that but she would never say it out loud. All kids were supposed to be 'grossed out' by their parents PDA, right?

Haley laughed at her daughter and ran her hand over Nathan's cheek.

Nathan looked down at Haley and stepped back,"I've got to run. I've got a meeting..." Looking at the kitchen clock he sighed. '...I'm already late for. I'll be back later." He kissed Haley's forehead and walked over to his daughter and whispered in her ear, "Don't let her find out." He gave Charlotte a little squeeze and kissed her forehead. "Bye."

Haley stood their watching Nathan and Charlotte and couldn't help but feel a little upset. When Nathan left the house she moved over toward her daughter.

"He didn't even say 'happy birthday', do you think he forgot?" Haley crossed her arms in front of her stomach and frowned.

"Nah, he was in a rush to go to his meeting. It's not like Dad to forget you're birthday. He'll call you later." Charlotte took a sip of her orange juice trying to hide the smile the was creeping out of the side of her mouth.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had dropped off Charlotte at school and made her way to the grocery store. Normally, Nathan would take her out on her birthday but since he had yet to even tell her 'happy birthday' she thought she would pick up some food in case they were staying in. Walking up and down the aisle Haley thought back to the numerous other birthday's she'd had and was frankly a little irritated that her husband had yet to do or say anything.

After she had gotten her groceries and pushed her cart to her car, her phone rang and she opened it quickly. "Hello."

"Happy birthday Mom." The young man's voice rang through Haley's ears and she smiled.

"Thanks, Jamie."

"How does it feel to be the big 4-0?" Jamie playfully teased.

"Uhm alright I guess....actually no. Right now I am a little mad at your father." Haley's tone had suddenly changed.

"Oh yeah, why's that?"

"He hasn't even said anything to me today. Nothing. Both you and your sister remembered but somehow it seems to have escaped your father's mind."

Like Charlotte, Jamie knew what his dad was up to and was happy that they were on the phone because if she saw him in person the goofy grin on his face would have given it all away. "Well he's got all day so don't get mad yet. He probably has something planned. You guys never miss birthdays or anniversaries or anything like that."

"Yeah you're probably right, I bet I'm just overreacting. I mean it's still early in the day, I don't know why I am so bothered by this." Sighing to collect her thoughts Haley changed the subject, "So how are classes going?"

Jamie smiled and shook his head, "Fine. I'm just ready to graduate and get out into the real world."

"Yeah, well you'll be done soon. I'm so proud of you Jamie." Haley couldn't believe that her son was a semester away from graduating college. It seemed like yesterday that she was dropping him off for his first day of Kindergarten.

"Thanks Mom, But hey uh, I've got to go, I just wanted to tell you happy birthday." Jamie looked out of the window of his car and paused, "I love you Mom."

"I love you too honey, thanks for calling." Haley ended her call and slid into the drivers seat of the car. She needed to get the groceries home soon so the frozen things wouldn't melt. Pulling out of the parking lot Haley headed home. After unloading her things she felt lonely in her empty house and decided she needed to vent her frustrations to her squinty, blue-eyed best friend.

**OTHOTH**

"Hey Hales, happy birthday. I didn't know you were coming by." Lucas opened the door to find a very agitated Haley standing on the front porch.

Not even responding to his birthday greeting Haley marched in the front door and sat on the couch. "Do you know that Nathan hasn't even said a word to me about my birthday yet."

"Uhm, no sorry." Lucas looked genuinely sorry for Haley. He knew that Haley was upset that Nathan had apparently forgotten her birthday, but he also knew that Nathan hadn't forgotten at all.

"I mean God, we've been married nearly 25 years and he forgets my birthday. My fortieth birthday." She seemed pissed now.

"Well, he probably just had other things on his mind, I am sure he has something planned." Lucas tried to reason with her without giving too much away.

Right after Lucas spoke his last words Haley's phone went off. "Hey, it's him, maybe he remembered." Touching the answer button on her phone she placed the phone up to her ear. "Hello."

"Hey Hales, I was just wondering what your plans were for dinner." Haley sighed in relief, this was it. He had remembered. "Uhm...well I stopped by the store but what did you have in mind?"

"Actually, I won't be able to get home for dinner, so I was gonna let you know that it will be just you and Charlotte tonight."

Haley couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had thought that her husband was calling to tell her that he had some great romantic evening planned, maybe dinner at the dock or something. But no, he would be home late. With a little bit of disappointment in her voice she responded, "Oh, alright. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Okay. I love you ,bye."

"Love you too." Haley slowly slid her phone into her purse and looked over to Lucas, "Not only does he still not say anything but he won't even be home for dinner, this is unbelievable. I've got to go." Haley rushed out of Lucas' house and practically slammed the door.

Luke couldn't help the smirk that was plastered on his face. Two weeks ago when Nathan told him about his plan he would have never thought Haley would ever react the way she was now. Everything was working out just like Nathan wanted.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Peyton had been at Tric almost all day putting up decorations. Peyton told Haley that the air conditioner had broken and that she didn't need to come into the office today. This master plan had been concocted to keep Haley away from the studio. Nathan had decided it would be a great idea to throw Haley a surprise party at Tric for her birthday and Peyton gladly helped out with the planning. Brooke helped a bit as well, but since Peyton worked in Tric it was quite convenient for her to walk to the bar section of the old warehouse and help Nathan out.

Nathan had entered the room with about 25 purple balloons and handed a few to Peyton who laughed, "You know I still can't believe you have managed to keep this all a secret from Haley."

"It's been hard." Nathan let out a nervous laugh, still knowing Haley could find out his plan at any minute.

Peyton nodded and then felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and noticed she had a voice-mail. She lifted her phone to her face and listened carefully. Lucas had called to let Peyton know that Haley had stopped by their house.

"It seems your wife is pretty upset with you. She went over to talk to Lucas and was bitching about you forgetting her birthday. He said that he had never seen her more disappointed. So I guess that's a good thing." Peyton looked over to Nathan who shrugged.

"Yeah, I just hope she doesn't hate me after this. I think I have really hurt her feelings by acting like I didn't remember."

"Well I bet that as soon as she sees you tonight all that's gonna change,she'll probably be so surprised that she wont even remember you _forgot_."

"I hope so, I mean all of our friends are going to be here and Jamie's driving down from school." Nathan ran his hand through his hair. He really wanted everything to go great tonight and he was kind of having second thoughts.

Peyton noticed and chimed in, "Since you got the kids involved, I am sure Haley is going to be incredibly surprised. When she sees Jamie tonight she'll probably burst into tears. He hasn't been home this semester so don't worry Nathan, it will all be fine." Peyton placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder trying to ease any worry he may have had.

**OTHOTH**

When Charlotte got home from school she immediately went to find her mom. Searching through the house she found her sitting at her piano starring at the black and white keys.

"Hey" Charlotte sat down next to her mom.

"Hi." Haley's tone was cold and distant.

Charlotte could tell that Haley had yet to hear any word from her father. "So Dad still hasn't said anything?"

"No." Haley seemed to like one word sentences and kept their conversation short.

Charlotte knew that her mom was disappointed that her dad had still not said anything and thought of a way to cheer her up. She placed her fingers on the piano keys and slowly began to play "Happy Birthday". It had been a while since she had played that song in particular, but Haley knew what Charlotte was playing and appreciated the gesture. Once she was done, Charlotte looked over to her mom who gave her a smile.

"Thanks." Haley leaned over to Charlotte who then wrapped her arms around her mom.

"I learned from the best." Charlotte squeezed her mom tighter and rested her head on Haley's shoulder. "I'm am sure Dad has something planned Mom. He wouldn't just forget."

Haley rolled her eyes and laughed, "That's what everyone keeps saying."

Charlotte got off the piano bench and walked toward the door. "You never know, he might just surprise you."

Haley shrugged and put her hands on the keys and began to play a somber tune. Charlotte heard the melody play through the house and went to her room. She whipped out her phone and called her dad.

"Dad." She didn't even let Nathan respond. "Mom's not taking this too well, and she's playing really sad music, what am I supposed to do?"

"Uhm I don't know, you only have a little while until you bring her over so just keep her busy."

"By doing what?" Charlotte was whispering in the phone in case Haley could hear.

"Go run some errands. Drive around. I don't know just keep her in good spirits."

"Ok, I'll try." Charlotte hung up the phone and jumped on her bed. She had to figure out something for them to do until they went to Tric. After a moments of thinking an idea came to her head and she sprung off her bed and headed downstairs.

"Mom?" She called while walking to the piano room.

To Charlotte's surprise Haley was not sitting at the black bench playing depressing songs. She walked into the kitchen thinking that maybe her mom was preparing dinner but she wasn't there either. She went over to the widow and saw the silhouette of a person standing on their pier. Charlotte walked outside and made her way to the water.

Charlotte quietly spoke, "Mom?"

Haley turned to her daughter and smiled. She leaned on the rail of the wooden dock and sighed. "You know your dad and I kind of have a thing with docks."

"I know, I know. I've heard all the stories." Charlotte moved toward her mom and stood next to her. "Like how he proposed to you for the second time on a dock, how he gave you that Cracker Jack charm bracelet the first day you tutored him, how you threw up on Grandpa Dan after he busted y'all for drinking. I know Mom. Docks are your thing." Trying to get her mom out of her trance, she changed the subject, "So I need to run a few errands and I can't drive by myself yet so what do you say?" Charlotte gave her mom a half smile and bobbed her head hoping it would ease her answer.

"Yeah, sure."

The mother and daughter walked side by side back up to the house. They each grabbed their purses and headed to Haley's car parked in the driveway.

"So where are we going exactly. I hope it doesn't take long, I 've got to start dinner soon." Haley looked down at her watch and sighed.

"Uhm no not too long, I just need to run downtown for a few minutes." Charlotte hopped into the driver's seat and Haley took her place in the passenger's seat.

It only took a few short minutes before they had arrived at their destination. Located on the corner of Front and Grace stood the little boutique that had become a staple of downtown Tree Hill. Charlotte pulled into a parking space and hopped out of the car.

"Honey what do you need in here?"

Charlotte stuttered for a second trying to come up with an excuse her mother would believe. There wasn't anything she actually needed except to buy time until it was time for her mom's party.

"Uh, Aunt Brooke said that she had a dress she wanted me to look at." She opened the door and walked in the store, Haley followed closely behind.

When the two girls got inside they noticed that they were the only ones in there. Millie came out from the back and greeted Haley and Charlotte.

"Hey guys, oh and happy birthday Haley."

"Thanks." Haley gave Millie a smile thanking her for remembering.

Charlotte interrupted, "Well, we stopped by because Aunt Brooke said that she had a dress she wanted me to see." She was lying right through her teeth and Millie knew it.

"Oh _that_ dress, let me go see if it's in the back." She returned a second or two later and shook her head in regret. "Sorry Charlotte I think Brooke must have taken it home to add some last minute details to it."

"That's okay, thanks for looking." Charlotte looked over to her mom who seemed a little bored.

Millie looked at the clock and spoke, "Well I'm closing the store early today so if there's not anything else you need..." She trailed off and Charlotte knew that Millie needed to be getting to Tric. "It's just that Marvin is taking me out tonight and Brooke doesn't always let me close it down early so...."

Haley had basically stood their in silence the whole time and when Millie said that Marvin was taking her out it kind of infuriated her. Why was it so hard for Nathan to remember her birthday, take her out, do something nice? She sighed in frustration and headed for the door.

"No, we're done. Thanks for looking for the dress Millie." Charlotte glanced over to Millie then followed her mom out the store.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was standing in the newly decorated Tric nodding to himself. He and Peyton had done a pretty good job. There was only about 20 minutes till Haley came and people were already starting to show up. He was admiring his handy work when he noticed someone step next to him.

"Looks pretty good Dad." Jamie looked to his dad and grinned.

"You think? Peyton and I worked pretty hard all day. If someone had gotten away from school a little bit sooner it would have been done much faster."

Jamie rolled his eyes at his father. "Well I got here in time to hang up the banner." Both Nathan and Jamie glanced at the banner and Nathan put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad you could make it." He gently patted Jamie's shoulder.

**OTHOTH**

"Charlotte where are you going? You were supposed to turn right not left to go home." Haley turned toward her daughter and raised her brow.

"Uhm I need to run by Tric and pick something up." Charlotte gave her mother a pleading look and kept on driving toward the old warehouse downtown.

Once the SUV pulled into the gravel parking lot Charlotte put it in park and hopped out of the car. She walked over to her mom's side and motioned for her to roll down the window.

"I need your help. Come on." Charlotte waved at her mom for her to follow and Haley slowly slid out of the car and headed toward the stairs.

Charlotte was ahead of Haley, and when she made her way to the top of the stairs she disappeared behind the entrance. As Haley climbed the metal stairs, she shook her head thinking about her day. When she reached for the door to enter she sighed and then took a step inside.

"Surprise!" An echo emitted throughout the building and Haley stood there in shock.

Haley didn't quite know what was going on. She saw the balloons then noticed the banner that hung from the old steel beams. 'Happy 40th Birthday Haley', was what she read and Haley could feel the emotion building in the pit of her stomach. Sure she had talked to Lucas and her children today who had said nearly the same words, Millie too, but this was unexpected. She scanned the crowd and saw all familiar faces. Millie and Mouth were huddled close and Haley could tell Millie was beaming. She must have been so proud of herself since she didn't spill the beans about where it was exactly she was going out with Mouth. Lucas and Peyton were next to Brooke and Julian and the foursome all raised their glasses toward Haley.

After nodding in appreciation she saw a tall, dark headed handsome man with his back turned to her. She knew in an instant that it was Nathan and made her way to him. When she saw who Nathan was was talking to she squealed.

"Jamie? Jamie what are you doing here? Don't you have a big exam tomorrow?" She engulfed her son in a hug and held on tight.

"Yeah, but this is more important than some dumb test." He flashed a smirk he so obviously inherited from his father and kissed her cheek. "Happy birthday Mom."

Haley released Jamie from her grip and looked over to her daughter. "And you, you knew about this all day?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"Um, actually for about two weeks." Charlotte raised her eyebrows and looked at her dad. "Dad did all the hard work, I just had to get you here." Charlotte wrapped her arm around her brother and laughed, "I'm glad you let me drive after we went to the shop cause if you hadn't my plan was totally screwed."

Haley moved toward Nathan, and Charlotte and Jamie took that as their cue to give them their space. Nathan, just like Jamie was flashing her his trademark smirk looking rather pleased with himself.

"You didn't think I'd forget did you." Nathan pulled Haley close and ran a finger over her ear. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Hales, I'd never forget."

She couldn't seem to find the words to respond. Haley looked up to him with her glossy brown eyes and smiled. She rested her head on his chest and held on to her tightly. He kissed the top of her head and breathed in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Haley spent most of the night talking with their friends and exchanging embarrassing stories centered around Haley. When the time had come for everyone to leave Nathan told Charlotte that he would take Haley home and that she could ride with Jamie.

Once they had reached Nathan's car he opened the door for her and then he stepped up into the drivers seat. In the car Nathan put his hand out and Haley gladly put her hand in his. He leaned over and brought it to his mouth and placed a small kiss on her hand looking over to Haley.

"So where are we going anyway?" Haley straightened up in her seat and questioned Nathan.

"It's a surprise." He raised his brow and smirked.

"Another one? You're just full of surprises tonight aren't you?"

"Uh-huh." Nathan shot her a playful look and squeezed her hand.

When Nathan parked the car next to the entrance of Chandler's Wharf Haley had a feeling that she knew where he was taking her. They both got out and headed to the Riverwalk. They strolled the old wooden structure arm and arm until they came to a familiar bench. Haley took a seat and Nathan did the same.

"So you brought me here?"

"Yeah, you know we kind of have a thing with docks." Nathan smiled and rested his arms on the table that separated them.

"Yeah, we do." Haley thought back to early in the day where she was walking along their own dock and thinking the same thing.

"Well, docks and rain. But the forecast called for a zero percent chance. Sorry." Nathan laughed and looked up to the cloudless night sky. A few stars were out and the moonlight illuminated the water beautifully. "But yeah anyways, I have something for you."

Haley anxiously waited to see what he was going to do and sat in silence.

Nathan reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box and set it in front of Haley. "Open it."

Haley took the box in her hands and started to untie the red bow. After she successfully untied it she opened the box and gasped, "Nathan it's beautiful."

It was a platinum bracelet. He had picked it out himself and even had it engraved. Reading the small print she thought it might say 'always and forever' but it didn't.

Nathan spoke as Haley read the engraving. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

After he slipped the elegant bracelet on her wrist, Nathan smiled at Haley who was absolutely enamored. Throughout the entire day she thought he was being an ass. She was upset that he didn't get her anything, and more importantly she though he had forgotten about her birthday completely. But here they were, sitting at an old wooden table with the Cape flowing freely behind them. As Haley sat there staring at her husband she realized how petty she had acted. Because the truth of the matter was that Nathan had given her everything. She didn't need anything fancy, just those kind eyes and his warm heart. She didn't care about turning 40, or any other birthday after that because she was going to spend every one of them with him and that was all that mattered.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Ok guys there you go. I hope you liked it. Have any comments or quite frankly want to send me hate mail for me updating so late go ahead, I deserve it. Thanks for reading.**


	10. Flat on the Floor

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 10: Flat on the Floor**

**Disclaimer: I seriously wish I owned a little piece of OTH, but I don't, and it's a little depressing.**

**A/N: Hey guys, so I feel like it has been another long stretch since updating. Sorry bout that, I've had a hell week with all my classes. Actually I should be doing psychology, I've got an exam tomorrow, oh well, (I like to procrastinate with that class in particular) but I had a minute of free time that turned into a bunch more minutes. Becky this one is for you. Hope this makes your week a little bit better. So the rest of you can thank her for pushing me to write this new chapter. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked in the front door and called out for his wife, "Hales, Haley? Haley come here." He shut the door and turned to find her walking out of the kitchen.

"Hey. What is it, you sound so excited?" Haley hesitantly moved toward Nathan who was beaming.

"Well I have something I want to show you." He took her hand in his and headed for the front door. "Close your eyes."

Haley reluctantly closed her eyes knowing that Nathan had something up his sleeve. 'Close your eyes' was man code for 'Honey, I just bought something really expensive but I want you to be surprised.' He led her out the door and she took a deep breath.

"Okay, so I thought this would be fun for all of us and I uh, well." Nathan was too excited to really get his point across, "Um, just, just open them."

There in the middle of the driveway was a enormous boat. Not some little canoe or a john boat with a trolling motor, but a giant white, 28 ft monster. Bright and shiny straight from the marina, Haley could hardly concentrate on the big white blob sitting on a trailer behind Nathan's Range Rover.

"Isn't it great. I mean we can take it to the beach and use it to fish or just ride around. I passed it coming back from Clay's house and couldn't resist. Look Hales the dealer threw in a captains hat as a bonus." Nathan put it on and even though he was acting like a giddy school boy on Christmas morning, he did look extremely attractive with the captain's hat on. But aside from his good looks Haley was fuming. He had gone out and bought a boat, not to mention a boat that looked like it probably put a dent in their bank account. Nathan turned to look back at Haley and raised his brow, "So what do you think, great right?"

Haley was still standing a few feet away from the door and had yet to move. Her feet were frozen in place and words unable to escape her mouth. Instead of answering his question she narrowed her eyes and turned back to the house. With a loud thud she slammed the door behind her leaving Nathan alone in the driveway.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte was up in her room doing her Algebra homework when she heard the front door slam. Curious as to what was going on she took a look outside and noticed the massive boat.

"Oh man this can't be good." She walked back towards her bed. As she reached for her cell phone she could here her mom and dad arguing downstairs. Dialing the one person who would get a kick out of this she pressed call.

"Hello?" Jamie's voice echoed through the phone and Charlotte was thankful he picked up. He was currently at UNC, and had just started the fall semester of his senior year.

"You'll never guess what Dad got." She was trying to whisper in case her parents could hear. Without letting Jamie try to guess she went on, "A boat. Like as in a huge, big, ginormous, boat."

"Why he do that?" Jamie questioned his little sister.

"I have know idea, I bet that's what Mom wants to know. They are arguing about it right now." Charlotte stepped toward her door and listened to the heated conversation downstairs.

"Well I'm sure she will get over it. Mom always finds a way to forgive Dad."

Nodding her head in agreement Charlotte sighed, "Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if he sleeps on the couch tonight." It was getting harder and harder for her to concentrate on her conversation with her brother while simultaneously trying to listen to her parents. "Well I'll call back later with all the gory details." They both laughed at her last statement. Charlotte threw her phone on her bed and ran back to the door to try and get a better idea about what was going on.

**OTHOTH**

Haley was furious. Not only did he not tell her that he was going to buy the boat, but it wasn't a cheap investment either. She had always been money conscious. It started back in her high school days when she worked at the Cafe. To Haley money wasn't something you just spent blindly, someone worked hard for it so it should be used wisely.

After she left Nathan outside she went into the living room and began to pace. Nathan walked through the front door and looked dumbfounded.

"Haley, it's just a boat. I thought it would be fun for us and the kids. Jamie likes to fish and I think Charlotte will like it too."

"Don't play the kids card on me Nathan." She cut her eyes toward him and shook her head, "Why didn't you say something to me."

"I uh, I don't know, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. And I never thought you would react like this." He looked hurt that she was more upset than excited about his newest buy.

"Nathan, you don't even know how to drive a boat. Do you even have your vessel liscense?" She knew that he didn't but asked anyway.

"No but the sales guy said the test was really easy and I mean I'm married to my tutor so..." He thought it was a sweet comment. That's how they first got together anyways, but Haley took it the other way.

"Nathan that was in high school and college. I don't know anything about boats. Did you really expect me to teach you the rules of the water? You know just as much as I do. So you can take you little boater's manual and read it yourself. You can do that right, read?" That last part came out a bit harsh but she was livid.

Nathan didn't have anything else to say. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down. He knew that he was in the wrong but never in a million years did he think she would ever get this upset.

Haley looked back to Nathan and crossed her arms, "How much did it cost anyway? Ten thousand dollars?"Nathan looked up and winced. She saw and gasped, "Nathan! What like twenty-twenty five thousand?" Again he said nothing and Haley couldn't believe it. "Okay really, how much was it?"

As quickly as he could Nathan managed to jumble up all the numbers, "Eightyninethousand, sevenhundredsixtytwo dollars." He looked back to Haley who as pale as a ghost

"You just spent ninety thousand dollars on a boat! Nathan that's Charlotte's college fund, the rest of Jamie's. What were you thinking." She put her hand on forehead and breathed deeply.

"Hales, it's not that much. Jamie's almost done with school and we have plenty of money to put Charlotte through school." He walked toward Haley and reached out for her. He was right. They had more than enough money to finish paying for Jamie's education and Charlotte's too.

$90,000 was essentially pocket money to them but that was not the point of the argument.

Haley backed away from Nathan, "I know I know, but did you not think it would be important to at least let me know." Nathan was beginning to say something when she interrupted. "You should have told me." Haley walked to the kitchen and Nathan could hear her open the refrigerator and some cabinets, she was going to keep herself preoccupied making dinner.

Nathan felt awful. He figured that she would be surprised and excited about the boat. After all it was for the family. It wasn't like he went out and bought a motorcycle only he could use, this was something everyone could enjoy. But now instead of bringing people happiness it did the opposite. Nathan headed for the door and drove away.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had whipped up dinner in a short 30 minutes and was setting the table when Charlotte came down.

"Mmm smells good." Charlotte helped her mom finish with the table and poured everyone's water. Haley kept pretty quiet but Charlotte couldn't help but ask, "So I uh noticed the boat in the driveway, what's that all about?"

Haley didn't even look up when she answered, "You're father." That's all she said. 'You'r father', like she was supposed to know the whole story from those two little words. Charlotte could tell that it was a sore subject and decided not to pry open the still fresh wounds. As the mother and daughter duo finished preparing dinner they heard Nathan walk in. Haley rolled her eyes not yet wanting to see her imbecile of a husband.

"Hey Dad". Charlotte walked over to her dad and hugged him. She saw that he was carrying something.

"Hey." He sounded a little defeated in his reply. Nathan leaned over to his teenage daughter and whispered in her ear, "Hey uh, let me talk to you mom for a sec, then we'll call you in to eat alright." Charlotte understood and left the room, but stayed close so she could hear what they were saying.

Nathan walked over to Haley who stood in front of the stove and handed her what was in his hands. "I didn't know what else to do, and I know you love these."

Haley took the purple flowers and sighed. "Nathan it's not that simple. You can't just buy me flowers when you screw up."

"I know, but...." He didn't get to finish because Haley interrupted.

"Dinner's gonna get cold, we better eat."

The family of three ate in silence for the majority of dinner. Charlotte tried to do everything she could think of to try and stir up conversation but nothing was working. Nathan offered to do the dishes but Haley said she'd do them. He was trying his hardest to show her that he was sorry but she just wasn't having it.

**OTHOTH**

After dinner Charlotte went straight back up to her room and dialed her brother again.

"Oh my gosh, Jamie, it's bad. Mom's super pissed." Charlotte flopped down on her bed and began to tell Jamie about her relatively quiet dinner. "Dad even got her flowers."

"Are they...?"

"Yeah, they're purple." Charlotte interrupted Jamie, it seemed to be trait she had inherited from her mom

"I am sure they will talk some more tonight and figure everything out. They always do." Jamie tried to give his little sister some assurance that even though she may seem mad, their mom would find a way to get over it.

"You should have seen us at dinner though, it was like someone pressed a mute button on everyone. Well except for me, I tried to get them to talk but it was like they weren't even listening to me." Charlotte's voice reeked of concern.

"Well it's a big deal. How big is the boat?"

"I don't know, big. It looks ridiculously huge compared to Dad's car... so yeah, it's big."

"Boats are expensive, it was probably close to one hundred thousand so that's probably why Mom's so upset."

"Holy shi...crap." Charlotte tired to correct her word usage. Not that she was speaking to an adult who would get mad at her but she didn't want her big brother to fuss at her for her language. "That's a lot of money."

"Uh-huh, but Mom will sleep on it and then everything will be fine tomorrow, I promise." Jamie had seen first hand their parents fight when it was at it's worst. He was four when Haley threatened his dad with a divorce but ever since they haven't ever come close to that. He knew that they would always get over whatever was standing in their way. "I've got to go, but don't worry okay, everything will be fine."

Charlotte hung up phone wondering if Jamie was right. Would their mom wake up the next morning and be perfectly okay with the big white vessel sitting in their driveway?

**OTHOTH**

Haley was putting on her pajamas when Nathan emerged from the bathroom. He had already changed and reached for his pillow from the bed but Haley got to it first.

"Don't even think about sleeping in one of the guest rooms, or even the couch, you can take the floor." She threw his pillow on the floor and looked back at him. Nathan didn't say anything back, he was accepting his punishment hoping that the hardwood wouldn't be too bad on his back.

Once he got on the floor he suddenly the room went dark. Haley had thrown a blanket his way and it landed perfectly on top of his face covering everything. He made a makeshift mattress out of it and closed his eyes. Haley turned out the lights and he could hear her shifting in the bed. This was going to be one long night.

**OTHOTH**

Haley woke up and instinctively reached over to Nathan's side of the bed. When she felt the cool sheets beneath her fingers and remembered that he was on the floor. She maneuvered to his side and looked down at the ground. There he was fast asleep on the hardwood floor. She watched him sleep and decided to do something.

Nathan felt a warm body next to him and opened his eyes. "Haley?"

She propped herself up on his chest and looked into his eyes, "Hi."

"What are you doing?" His arm slid up her back and he held on to her waist.

"Nathan I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted." Haley buried her face in his chest and shook her head.

"No it's my fault. I don't know what I was thinking. Actually I wasn't. I'm the one who's sorry. I should have told you from the start." He rubbed her sides soothingly and held her close. "Do you remember that fight we had after we got married when I bought you that keyboard?" She nodded "I knew then that we would have to do things together, and I know that now too, but I think I just got carried away with the sales guy and somehow ended up buying the thing. I'll take it back."

"No Nathan don't do that." Haley ran her hand over his cheek. "Keep it, you bought with you're money. You shouldn't have to ask my permission to buy something you've earned."

"We've earned, something we've earned. And yeah I do Hales. We are a family and I don't ever want to not include you in anything." He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head and she melted in his grip.

"I'll help you study for your boaters test too if you still want me too."

"Of course I do. I wouldn't go to anyone else." He squeezed her tight and smiled, "Besides, I saw that look in your eye when you saw me in the captains hat."

"Nathan!" She playfully smacked him on the shoulder

"I'm just saying.... That boat might be something you might actually enjoy a lot more than you thought."

Haley could see him smirking even in the darkness of their bedroom. Even though Nathan had gone and gotten a boat without her knowledge he said everything she needed to hear lying on the hard floor. He had even offered to take the boat back but the more Haley thought about it, the more she liked the idea of being on the open seas with her husband.

Haley started to get up when Nathan questioned her, "Hey where are you going?"

Tugging on his shirt and pulling him up with her she replied, "Come on, we're getting off this floor."

"I was hoping you would say that."

So it seemed Jamie was right. Haley had forgiven Nathan. And they both fell asleep fast and peacefully in each others arms in the comfort of their own bed.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Sorry it was kinda short, normally I try to make them a little longer but I thought that was a good place to end it. So just a heads up, I have finals next week and will probably not be able to update as much as you guys would like. However with that being said, I am a review whore so your kind words will more than likely help me procrastinate and I might just write a new chapter in a few days. I won't promise anything, cause we know how well that turned out last time (blaming the Thanksgiving holiday) but still, the more reviews, the better for you guys. Like I said earlier, it's all thanks to Becky for this new update. I appreciate every single one of y'alls reviews and you never know, maybe the next chapter will go out to you. Thanks for reading guys. Have a great weekend!**


	11. Beneath the Fireworks

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 11: Beneath The Fireworks**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Because if I did, the show wouldn't have a dumb winter hiatus or for that matter any re-runs! At least we have one more new episode till the big break.**

**A/N: So I don't know if y'all just didn't like the last chapter or maybe y'all didn't have the time to write a review, but the feedback fell last chapter, and it kinda hurt my feelings. I've had such good feedback that I was like 'what did I do wrong'? However, I really do appreciate everyone who did leave me a review though, your words have encouraged me to write more. This chapter is more family themed with multiple characters appearing. This one is about another American holiday so for my foreign friends, sorry. I promise sometime soon I am going to post a few chapters centered on a more global holiday, Christmas anyone? Well anyways, here's the next one.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley had just put Charlotte down for her afternoon napwhen Nathan and Jamie came strolling through the house. Jamie struggled with the multiple bags in his hands so Haley grabbed a few to help him out. Nathan was carrying groceries as well and the threesome made their way to the kitchen.

"So did you buy the whole store?" Haley started to put up the food when Jamie ran back to the car. "Where did he go? Haley looked up to Nathan curious as to where her new turned 9 year old son went running off too.

"After the grocery store, we also stopped by a Crazy Bills Fireworks stand." Nathan winced a little at his statement.

"Nathan, you didn't." She widened her eyes hoping he was only kidding. Haley saw that he was in fact serious. "Nathan, those things are dangerous. Jamie's only nine and I would really like him to keep all his fingers and toes. He doesn't need to go blow himself up."

Nathan set down the rest of the groceries he was putting up and walked over to her. "Hales, he'll be fine. I only got a little set with sparklers and small things like that. They are perfectly safe. He won't get hurt I promise."

Just then Jamie burst back into the room holding a small pack of fireworks. "Look Mom! Me and Dad went to the fireworks place!"

"I heard." She glared over at Nathan.

"Look look, it has sparklers and a thing that shoots up sparks like a water fountain, and tons of other cool stuff. Isn't that awesome?" Jamie was so pumped about his new collection. His smile could have lit a dark room.

"Yeah baby, but you have to be extremely careful tonight. Your dad or Uncle Lucas, or Julian has to be around when you do them alright?" Haley didn't want to tell her young son that she wasn't going to allow him to have his fun, but she needed to make sure that he knew he needed adult supervision while doing them.

"That's cool. I bet Uncle Lucas will love shooting these things off." Jamie took off toward his bedroom to look over his new prized possession.

"Hales, I promise none of those are dangerous. Besides, there are laws here that outlaw any of the big ones so it's fine. It will all be fine." Nathan ran his hands back and forth over her arms trying to sooth away any worry she might have.

"Yeah." She leaned closer to him and he kissed her softly. Haley smiled up at her husband and then quickly remembered all of the things she needed to do before that night. "Okay, well in about two hours everyone will be getting here so we need to start cooking. Charlotte went down for her nap about 15 minutes ago so she's good for a while, and I think Jamie will be looking at those fireworks for the next few hours."

"Alright, so what can I do to help?" Nathan raised his brow.

He knew that it was always hectic for Haley when everyone came over. Today was the Fourth of July and tonight Lucas, Peyton, Sawyer, Brooke, Julian, Mouth, and Millie would all be coming over to celebrate. Due to the size of their mammoth house and their great backyard, it was the perfect place to cook hot dogs and hamburgers, and watch the big fireworks display the city put on. Every year fireworks would be shot off from the shore of the Cape Fear River and you could see them from Nathan and Haley's pier. It was great that everyone could come over and watch in the backyard instead of going to town at watching from the riverwalk. There was always something nice about having friends and family around when celebrating the holidays.

**OTHOTH**

It was right around 4:30pm when everyone started showing up. Lucas, Peyton and Sawyer were the first to arrive. Lucas had a cooler with him that housed the soft-drinks, and Peyton had her hands full carrying their 3 year old daughter. Once Peyton put Sawyer down she went into the kitchen.

When she entered she saw a marvelous display of food complete with appropriately themed dishes and laughed to herself. "Well aren't you all Martha Stewart today?"

Haley turned around to see her tall blonde friend leaning in the doorway. "You know me, everything's got to go in it's right place."

"Yep." Peyton shook her head amused by her friend. Haley did always try and make things run as smoothly as possible. And on most occasions it just so happened that everything also matched with the holiday or whatever festivity it may be. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Um no, thanks for asking though. Brooke is bringing the desserts, and Millie is bringing the potato salad, you guys brought the extra drinks so I think we are set. The baked beans are done, they are just simmering so no, I think we are good."

"Well where is your adorable daughter, I need my Charlotte fix."

Haley glanced at the clock on the microwave, "Actually I should probably get her up from nap, so come on." Haley waved her hands at Peyton signaling for her to follow and the two women went upstairs to Charlotte's room.

It looked very similar to Sawyer's room. Nathan and Haley had chosen to go with a light green paint since it was gender neutral because there was no way Haley was going to paint her daughter's room pink. Yellow was a contender but Nathan and Jamie liked the green better, so Charlotte's room was green.

Haley tiptoed up to the crib and saw Charlotte fast asleep. She gently ran her hand over Charlotte's back trying to lull the one year old awake. Once Charlotte started to squirm Haley picked her up. Charlotte crinkled her face and let out a big yawn. She opened up her eyes and Peyton shook her head in disbelief, "She looks just like you."

"You think so?" Haley continued to run soft circles on Charlotte's back.

"Uh yeah! Beautiful big brown eyes, and light brown hair. Well I mean you have gone through like a million and a half hair colors but seriously Haley she looks just like you." Peyton nodded her head and looked back to the little girl curled up in her mother's arms.

"That's what everyone says, but I have a hard time seeing it sometimes." Haley shrugged.

"What, you're crazy. That little girl is a mini you. Sure you might be able to tell that her dad is Nathan but Haley she is all you. Now pass the little munchkin over so I can hold her, cause once Brooke is here you know Charlotte will be in her arms all night."

Haley laughed and passed Charlotte over to her aunt Peyton. Both women went back downstairs to find Jamie playing on the floor with Sawyer.

"Aunt Peyton look at what we got." Jamie jumped up and showed her the pack of fireworks.

"Cool man, are we gonna do them later?" Holding onto Charlotte in one arm Peyton looked over the set of fireworks and smiled. "Hey Jamie I have an idea."

**OTHOTH**

Brooke and Julian, and Mouth and Millie all walked in about 15 minutes after Lucas and Peyton. Millie and Brooke both went straight to the kitchen and put down their items. Haley pointed Millie to the fridge so her potato salad would stay cold and then walked over to Brooke.

"So what did you bring?" Haley turned to Brooke then noticed the plate of chocolatey goodness piled high.

"Brownies! And they're Taylor's recipe!" Brooke wiggled her eyebrows and laughed. "I got the recipe from Quinn."

"Brooke you did not bring..." Haley marched over to Brooke and grabbed her by the arm and lowered her voice to a whisper, "You did not bring _pot_ brownies over here did you?" Haley's eyes went wide and she was waiting for an answer.

"Relax Tutor-mom, I'm just messing with you." Haley had released Brooke from her death grip and a wave of relief passed over her body. Brooke couldn't help but smile and laughed at Haley's response. "They're Betty Crocker not Taylor James. I hope I didn't burn them too much. I tasted one and they were pretty good."

Haley rolled her eyes and walked back to the stove. "Well everyone else is outside so why don't you join them." Haley ushered Brooke outside smiling about what was about to happen.

"Jamie Scott?" Brooke called Jamie's name as she stepped onto the back porch and looked to the backyard.

What she failed to notice was that Peyton and Jamie were crouched just outside of the door with a box of noisemakers in each of their hands.

Brooke stepped a few more feet outside and saw Lucas and Nathan with the two smallest Scott girls. "Hey Nate where's Jamie? Where's Peyton?"

Just then Peyton signaled to Jamie and they both popped up from their stance and started throwing the noisemakers toward Brooke.

Brooke didn't know what was going on and started screaming at the loud noises that were landing by her feet. She closed her eyes and flailed her arms around as if trying to defend herself. "Ah, Ah! Help! Ah. Ahh!! Julian!"

Haley had been watching from the doorway and was laughing hysterically. Everyone was actually. Peyton and Jamie were on the ground they were laughing so hard and even Sawyer was chuckling.

"Wha? What the hell was that?" Brooke slowly opened one eye to find everyone laughing. "What? Who?" She looked down and saw her best friend and God son smiling widely.

"Gotcha!" Jamie pointed to Brooke who shook her head in disbelief.

She walked over to the little boy and reached down to him. "You know you're lucky you're so cute." Brooke hugged Jamie and smiled.

Lucas, Nathan, and everyone else gathered around Brooke and were shaking their heads.

"You should have seen it babe, it was hysterical." Julian nodded and flashed Brooke a grin.

"Well I uh, got it all on tape." Mouth added and shook the video camera in his hand.

"Oh we are so sending that in to AFV. We'll win ten thousand dollars." Peyton piped up and looked over to Mouth.

Brooke interrupted. "Oh no way, no way that's gonna go on television." Brooke turned to Mouth and pointed at Mouth, "No way!" Brooke had made it clear Mouth was not to send it in to American's Funniest Home Video's.

After everyone had a good laugh Nathan walked into the kitchen carrying a tray of burgers and hot dogs. "This stuff is done, are we about ready?" Nathan put the food on the counter and Haley nodded.

"Yep I'm gonna call everyone in so they can make their plates." Haley started for the door but Nathan pulled her back.

"Wait, hold on." Nathan pulled Haley close and looked down at her. "Thank you, thank you for doing all of this. You're great you know that?"

"I didn't even do much, everyone brought something."

"You always go around saying you don't do much? Hales, you put this all together so just let me thank you...properly." Nathan smiled and bent down to kiss his wife. "I love you, you know that?"

Haley looked up to Nathan with her big brown eyes and rested her arms around his shoulders, "You better."

Nathan smirked and kissed her once more. After their embrace Haley slid away and called for everyone to make their plates. It was near dark and everyone wanted to eat before they watched the fireworks.

**OTHOTH**

The group sat outside and the warm July air was a nice mix with the food everyone had prepared. Nathan had set up extra chairs to go alongside their big wooden table and even brought out Charlotte's highchair so she could be in on the fun. Jamie sat down in his chair and everyone looked at his plate.

"What? I can eat it all." Jamie looked to everyone and nodded his head. "Really I can." In front of Jamie was his version of a double cheeseburger, a giant serving of baked beans, some potato salad, and a massive pile of chips.

Haley looked over to Nathan who shrugged. "I told him he could make his own plate."

Everyone laughed as Jamie dug into his food, smearing ketchup all over his face. Sawyer wanted to be just like her older cousin and proceeded to get as much ketchup on her face as she possibly could. The children had all of the adults laughing.

When everyone was done Nathan looked over to Jamie's plate. He had eaten about half of his burger, a bunch of the chips, some of the potato salad ,and some of the beans. Jamie looked up to his dad and patted his stomach, "I couldn't do it."

"I can see that. How about next time you get a little less."

"That's a good idea." Jamie sunk back in his chair and sighed deeply.

Nathan laughed and shook his head. He ran his hands through Jamie's hair and took their plates. Just as Nathan got to the door Jamie called out to him.

"Hey dad? Can we do fireworks now?" Jamie flashed Nathan his baby's blues.

"Yeah, just give me a minute and we will go down by the water."

"Sweet, I'll go get ready!" Jamie hopped out of his chair and ran towards his firework's box.

Nathan entered the kitchen and saw Lucas with Charlotte, "Hey man, Jamie wants to do the fireworks soon."

"Okay, I'll be there in just a second." Lucas nodded to Nathan then looked over to Haley, "Your kids are taking over my life."

"Oh shut up, you know you love it." Haley took Charlotte from Lucas and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, you're right." Lucas smiled and headed out the door.

**OTHOTH**

Haley, Peyton, Brooke, Millie, and the two littlest Scotts were all sitting on the steps that led up to the pool deck. Brooke held Charlotte close while Sawyer sat in her mother's lap. They could see the boys by the water then noticed Nathan walking up.

"These are for you." He handed each of the adults a sparkler and asked if Sawyer could have one, and Peyton nodded yes.

He got the lighter from his pocket and lit the sparklers for the girls. Sawyer and Haley both had blue ones while Millie and Peyton had red and Brooke the sole white one. When he walked back to the group of guys he turned as saw all of the girls waving their sparkler's around. It was dark outside so the glow of red,white, and blue illuminated all of their faces in light he'd never seen before. Blue had always been his color, but it suited Haley perfectly.

"Dad?" Jamie was trying to get his father's attention so they could set off the few fireworks they had.

"Sorry, okay which one do you want to do first?" Nathan picked up the three tubes that emitted colorful fountains of sparks and Jamie choose the biggest of the group. "Stand back and let me light it."

Jamie did as he was told and watched his father bend down and light the wick. It caught instantaneously and soon bright white sparks and flashes of light shot from the small cylinder.

"Woah!!" Jamie's face

"Pretty cool right?" Nathan looked over to his soon who nodded in amusement.

The sparks ran out and Nathan cautiously moved toward the smoking object. He kicked and made sure it was facing the water in case it went off again. Jamie looked back towards his mom and they all cheered for them to do another one. Sawyer was clapping wildly and yelling for them to do another one too. Jamie picked out the next one and Nathan went through the routine again, but this time something went wrong. As soon as he put the flame up to the wick it caught but spit sparks back toward him.

"Ow!Ah! Damn!" Nathan dropped the lighter and clutched his right forearm.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Lucas was concerned about Nathan.

"Ah, no. Jeez that hurts." Nathan was walking around in circles and was cradling his arm. He looked down at his arm but since it was dark he couldn't really see anything.

The girls heard and saw the commotion but didn't know exactly what was going on. Just as Haley was getting up to go check things out she saw Nathan walk up with a grim look on his face.

"Hey, what happened." Haley saw that he was holding his arm and was a little worried.

Nathan didn't even say anything. He just walked right by her towards the house. Jamie ran up and looked up at his mom. "Dad hurt himself."

Haley looked down to Jamie then back to the house. She briskly walked up the stairs trying to find her husband.

"Nathan?" Haley walked to the kitchen but found that he wasn't there. "Nathan?" She headed up the stairs figuring he might be in their bedroom. Once she opened the bedroom door she heard Nathan rummaging around the bathroom. Haley slowly opened the door and looked at her husband.

"What happened, are you okay?" She moved closer to get a good look at what it was he was tending too.

The outside of his right forearm had a dark red mark about the size of her phone and she could tell that it hurt. He was running water over the burn and winced every once and awhile. She felt the temperature of the water and turned the knob a little.

"It should be cool water, not cold." Haley looked up at Nathan who nodded his head in appreciation.

"So what happened exactly?" Haley grabbed the hand towel next to the sink and submerged it in the cool water and gently pressed it against Nathan's irritated skin.

"I don't know, it just shot sparks back at me when I lit it." He was shaking his head mad at the situation. "Just please don't tell me 'I told you so'." He looked down at his burn and sighed, "It doesn't hurt as much as it did when it first happened. I think it's getting better."

Haley smiled and handed him the wash rag, "Here hold this down." She opened up a drawer and then the medicine cabinet, and pulled out a tube of ointment and some ibuprofen. "Lift that up and take these." She pointed to the wash rag and he did as he was told. Haley blotted the area dry and then squirted some burn ointment on his skin.

"Why do we even have this stuff?" Nathan picked up the tube of ointment.

"You know, just in case of emergencies." Haley flashed him a smile and continued to massage the goop into Nathan's burn. Once she was done she wiped her hands and looked up to Nathan. "It might still sting but that should go away in a little while. The ibuprofen should kick in soon."

Nathan stood their starring at Haley amazed at her abilities. There was nothing this woman couldn't do. Teach a dumb guy how to learn, raise two amazing kids, cook better than anyone he knew, and even play doctor when he needed it. Among other things, she was his saving grace and he was thankful for it everyday.

Haley noticed Nathan staring and smiled up to him, "What?"

Instead of giving her an answer he kissed her. Haley leaned closer to Nathan and kissed him back. She pulled him by the shirt closer to her body. He kissed her below her ear and made his way to her neck.

"Wait Nathan, Nathan we shouldn't be doing this. The firework's are going to start in a minute and everyone knows we are up here." Haley felt his hands move around her back and she bit her bottom lip.

"So what, they'll think you're tending to my burn." Haley tried to back away but Nathan wasn't letting her go anywhere. "Really Nathan..." He made his way back up to her mouth and cut her off. When they pulled apart she continued, "we should get down there. Jamie's down there and so is Charlotte. I don't want to miss her reaction to the big fireworks." She was trying her hardest to resist temptation and apparently her words did the trick.

"Fine, fine. But we will continue this later." He smirked at Haley and she smiled right back.

"Later, I promise."

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Haley walked back outside and Peyton turned to them, "We were wondering what was taking so long."

Brooke looked over to them casually, "I told them you guys were doing it."

"Brooke!" Peyton gasped.

Millie's mouth fell open and she was shocked at what Brooke had just said.

Nathan looked over to Haley and let out a small laugh while Haley tried to change the subject.

"The big fireworks are going to start soon we should all go out on the pier to watch." Haley pointed towards the water.

"Yeah Haley's right, we should go wait to see the fireworks." Peyton felt bad for Haley because she saw that blush creep across her friends face and knew that Brooke was probably spot on with her assumption. "Come on Sawyer, let's go get Daddy." Peyton took her daughter's hand and made her way toward the boys.

Brooke handed Charlotte to Nathan who kissed the little girl's forehead. "Hey Charlotte, you ready to see some big fireworks? They are gonna be loud." Nathan gave his daughter a goofy grin and then looked over to Haley and used his head to point her toward the direction of the pier.

Everyone gathered on the wooden planks and looked to the sky. Vibrant colors flashed through the darkness and the boom from the explosions filled the air. Jamie was leaning against his mom who put her hand on his shoulder. Nathan held Charlotte with his non-injured arm and carefully used his other to pull Haley close. As the family watched the extravaganza of light Nathan whispered into Haley's ear.

"I love you Haley James Scott."

Haley looked up to Nathan and kissed him softly, "I love you too. Happy Fourth of July."

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there you go guys. Hope you all liked it. Can't you just imagine Nathan hurting himself like that. I sure can, hence the chapter. Please leave your thoughts and again, if you have an idea or something you want a chapter to be about don't hesitate to let me know. I am all for suggestions. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Don't Worry They'll Love You

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 12: Don't Worry (They'll Love You)**

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately own nothing except my original characters. Y'all get a new one with this chapter.**

**A/N: How depressing, we have to wait till mid January for a new episode. Boo! So in hopes to give you your Naley fix I give you all a new chapter. I will say however that this one has a little more Jamie in this one along with a new character, so I hope you don't feel like Naley are on the back-burner. I just think that with the new character you are going to need to know a little bit about their relationship with everyone in case they make it into future chapters. Thank you all for the reviews. I seriously don't have the words to express my gratitude. I love you all! Hope you like the new chapter!**

**OTHOTH**

Jamie looked over to the passenger seat and saw his girlfriend of 5 ½ months captivated by the book in her hands. Her name was Elizabeth Bennet, Liza for short, a fellow sophomore at UNC and Jamie was driving them both down to Tree Hill for Liza to finally meet his family. She was beautiful. Natural dirty blonde hair, light blue eyes, about 5'5, and a smile than never seemed to fade. She was an athlete too, so she had an athletic build, but not too muscular and not too thin. She currently had her feet propped up on the dash and was leaning against the window, but even doing the most normal of things Jamie couldn't help but smile at her.

"You know you don't have to read that. I've told you everything you need to know about my mom and dad, and that book is about my aunt and uncle anyways."

Liza set the book in her lap and looked over to him. "I know, but I really want to make a good impression. We've been together almost six months and..."

"Hey don't worry, they'll love you. I promise." Jamie took his right hand off the wheel and stuck it out over the center console. She placed her hand in his and he squeezed it gently.

Jamie knew that Liza was nervous about meeting his parents and little sister, but he also knew that they would love her as much as she did. He wasn't worried about anything and tried to reassure her that everything was going to be fine. But to Liza, his parents were celebrities, Nathan was a retried pro basketball player and his mom even had a few records, so to say she was nervous was an understatement. What she didn't know though, was that they were just ordinary people who happen to lead extraordinary lives.

Jamie and Liza were 2 hours into their drive and only had about 30 minutes to go, when Liza looked out the window and sighed. Jamie noticed her uncertainty and brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a tender kiss on the top of it

"They really will love you."

**OTHOTH**

Haley had just gotten off the phone with Jamie who said they would be pulling up in about 10 minutes. Nathan joined his wife downstairs and laughed when he saw her with a duster in her hand.

"Hales, the house looks great. We're not meeting the president or anything, it's just Jamie's girlfriend. We've met girls he's dated before." Nathan walked to Haley and took the duster out of her hand. "The house looks fine."

"I know, I don't know why I am so nervous. And I know we've met other girlfriends before but this feels different." She looked up to Nathan who crinkled his brow.

"Different how?

"Um well, when he calls and talks about her he sounds different" She knew that wasn't exactly the best answer but couldn't really find the words. "I don't know, it just feels different."

"It's gonna be fine. You don't have anything to worry about or be nervous for." He kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, I needed that." She rested her head against his chest and sighed. "But are you not a little nervous?"

Laughing, Nathan shook his head, "No not really. If Jamie likes her I am sure we will too. I think moms are always suppose to be nervous or eager about meeting the girlfriend."

"Well just wait till Charlotte brings home a boy. Then you'll be the one nervous." Haley widened her eyes and laughed.

"She can't date till she's thirty." Nathan said matter-of-factly

"Thirty? Jeez we had two kids by then and fourteen years under our belt."

"My point exactly." Nathan smiled down at Haley.

As Nathan and Haley stood there in their living room they both noticed Jamie's car pull up.

Haley pulled away from Nathan and yelled upstairs, "Charlotte, you're brother's here!"

**OTHOTH**

Jamie put the car in park and looked over to Liza. "Okay, my mom will probably hug you, that's just her nature. My dad is big and tall but he is not as intimidating as you'd think, he's really a nice guy. Charlotte might be shy at first but she'll come around."

"Thanks." Liza took a deep breath and started to pull at the handle of the door.

"Hey." Jamie reached out for her and got her attention. "I love you." He leaned closer and kissed her sweetly.

"I love you too." She rested her forehead on his cheek.

"Alright, you ready?" He looked to her and raised his brow.

"Now I am." She nodded her head and got out of the car.

Jamie got their bags and walked Liza to the house. He opened the door to see his parents and sister in the living room. He put the bags down and took Liza's hand. Walking toward his family he introduced her to everyone. "Mom, Dad, Charlotte, this is Liza."

"Hi, Elizabeth Bennet, but everyone calls me Liza." She spoke softly and sincerely.

Like Jamie had said, Haley walked up to the young girl and hugged her. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Haley."

"You have a lovely home Mrs. Scott." Liza smiled

"Oh call me Haley, Mrs. Scott makes me feel like I'm in the classroom." Haley laughed and turned to Nathan and Charlotte. "This is Nathan and Jamie's little sister Charlotte."

Nathan had one arm around Charlotte and nodded toward Liza, "Nice to meet you."

Charlotte looked to his brother's girlfriend and smiled, "Hey."

Haley wrapped an arm around Liza's shoulder and led her toward the guest rooms. "Now we have multiple rooms so take your pick. Jamie can get your bag later, but let me show you around." Haley smiled and started giving her the house tour.

Nathan chuckled at Haley's eagerness and looked over to his son, "She seems great Jame."

Jamie looked back to his dad and nodded, "She is."

Charlotte chimed in too, "Yeah she seems pretty nice."

"Yeah but don't worry Char, you're still my number one girl." Jamie rubbed his hand over Charlotte's head, laughed, and whispered in his sister's ear. "But don't tell Mom, she thinks she's number one."

Nathan watched the exchange between his oldest and youngest. He knew Charlotte missed Jamie, they all did, so he was happy to see that the months Jamie had been away didn't affect their relationship. The three made small talk for a little while then Haley returned with Liza by her side.

"Dinner should be ready shortly, Jamie you and Liza can get settled and then it will probably be time to eat. Charlotte will you help me set the table?"

Charlotte joined Haley in the kitchen, Nathan followed them to help out, and Liza and Jamie walked over to get their bags. Jamie picked up Liza's and she led him to the room she picked out. Meeting his parents was not as bad or nerve racking as the thought. They were lovely. She was actually a little embarrassed that she had been nervous at all, there was nothing intimidating about being at the Scott's.

**OTHOTH**

Everyone sat down at the table and started to make their plates. Haley had whipped up a chicken casserole along with fresh green beans, a salad, and rolls for dinner. With one look at the food Jamie's mouth started to water. Being away from home, Jamie found one of the things he missed most was his mom's cooking.

"It looks great Mom." Jamie scooped a giant serving of the cheesy chicken goodness on his plate and smiled wide.

"Thanks, I hope it tastes as good as it looks." Haley got herself a serving and passed the dish to Charlotte.

"So Liza, Jamie tells us you're on the soccer team." Nathan took a sip of his water and looked at Liza.

"Yes sir, left midfielder." She raised her napkin to wipe her mouth. "I've been playing for as long as I can remember."

"That's great. I loved playing college ball. It was a whole different level than high school could have ever compared too."

"That's very true. The schedule is grueling and the workouts are even harder, but I'm thankful that I've gotten to play as long as I have." Haley looked to Liza and smiled. This girl just knew all the right things to say.

After Haley finished chewing her food she spoke up, "Was soccer what drew you to UNC?"

"Um, yes and no. They do have a great athletic program but as long as I can remember I wanted to be a nurse and they have a wonderful school of nursing, so it was a win win. I got to have the best of both worlds."

Charlotte had been kind of quite and decided she too wanted to join in on the questions. "So how is it exactly that you and Jamie met?"

Jamie cleared his throat and started to tell a condensed version of how it happened. "It's funny actually. At the beginning of the fall semester we had our new schedules and we were both a little lost looking for our classrooms. We realized that we were looking for the same building so we walked around campus together trying to find it. By the time we found it, it was too late."

Liza smiled and added, "He was really sweet and I think I had much more fun walking around talking to him than I would have had in Organic Chemistry. So I took his schedule and told him I was going to write down the directions to get to the building..."

Jamie laughed and smirked, "But when she gave me back my schedule there weren't any directions. Just a phone number."

"It was kind of corny, but I knew that I'd want to see him again." Liza looked a little embarrassed by the story.

"So yeah that was that." Jamie smiled and glanced over toward Liza.

"Well that's way more interesting than Mom and Dad's story." Charlotte smirked and looked at her parents. "Mom was Dad's tutor in high school, oh and in college." Charlotte was at that age where she could be a little snarky.

Thanks to An Unkindness of Ravens, Liza knew the basics of Nathan and Haley's relationship but was glad to hear Charlotte's version.

"So Jamie, I was thinking maybe me, you, and Dad could go to the rivercourt and shoot around tomorrow, like old times?" Charlotte looked to her brother then father hoping they would both say yes.

"Sure, that sounds like fun. We can play horse or something." Jamie nodded his head.

"Yeah that sounds good, but you guys know you are going to get smoked by your old man." Nathan laughed and raised his brow nodding.

"Oh please you've been out of the NBA for a couple years, and out of practice too. I think you're gray hairs are going to get in your way." Charlotte couldn't help but laugh at her statement, and shortly thereafter Jamie and Haley laughed too. They all new Nathan was a little sensitive when it came to his hair.

"Liza, maybe while they are playing basketball you and I can go roam around downtown? Unless you want to go play with them." Haley looked over to the girl next to her son.

"I'm not so good at basketball and would probably just get in their way, so I'd love to go out with you tomorrow." Liza smiled and nodded her head. She really liked Haley and even though she'd like to spend tomorrow with Jamie she knew that he should get a chance to hang out with his dad and sister.

They continued to talk about random things through the rest of dinner. They found out Liza was from Savannah, Georgia, and had two older brothers. That she would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than rap music. That she loved literature and the old classic movies like Rear Window and anything with Katherine Hepburn or Carey Grant. She made Charlotte laugh, Nathan could talk sports with her like one of the guys, and Haley was completely amazed.

When everyone was done with dinner Liza helped Haley clear away the dishes. Haley couldn't help but ask, "So I am just curious but are you named for the popular Jane Austen character,or is that just a coincidence?"

"My grandmother was named Elizabeth but I wouldn't put it past my mom if it also had to do with the character." She laughed as she continued cleaning up.

Liza handed Haley the last plate and looked around for other things to help with when Jamie and Nathan entered the kitchen.

Jamie walked over to Liza and took her by the hand, "Come here. I want to show you the dock. It's really great at night."

Liza glanced to Haley who nodded her head, "Go go, your work here is done. Thank you for your help." Haley waved her arms toward the door shuffling them out of the kitchen.

Haley watched her son lead his girlfriend outside toward the water. She felt Nathan standing behind her and leaned back into him, "She's great isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's smart, funny, cute, athletic. I don't know why you were so worried earlier. She reminds me a lot like you. Well besides the whole athletic thing."

Haley playfully hit him on the leg, "Hey, I'm not that bad."

"Not after I helped you, but I do remember a time where you thought you might fail gym. Gym Hales, that's pretty bad." Nathan laughed remembering the times he tried to help Haley shoot hoops.

They both looked to the water and saw Jamie and Liza standing close. They were far away and since it was dark they couldn't tell exactly what they were doing but both guessed that they were kissing.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley so he was holding her back to his stomach. She sighed thinking about young love, "I think Elizabeth Bennet has found her Mr. Darcy."

Nathan furrowed his brow, "What...? Who is Mr. Darcy?"

Haley laughed at her husbands response.

"What? I don't get it. Who is Mr. Darcy?" Nathan turned Haley so they were facing each other very curious as to who Mr. Darcy might be.

Haley turned so she was facing him and laughed, "Honey, I love you and all but you should have paid more attention in English class." Haley ran her hand over the now graying hair just above his ear and laughed. "It's a good thing you married your tutor."

**OTHOTH**

Haley had woken up early and like she had done every morning since they were babies checked on her kids. Charlotte was rolled up in her covers nearly sideways on her bed. It was a wonder she was still on the thing and not on the floor. It amazed Haley how Charlotte moved so much when she slept. For the last few months there had been no need to check on Jamie since he was away at school but she couldn't help herself. She cracked the door open and was surprised at what she saw. His bed was empty and unmade, she stepped to see if he might have been in the bathroom but he was no where to be seen. Curious as to where her son was she made her way downstairs thinking he might already be up.

When she got to the kitchen he wasn't there and then it hit her. Maybe he was in Liza's room. She and Nathan hadn't really laid down any ground rules but they didn't think they needed to. She quietly tiptoed toward the guest room Liza was staying in and put her ear close to the door. She didn't hear anything and guessed that was a good thing. Nathan came downstairs and looked at his wife. Haley raised her finger to her mouth and he motioned for her to come over to him.

"What are you doing?" Nathan whispered to Haley

"Jamie wasn't in his room and I think he might be in there with her." Haley pointed to the room and looked up at her husband, concern filling her eyes.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't." Nathan shrugged and walked to the coffee pot.

"Nathan! Don't you think this is a big deal." Haley followed Nathan while speaking.

"Hales, they are adults. Twenty years old. They can do what they want."

"Wha? How are you so casual about this?" Haley looked up to him and crinkled her eyebrows.

Nathan set his coffee cup down and turned to his wife. "Do you remember what we were like when we where twenty. What I was like?" Nathan smirked at his wife.

Haley couldn't help the blush that crept across her cheeks and nodded, "Yeah, but we were married."

"Not everyone get's married in high school Hales, and not everyone waits. He's a guy Haley, it's bound to happen sometime." Nathan tried to hide his smile, because obviously Haley was conflicted by the situation. "Granted I didn't think it would be in a guest bedroom while visiting home." Nathan laughed out loud at that one and Haley hit his arm. "What, you'll be the sexiest grandmother I've ever seen."

"Uh stop! We are way too young to have grandchildren. Nathan we are not even forty yet." Haley shook her head a the mere idea of being a grandmother.

"Think about it, Jamie's already two years older than we were when we had him so I am expecting a little baby Scott any day now." Now he was just teasing her, getting under Haley's skin.

"Well it would be nice if he was married first, we at least did that. Although the whole marriage and pregnancy in high school thing was a little unconventional." Haley smiled thinking about their younger years.

"Hales he's a smart kid, I'm sure they are doing everything to stay safe, if they even are doing anything at all. I think..." Nathan stopped mid sentence when he heard the front door open.

Both Nathan and Haley saw Jamie come in with a grocery bag.

"Morning Mom, Dad." Jamie walked over to the counter and on his way kissed Haley on the cheek. "I went out to get some more milk, you were running low and you know I'll have more than one bowl of Cap'n Crunch."

Haley didn't quite know what to say. She had been worrying about nothing. Jamie had gotten up early to get milk. He wasn't sneaking around with Liza in the guest bedroom, but doing something more in character of the son she knew she raised.

"Morning." Haley simply replied.

"Morning son, ready to get schooled on the court?" Nathan took a sip of his coffee and smirked.

"Oh you're so naïve Dad, You're gonna be a horse so fast that you'll have to watch your thirteen year old daughter, and twenty year old son play for first and second place." Jamie laughed and started to pour himself a bowl of his favorite breakfast cereal.

Right as Jamie went over to take a seat at the bar Liza came into the kitchen fully dressed, hair done, she had on a dash of makeup, and Jamie walked over to her.

"Morning." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Embarrassed that he had kissed her in front of her parents Liza's face turned a deep shade of red. "Jamie!" She hissed in a quiet whisper.

"What? They don't mind. I had to live with them doing that for years." He looked back to his parents and smirked. Then looked back to his girlfriend, "How did you sleep?"

"Really well actually. Those beds are so comfy." Liza ran her hand through her hair still a little bit off kilter from Jamie's forwardness in front of his parents.

Haley pointed to the cabinets and to the fridge, "We have cereal if you'd like or I can scramble up some eggs or something if you'd rather have that. It's just with the boy's and Charlotte going to the rivercourt I figured they would want to eat quick and head out.

"Oh no cereal is perfect." Liza poured herself a bowl and sat next to Jamie.

As the four sat around the kitchen talking about the day they heard a rumble coming from the stairs.

Charlotte had run down the stairs dressed and clutching a basketball.

"Come on, let's go, I don't want anyone to be there!" Haley laughed at her daughter's urgency. Basketball had always important to Charlotte, she took after her brother and father in that category. She played on the junior high team and Haley was pretty sure that she would play in high school. However, Charlotte did seem to take after mom and had expressed an interest in cheering. So it might be a toss up when it came to what she would actually do when the time came.

Jamie got up from his chair and put his bowl in the dishwasher. "I'm ready when you are, but don't you want to eat something first."

"Nah, I'm good." Charlotte looked over to her father, "What do you say Dad, are you ready?"

"Yep, let me just get my keys, I'll meet you in the car."

Charlotte took off toward the door while Jamie said bye to Liza, "I'll see you later, have fun." He kissed her forehead and followed his little sister out of the door.

Nathan put his bowl and coffee cup in the dishwasher and reached for his keys on the counter. "We will probably be back around lunchtime."

"Alright, well we'll probably run by Clothes Over Bro's, maybe Tric, see the studio." Haley moved over to Nathan and got on her tiptoes. "Let them win a few rounds to boost their ego, Charlotte loves it when she wins."

Laughing, Nathan nodded his head, "I know." He kissed her quickly then walked toward the car. "I love you, see you later."

"Love you too." Haley called back. She looked over to Liza and smiled, "Well I guess we will leave in a few minutes then."

"Sounds great." Liza was excited. Tree Hill was a lot like Savannah but smaller, water based, and she knew she was going to love walking around town.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had won 3 games of horse, Charlotte and Jamie each had 2 and they were desperately trying to defeat their father. What they failed to realized or remember was that Nathan Scott and basketball went together just about as good as Nathan and Haley. He had played in the pros for 10 years after all.

"Dad you've been keeping up you game huh?" Jamie shook his head in disbelief when he saw the ball swish through the chain net after his dad shot a three pointer.

"Maybe?" Nathan smirked.

Charlotte took her stance and shot from the place where her father had just made it. Charlotte's made the same metallic swish as the ball sailed through the chain net.

"Nice shot Charlotte." Nathan patted his daughter on the back and tossed the ball over to Jamie, "Alright son let's see what you got. If you miss this this will make you a E and you'll be out."

Jamie went to the spot where both his dad and sister had made their shots and dribbled the ball a few times. Taking his form he arched the ball high and just like everyone else's it went it with a familiar sound.

"Pretty good, pretty good but let's see if y'all can beat this." Nathan went into the grass behind the goal and shot it from the backside.

Amazingly it went in and Charlotte gasped."Dad, no way. I can't do that."

Nathan walked over to Charlotte and handed her the ball. "Sure you can, just act like the backboard isn't there and just focus on the rim." He held his arms like he was shooting the ball and turned back to his daughter, "Just like normal."

Charlotte took a deep breath and shot the ball. Apparently she took direction really well because hers went in. When Jamie stepped up he wasn't as fortunate. He missed it and was out of the game. Charlotte ended up beating her dad that round and it was on to a tie breaker to see who would win overall.

"Okay, so how about for the tiebreaker we do a game of Pig." Nathan suggested to Charlotte.

"You're on." Charlotte grabbed the ball from her father and marched up to the half court line. "I go first!"

"You're toast Dad!" Jamie yelled from the bleachers. "Go Charlotte!"

"Hey you can't pick teams!" Nathan glared back at his son.

Right as Nathan said that Charlotte had launched her shot, and to no one's surprise it went in.

Charlotte walked over to her father and smirked, "Game on Dad!"

**OTHOTH**

After Haley had shown Liza Tric and the studio Haley drove down Front Street pointing out various boutiques and restaurants then pulled into a parking place.

"I actually used to work here, but my friend turned it into her shop." Haley got out of the car and headed toward the corner building.

"Karen's Cafe." Liza mumbled out of her mouth.

"Yeah, well it used to be, how did you know that?" Haley turned to Liza and raised her eyebrow.

"I uh read An Unkindness of Ravens, so I just assumed..."

"You read that?" Haley waited for Liza to catch up with her before they walked into the store.

"Yeah, I started it a few weeks ago and read some of it on the way down here actually. It's a great story." Liza didn't know exactly what to say. She knew that Haley was apart of the book so she was a little timid in replying.

Haley smiled at the notion. Jamie must have told Liza about it. They approached the front door to the store and Haley opened it. "This is Clothes Over Bro's."

Brooke was busy at the counter sketching out some designs when she heard the door open. "Hales! What are you doing here?" Brooke got up and walked around the counter to greet her old friend.

"I was showing Liza here downtown Tree Hill and couldn't not stop by. Liza is actually Jamie's girlfriend, the one he always raves about." Haley turned to Liza and smiled.

Brooke widened her eyes, "Oh so this is _the _Liza huh, well it is very nice to finally meet you, I'm Brooke."

"Nice to meet you. Jamie has said lovely things about his Aunt Brooke." Liza replied.

"Well honey because of that, pick out a dress or anything you want. It's on me." Brooke used her hands to point at the merchandise.

"Oh no ma'am, I couldn't. Thank you but that's not necessary." Liza was overwhelmed. It was a completely generous offer.

"Really, I insist. Please take a look around and pick out whatever you'd like." Brooke guided Liza to the dresses.

As Liza looked over the clothes Brooke made her way to Haley. "She's gorgeous Tutor-Mom, and that southern accent and calling me ma'am. I will admit it made me feel old, but Jamie's got himself quite the southern belle."

"She really is the sweetest thing. I just hope it lasts. She's a great girl." Haley looked over to Liza and then back to Brooke. "But they are so young and you never know how college relationships will work out."

"Haley, she and Jamie are great for each other. I haven't even seen them together but I know that boy well enough to know this girl definitely seems like a keeper." Brooke nodded her head as if to reassure Haley of the obvious. "And you and Nathan were even younger then them, so don't give me the 'young' spiel. Jamie saw first hand the perfect example of young love so I think he knows what he's looking for."

Brooke and Haley looked over to Liza who was holding up two dresses. She walked back over to the two older women with a strapless navy dress.

"Are you sure you want to let me just take it?" Liza placed the dress on the counter.

Brooke got out a bag and placed the dress in it, "Absolutely."

"Wow thank you so much." Liza looked down at the dress that was now her own.

The door opened and Jamie walked into the store. "I thought you might be in here." He walked toward the three women and smiled.

"Jamie Scott get over here and give me a hug." Brooke waved her arms at him.

On his way to see his aunt he stopped by Liza's side and kissed her cheek. "Hey." That's all he said and he had her blushing.

Brooke saw their exchange and wanted to let out a big fat 'Aw' but held her tongue so she wouldn't embarrass the poor girl. Jamie went over to hug Brooke but when he wrapped his arms around her Brooke's face turned sour.

"Ew, you smell like sweaty boy." Brooke wiped what she assumed was sweat off of her chin, "Gross."

"Sorry I was playing ball at the rivercourt." Jamie shot her an apologetic look then walked to his mom. "I was wondering if I could maybe steal Liza away for lunch?"

"Yeah sure that's fine." Haley looked at Jamie then Liza and nodded. "Do you want me to take your bag home so you don't have to carry it around?"

"That would be great, thank you." Liza handed Haley the bag.

Jamie took Liza's hand in his and they walked out the door.

Brooke turned to Haley,"Call me when he pops the question so I can get her measurements. She'll look great in a C over B original."

Haley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't get ahead of yourself Brooke, their still..."

"Young, I know I know." Brooke shook her head at Haley.

"Thanks for the dress Brooke, I'll call you later." Haley turned toward the door and left the clothing store. She got into her car and headed home to her husband and daughter.

**OTHOTH**

Sunday morning Jamie and Liza were heading back to school. Haley gave Jamie a bag of food he could take back and hugged her son. Nathan shook Jamie's hand while Haley hugged Liza. Charlotte said bye to Liza then engulfed her brother with her arms.

"I'll call you when we get back to Chapel Hill." Jamie looked to his mom because he knew she would worry unless she knew he got back safely.

Liza turned to the Scotts and thanked them both for a wonderful time. "Thank you so much for the weekend. It was really great meeting y'all."

"You too, and please come visit more often. We loved having you." Haley meant every word she said.

Jamie walked over to Liza's side of the car and opened the door for her. He got in and started the car. Haley and Charlotte waved as they watched Jamie and Liza pull out of the driveway. Charlotte went inside and left her parents in the driveway.

"Brooke thinks he's gonna marry her." Haley looked up to Nathan.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at that."Well Jamie has always said that when he does get married it would be after college so we have a few years to find out." He pulled Haley toward him. "I do think she's great for him, but their young and two weeks from now they could break up, two years from now they could, so we'll see."

Haley rested her head on Nathan and he kissed her forehead, "No matter what happens he'll be alright."

Haley leaned close to her husband. The weekend had been great. Not only did they get a chance to see their son, but they very well may have met their future daughter-in-law. Nathan was right though, Jamie and Liza could break up at any moment. Sometimes love is tricky, and it's hard to nail down; but, when you do, it's worth the pain and the fight that comes with it.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So that was long. I hope you all didn't get bored with it. I tried to incorporate as much Naley as I could while trying to keep it focused on Jamie and Liza. So what do y'all think of Liza. Was Brooke right? Is she the one? Let me know what you guys think.**

**Oh and I know I always ask, but since we are into the hiatus if anyone has something they really really want to see while we have this monster break to get through let me know. The next chapter is based around Haley's pregnancy with Charlotte and then Christmas chapter/s are coming up. But if there is other scenario's you want to read about throw 'em at me. Or let me know what you want to see during the Christmas chaps, or what you don't want to see. Do you guys like it when the whole gang is together, (Naley, Leyton, Brulian, and others) or do you like it best when it's just Naley and their kids? I write these stories for you guys so any feedback would be great.**


	13. Labor Pains

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 13: Labor Pains**

**Disclaimer: I own zilch, nada, nothing. Boo!!!**

**A/N: So first I apologize to anyone who somehow read chapter 7 as 12. It was brought to my attention that some of you got to read the actual last chapter while others had chapter 7 show up twice. I have no idea how that happened so if you didn't get a chance to read the real chapter 12 (about Jamie bringing home a girlfriend) I strongly encourage you to do so. There is a new character introduced there and she may just pop up in a future chapter. Anyways.... I love love love you all for reviewing, thanks so much. And as for this chapter, many of you requested something of this nature so I hope this is what you were looking for. Enjoy!**

**Oh and I will be putting how far along in the pregnancy Haley is to give people a good idea about what she may look like or whatever before each section.**

**OTHOTH**

~2 ½ Months~

Haley woke up and reached out towards Nathan's spot but found that he wasn't there. He wouldn't be, he was in Memphis playing the sport he loved. It was early December and basketball season was in full swing. It was hard having him gone a lot of the time but it was part of the job.

She glanced over to the clock and saw the illuminated numbers: 1:18am. She and Jamie had stayed up and watched most of Nathan's game but Jamie had gone to bed early since it was a school night. Haley had watched the rest of the game in the plush covers of her own bed and found herself rubbing her hand back and forth over her stomach from time to time. Lately it was something she did often whenever she watched Nathan play. He couldn't be at home so she found a comfort in doing it, a way to insure herself that he was never too far away.

As she lay in bed she couldn't help but think about what he might be doing. Since he was in Tennessee, it was an hour earlier there so she picked up the phone. Dialing his number she listened quietly as she heard the soft ringing in her ear.

"Hales? Haley? Are you okay?" Nathan had picked up on the third ring and sounded a bit panicked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just missed you." Haley let a small laugh escape her mouth and continued, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to worry you, or wake you up."

Relieved, Nathan sighed into the phone, "What are you doing up so late?" He paused and looked over at the clock in his hotel room, "It's almost 1:30 at home."

"I don't know, I just woke up and was thinking about you. You played great tonight by the way. Jamie and I were cheering from the couch."

"How is the boy?"

Haley readjusted her position in bed and sat up. "Good. Asleep, but good."

"And what about you? Are you feeling alright." Nathan's tone was full of concern and she smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"I'm great." Haley instinctively moved her hand back towards her stomach and smiled, "We both are."

Nathan leaned against the pillows and ran a hand through his hair, "I wish I could be home Hales." His tone had changed from concerned to disappointment in a matter of seconds

Trying to make him feel a little better she laughed, "Well just think, when the season is over and you'll be home I'll be at my peak of bitchiness."

"I won't mind."

Haley rolled her eyes and leaned over to her bedside table then opened the drawer. She reached in and found the two things she was searching for.

Nathan heard her fidget around and smirked, "crunchy or smooth?"

"What? How did you know?" Haley put the phone between her ear and shoulder and twisted the top of the peanut butter jar.

"You think I need to see you with my eyes to know what's going on with you?"

Shaking her head in disbelief she laughed, "Crunchy." She dipped the spoon in the jar and pulled out a heaping pile of peanut-buttery goodness. "I just can't seem to get enough of it."

"Well most pregnant women get cravings so it's normal."

"I know, but you know what they say... if you crave salty things it's gonna be a boy." She took a bite and savored the flavor.

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "Well whoever _they_ are is wrong, it's gonna be a girl."

Haley frowned, she knew that all he wanted was a little girl but what if it wasn't, she didn't want him to be disappointed."You keep saying that but what if it's not, we won't be able to tell for a couple more months."

"I'm not good at math or statistics, but I just have a feeling about this Hales, it's gonna be a girl.

Tucking the peanut butter back in the drawer she scooted underneath the covers. "Maybe so."

Letting out a yawn Haley sighed, "I guess that's my cue. I'm really glad you picked up so late."

Nathan could tell their conversation was coming to an end. "Well I'm really glad you called."

"Good luck in Orlando, play well." Haley rolled over and was slowly drifting away. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow."

They both hung up simultaneously. Haley instantly fell asleep. It was probably the sound of Nathan's voice that gave her the peace and comfort to fall back asleep so quickly.

Nathan was lying still in the bed hundreds of miles away from his family wishing he could play in Charlotte next instead of Florida, but he would be home soon. He turned over in his bed and smiled thinking about his wife and son. They were the two most important things in his life and soon enough he'd have a third.

**OTHOTH**

~3 Months~

Haley was nervously walking around the living room waiting for Nathan to come home with Jamie. They had decided that it was time to tell their son that he was going to have a little brother or sister. They couldn't wait much longer, Haley's ever growing bump was becoming more and more obvious and if they didn't tell him soon, in few months he would probably be curious as to why it looked like his mom was hiding a basketball under her shirt.

The door opened and Haley took a deep breath.

Nathan stepped inside and called out, "Hales, we're home."

Haley walked over to Nathan who smiled. Jamie walked in right after him, his eyes glued to his DS he was so diligently playing.

"Hey Jamie I made some cookies if you want to get one." Haley looked down at her son who immediately headed for the kitchen.

Nathan moved over toward Haley and kissed her softly, then smirked at Haley, "Cookies huh? Trying to butter him up before we tell him the big news?"

"Well I mean I wanted..." Haley was cut off when Jamie came back into the room.

"What big news?" Jamie looked from his dad to his mom with a confused look on his face.

Nathan reached for Haley's hand and they walked over to the couch. "Well, your mom and I have something we want to tell you."

Jamie was still looking at his parents curiously and sat across from them in one of the leather chairs.

Haley cleared her throat and sighed heavily. "Uhm well Jame, how do you feel about being a big brother?" She smiled brightly over at her son and raised her eyebrows. She turned to Nathan who was also smiling wide, and then waited to see how Jamie was going to react.

Jamie took in Haley's words slowly and understood exactly what it was they were trying to say. "Really? That's awesome! I've wanted a brother or sister for forever. Is it a boy or girl?"

Nathan laughed at his son's comment, "Well we don't know if the baby is a boy or girl yet, we have to wait a couple more months."

Haley nodded her head and continued to talk it over with Jamie, "And in about six months you'll get to meet the baby, we all will."

"That long? Jeez, I've waited long enough to even get a brother or sister." Jamie sunk back in his chair defeated by the time that would have to pass.

"Well remember how long it took when Aunt Peyton was pregnant?" Nathan tried to help Jamie relate the time with his aunt's pregnancy that happened not too long ago.

"Yeah, I guess." He sat up in in the chair and straighten up, a look of worry washed over his face. "Mom?"

Haley saw the sudden change in her son's demeanor and crinkled her brow, "Yeah baby?"

"Are you gonna get sick like Aunt Peyton did when she was pregnant?"

Haley got up from the couch and sat in the oversized chair with her son. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "I don't think so, I hope not. We've been to the doctor and he said that everything is going fine. I'm healthy, the baby's healthy, that's why we waited so long to tell you, to make sure everything was alright."

Jamie seemed at ease with his mother's words but questions still lingered. "So you're okay? You won't..."

Haley cut him off, "I'm not going anywhere." Haley looked over to Nathan and smiled at the use of her words. "And you know what?" Haley tried to change the subject so make things a little more upbeat. "We have a picture of the baby do you wanna see it?"

Jamie nodded so Nathan pulled out a small picture from his pocket and handed it to Jamie.

"Whoa." Jamie looked at the black and white photo and scanned it carefully. "Wait, what is it I'm supposed to be looking for?"

Haley laughed and pointed out the features that she could identify.

"This is cool! Can I keep it?" Jamie looked up to his mom and dad. "I wanna put it on my bulletin board."

Nathan nodded his head and Haley did the same. "Sure."

Jamie got up from the chair and ran toward his bedroom. Nathan walked over to Haley and offered her his hand. When she was standing in front of him he kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "I think he's excited."

Haley nodded and rested her head on his chest. Small tears fell from the corner of her eyes. Nathan could feel the slight vibrations of Haley's breathing and looked down.

"Hey what's wrong?" He ran his hand over her face and wiped a few tears away.

"Nothing, I'm just so happy he's happy." Wiping at her own face she laughed, "It must be the hormones."

Nathan smirked and then looked down at her, "I love you."

It really was the hormones because at that, Haley cried a little more.

"No wait, I didn't mean to make you upset." Nathan was flustered, he didn't want to make her cry.

"No no, it's not your fault, I'll be a mess for a while. It's okay." She looked up to him and kissed him. "I love you too Nathan Scott."

**OTHOTH**

~5 Months~

Nathan had just gotten home from Charlotte and Haley was waiting on him in the living room.

"Thank God you're here, for a minute I thought you weren't gonna make it." She got up from the couch and walked toward Nathan.

"I'm sorry traffic was a nightmare, but I wasn't going to miss this for anything." He smiled and opened the door for her.

They got in the car and Nathan pulled out of the driveway. They were already running late and the only words spoken during the drive were a couple expletives Nathan mumbled trying to rush to the doctor's office. Haley looked out the window glancing at the trees and houses they passed. When they reached the office in a few short minutes she took a deep breath.

Nathan looked over to Haley, "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Haley was obviously nervous and Nathan could tell. This was _the_ day. The day they would find out what they were going to have.

"Hey." He turned toward her and smiled, "I don't care if it's a boy or girl. Either way it's a great thing."

She smiled and nodded. He leaned closer to her and they kissed. When they parted they both got out of the car and walked into the doctor's office. They sat down and Nathan picked up the copy of Sports Illustrated spread across the table of other magazines more fit for the mothers rather than husbands.

Haley was flipping through the latest issue of American Baby when she heard Nathan grunt in disgust. She glanced over at the add he was looking at and smiled.

Haley playfully teased, "What, don't like what you see?"

He looked over to her and grimaced, "No, they told me I was only doing a commercial, I didn't know that it would be in magazines too." He held up the picture of his Rain Storm Body Spray add and shook his head.

"It's all apart of endorsement deals." Haley smirked and took the magazine from Nathan's hands and studied it rather intently. "Besides you look pretty good." She raised her eyebrows and laughed.

He reached back for the magazine, "Okay, make your jokes." He sighed, "Hopefully some new young athlete will come up and take my place." He set the magazine down and just as he did a nurse called for 'Scott'.

They both got up and walked into an exam room and Nathan helped Haley get on the observation bed. Their nurse told them that Dr. Walker would be with them in a few minutes. Nathan stayed standing and was looking at the pictures on the wall.

"These are kind of gross." He turned to Haley who laughed.

"I know, I don't know why they have enlarged pictured of some of these things."

He moved back toward his wife took a seat next to the bed. Right when Nathan sat down Dr. Walker knocked on the door and entered.

"Ah Nathan it's good to see you. I've been keeping up with the Bobcats. You all are looking pretty good this year, might make the post-season." He reached for Haley's chart and started looking things over.

"Maybe, it's gonna come down to the end so we have to play great these last two months."

Dr. Walker put the chart back on the door and clapped his hands together, "So are we ready to find out if it's gonna be a basketball player or cheerleader?"

Haley laughed at his either or, and nodded. "Yes we are!" She pulled her shirt up so her bare belly was exposed and Dr. Walker squirted some lubricant on her stomach.

Nathan held onto Haley's hand and smiled at her. Dr. Walker placed the ultrasound ball on her stomach and started to roll it around. The familiar sound of their baby's heartbeat made Nathan's own heart swell with pride. It was a sound no father would ever forget.

"Okay now lets see if we can get a good look." Dr. Walker continued to try and find a good position so he could identify the sex and stopped when he found what he was looking for. "Well folks, you see that there?" He pointed to an empty little spot and looked back at them, "That's were the testes would be and since there not, congratulations, it's gonna be a girl."

"A girl?" Haley instantly looked to Nathan.

Nathan looked down to her and smiled, "A girl."

"Looks like it guys, a little girl. Everything else looks great. Strong heartbeat, her growth rate is on key, and Haley you seem to be doing just fine as well." He took of the gloves he had on and smiled, "Let me just get this goop off of you and I'll leave you alone. I expect to see you back here in a few more weeks." He gently wiped away any residue left on Haley's stomach and turned to leave.

"Thank you Doctor Walker." Haley looked over to him and he nodded.

Nathan was grinning like a kid a Christmas and looked down to his wife, "Did you hear him Hales, it's gonna be a girl. We're gonna have a little girl."

Haley looked up to Nathan with tears in her eyes and nodded, "I know."

Nathan leaned down and kissed Haley on the lips. He had never been more excited in his life. Everything was turning out just right. They had just found out that after all, they were going to get that little girl he'd always wanted.

**OTHOTH**

~7 Months~

It was late April and Nathan was finally home for good. Even though the Bobcats hadn't made it to the post-season playoffs he was happy that he got to be home. It was nice getting to wake up in the same city, in the same bed, next to Haley every morning.

He was putting on an old pair of sweatpants as Haley called out a list of names.

"Sarah?" Haley looked up to Nathan who shook his head.

Crossing the name of their list of possibilities Haley read the next one, "Caroline?"

"Nah" Nathan walked over from his closet and slipped into bed next to Haley. "Let me see." He took the notepad and started calling of a few names as well, "How about Emily?"

Haley contorted her mouth, "Um, it's nice but it's pretty common."

Nathan looked through the list and he laughed, "How about Nancy?"

"What? No! That's a grandma name. Nancy, Linda, Brenda, Marsha, all of those are out."

"Aw come on Hales, I like em." He was only kidding and it was riling her up.

"Oh, so you want our daughter to have the same name as the sixty-eight year old lady who has like a thousand cats. Nathan, it needs to be a good name." She grabbed the list back from him and he just laughed. Searching through the list she gave up. "What about family names? Jamie has two family names."

"Uhm well I don't know a lot of family names but my mom's is Deborah Helen Lee, and my grandma on Dad's side is Mae."

"I really like Mae, it's cute and I love you're grandmother. She's always really nice." Haley perked up.

"Yeah, I like it too." Nathan nodded his head in agreement.

Haley heard little footsteps and noticed the boy perched just outside of their doorway . "Hey mister, what are you doing up?"

Jamie emerged from behind the door frame with his hands up, "Aw, busted. I was this close." He used his fingers to show just how little he was referring to and walked into his parents room. "I heard you talking and thought it might be about the baby."

Nathan nodded, "We were talking about baby names."

"I have a good one." Jamie hopped up on the bed and looked at his parents who were awaiting his name. "Charlotte. It's a girl's name and Dad, you play for the Bobcats in _Charlotte_."

Haley had never even though of that. "Charlotte, Charlotte Scott. I love that." She looked over to Nathan who smiled.

"I think we have a name." Nathan raised his eyebrows toward Jamie.

"Sweet I like it too!" Jamie raised his hands in the air as if he just won the grand prize of something.

Haley turned to her son, "Well boy genius, how bout you get on back to bed?"

"Oh, alright." Jamie slid of the bed and went back into his room.

Nathan turned to Haley and placed his hand on her stomach. "So Charlotte huh?"

"Yeah, I mean if you like it?"

"I love it." He kissed her softly and smiled, "We were in Charlotte when you told me you were pregnant you know, so it's pretty meaningful too."

"Yeah it is."

Haley put her hand over the one Nathan had over her belly and grinned. It was so like Jamie to have the answers. He always knew how to go about certain things and she was sure that he had picked a perfect name.

**OTHOTH**

~ 8 ¾ Months~

"Jamie, don't run you'll fall!" Haley looked up from her magazine and saw Jamie running to the pool's edge.

Nathan came up behind her and handed Haley a bottled water. "How are you feeling?"

"Um okay." she ran her hand over her giant swollen belly and sighed, "I might just have to get in the water to cool down from this heat."

It was late June and the sticky summer heat plagued Haley's current condition. She was in her last days of her third trimester and felt like she might pop at any minute. Thank goodness they had a swimming pool, because otherwise she would have had Nathan install an industrial freezer in the house.

"Well come on." Nathan got up from the chair and extended his hand to his wife.

Haley struggled just sitting up to grab for his hand, so he bent down and helped her up. Nathan walked over to the deep end and dove in while Haley made her way to the steps at the shallow end. She watched as her son and husband splashed each other and it brought a smile to her face. She slowly stepped into the pool and the coolness instantly gratified any of her previous annoyances.

Jamie was racing toward his mom with Nathan right on his heels. Haley submerged herself under the water and waited for her boys to reach her.

"I won!" Jamie stood up in the shallow end and raised his hands in the air.

Nathan shook his head in defeat, "This time, but how bout you go get your ball and we will play water basketball, then we'll see who really wins."

Jamie swam over to the steps to go find his ball and Nathan moved towards Haley. Her back was up against the wall of the pool and when Nathan moved close, he cornered her with his arms.

"Hi." Nathan starred into Haley's eyes and smirked.

Haley smiled back, "Hi."

"Feeling better?" Nathan dipped his hands in the water and found his way to her sides.

"Uh huh." Haley was inches away from Nathan, the only thing that separated them was her big protruding belly.

He ran his hands over her stomach and kissed her forehead, "Just a few more days right?"

He was so sweet. He wanted nothing more than to meet his little girl and it was the little things he did and said that made Haley's heart leap."Yep." She rested her forearms on his shoulders and kissed him.

He wasn't exactly expecting the kiss but also knew that with Haley's hormones raging right now, anything was possible. If there son wasn't bound to jump back in the pool at any moment he would have been more than happy to let her have his way with him.

Haley ran her arms around her husband's muscular frame and bit her bottom lip. There was something about Nathan without a shirt that had her a flustered and heated. She looked up to him and brown met blue. They didn't speak, Nathan looked down lovingly at his wife and kissed her passionately. There was nothing wrong with a little make-out session in the pool.

Interrupting his parents little escapade Jamie did a cannon ball right into the pool, splashing both his mom and his dad.

"I got my ball Dad." Jamie lifted one of his hands high and wiggled the mini orange rubber ball in his hand.

Nathan looked to his son then back to his wife and smiled, "I gotta go." He swam towards their son and began an intense game of water basketball.

Haley watched the two wondering if her daughter would take after her father and brother and love the game. It was a probability considering it was a huge part of who Nathan was and she couldn't help but think that Charlotte was going to be daddy's little girl.

**OTHOTH**

~Later that Night~

Haley was really feeling it. The heat was unbearable and she had kicked off all of the covers on her side of the bed. Nathan probably didn't mind, he was decked out in sweatpants, socks, a long sleeve shirt and probably loved the extra blankets now spread across his body. Nathan and Jamie just had to bare with the cold because at this point in her pregnancy, you didn't want to get Haley uncomfortable.

Haley tossed and turned and finally got situated after what seemed like forever. Just as she closed her eyes she felt a sharp pain in her back.

"Oh God." She nervously tried to sit up and see if it was a one time thing. It wasn't, there it was again, but this time a little more severe. She decided that she would time them out to see if they were anything to be concerned with. When she saw that they were about the same amount of time apart she rolled over to Nathan and shook him hard, "Nathan! Nathan, wake up. I think it's time."

Nathan hardly moved so she smacked him with a pillow, "Nathan! I'm in labor!

He heard her that time and jolted up, then started fumbling around the room. "Okay, Okay, um, well..." He was mumbling and didn't quite know what he was doing. He stripped away any of the extra layers he was wearing and walked over to Haley's side of the bed. With a much clearer head he looked down at her, "We have our bags packed, glad you did that early by the way, are you okay, do you need anything?"

"Um yeah, the hospital." Haley ran her hand over her stomach and sides.

Nathan helped Haley out of the bed and he grabbed their bags. They turned to leave their bedroom when Haley turned to Nathan, "Don't forget about Jamie."

Nathan winced and set the bags down and ran to his son's room. "Jamie, get up. We have to go to the hospital." He shook his son a little who woke up. "Come on Jamie, we gotta go, your mom's gonna have the baby." Jamie jumped out of the bed and tore off the winter hat he was wearing on his head. He like Nathan, had to bundle up when it came time to sleep. He put on some shoes and got his own little bag Haley had packed for him.

When Nathan came out of Jamie's room he didn't see Haley. Their bags were still on the floor but Haley was no where in sight.

"Guys come on, what's taking so long." Haley called from downstairs and both Nathan and Jamie ran for the stairs.

**OTHOTH**

*In the hospital*

Nathan had called Lucas to be with Jamie while he was busy tending to Haley, who at the moment was chewing on a few ice chips. Dr. Walker came in and told them that Haley was close to delivery, that it was only within the hour probably. They had already been there for five hours and everyone was ready for the baby to come.

"Your doing so good Hales." Nathan walked over to Haley who was breathing heavily. He ran a hand over her head and smiled. "Just a little bit longer."

Haley winced as she felt another contraction spiral through her lower half. Nathan reached for her hand and watched the monitor. "Breathe." He watched the dial go up and he felt her squeeze his hand harder. "Almost over." He watched the line fall and then looked back down to Haley, "Good job babe, it's over."

Haley fell back in her pillows and let out a sigh. "Ugh, Jamie was so much easier!"

"Maybe she doesn't want to come out just yet. She likes it in there too much" Nathan laughed and got Haley some more ice.

Clenching her jaw on the hard ice, Haley strained as she felt another contraction. "Well, she's grounded for a month if she doesn't come out soon."

Twenty more minutes passed when Dr. Walker came back into the room. "Okay guys, looks like we are ready to meet this little girl. Nathan if you want to get your scrubs on go ahead, we'll be prepping Haley."

A Nurse handed Nathan his scrubs and he went to change. Once he was done he went to find Jamie to tell him and Lucas what was going on. Lucas called Peyton and Brooke who said they would be there shortly.

Lucas hugged Nathan and patted him on the back, "Good luck man."

"Thanks." Nathan turned to see the doctor's wheeling Haley's toward the delivery room and sprinted to her side.

Haley looked upset, "Hey, I didn't know where you went."

"I'm not going anywhere." Nathan smiled and leaned down to kissed her forehead, "Sorry, I was talking to Lucas and Jamie, Brooke and Peyton are on their way."

The team of nurses and doctors stopped pushing the bed when they reached the delivery room. It was the same room Nathan and Haley had been in just over 7 years ago.

"Okay Haley, we're gonna put you in the stirrups and then you'll be ready to push." Dr. Walker situated himself in front of Haley.

"Here we go Hales, you ready?" Nathan reached for her hand and kissed it.

"Go ahead Haley, give us a big push." Dr. Walker nodded his head signaling Haley to begin.

For the next few minutes Haley did her best. Nathan kept chanting words of encouragement and wiping away any sweat from her face.

Dr. Walker looked at Haley"Alright Haley, one more time. One more big push."

Haley looked over to Nathan who smiled and nodded, "Come on Hales, one more time."

She closed her eyes and gave it all she had. She fell back into the pillows and soon the cries of a baby could be heard. Dr. Walker held her up and smiled, "Congratulations, it's a girl."

Nathan laughed and kissed Haley on the side of the head.

"Here Nathan, why don't you cut the cord." Dr. Walker handed Nathan the tool.

Once the little girl was free from her mom and cleaned up just a bit a nurse brought her over to Haley.

"Hi, baby. Welcome to the world Charlotte Mae Scott." She held her daughter close and cried happy tears, and when she looked over to Nathan she could see tears in his eyes too.

"She's beautiful Haley, she looks just like you." He reached out with his hand and ran a finger over Charlotte's forearm. Looking back to his wife he wiped his eyes clear of any tears that may have fallen, "God I love you."

"I love you too." She leaned over to him and kissed him sweetly.

**OTHOTH**

Haley was fast asleep and Nathan held Charlotte tightly in his arms rocking her back and forth. Lucas and Jamie quietly entered the hospital room and Jamie ran over to his father. Nathan knelt down so Jamie could get a good look at his baby sister. Lucas walked over and joined in.

"She's really beautiful Nate."

"I know man, she looks just like Hales." He rocked the small child closer to his chest and looked back and forth between mother and daughter. "She's perfect."

Peyton and Brooke entered the room. Brooke was carrying a big gift basket and a bundle of lime green balloons.

"Whoa Aunt Brooke you brought balloons."

"Yep, and their even green cause I know your mom doesn't do pink." Brooke set the basket of goodies on the table in the room and tied the balloons to the end of Haley's bed.

Peyton walked over to Lucas to get a good look at Charlotte and smiled, "Wow, she looks just like Haley."

Lucas smirked and added, "It's a good thing too."

"Hey!" Nathan turned to Lucas and glared at him so Lucas threw his hands up in defense.

"Lemme see her, lemme see her." Brooke made her way over to the group. "Aw Nathan she's gorgeous."

The group cooed over the baby for a few more minutes until Nathan saw Haley start to stir in the bed. The three friends gave the family a little space and left Nathan, Jamie, and baby Charlotte with Haley.

Haley slowly opened her eyes and saw Nathan holding Charlotte. "Hi."

"Hi." He smiled and passed Charlotte over to her mom.

"Hey baby." Haley kissed Charlotte's forehead and rested her cheek on her head. She kissed the top of her head again then turned to Jamie, "What do you think Jame?"

"She's really small, but she's pretty cute too, and everyone's been saying how she looks just like you."

Haley smiled and looked up a Nathan who nodded, "A little girl with your eyes."

Jamie scooted over closer to his mom and Nathan put a hand on his shoulder. This was how it was supposed to be. A wonderful wife with two wonderful kids. A son who, aside from his dirty blond hair, looked more and more like Nathan everyday, and a little girl who'd grow up to melt the hearts of boys, and who would certainly be wrapped around her father's finger till the end of time.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there you go guys, another long one. Hope you all enjoyed it. Now I have a bit of a challenge for y'all. I'm coming up on my 200 review count which is a big deal. I meant to say something when I hit 100 but the Thanksgiving holidays had me discombobulated. But anyways, I was thinking that if I got the 28 reviews I need to make it to 200 that I would post the next chapter the next day (or as soon as I saw that I reached 200). I know I promised something like this before but have no fear, it will happen, the chapter is already written. So think of it as an early Christmas present (it is after all, the first chapter of a few based on the upcoming holiday). That is a lot to ask or challenge y'all to do so if I don't get to the 28 reviews within a few days, that's alright, you know I post chapters relatively quickly so you won't be punished or anything if I don't hit it, I just thought I might entice you though. Alright enough with that. Let me know what you think. Did any of y'all want to see more of pregnant Haley, and if so, what. There can always be a Labor Pains pt.2. Thanks again for reading this. I can't believe that I started this just over a month ago and now I'm posting chapter 13, wow. It really shows how much I appreciate all y'alls feedback!**


	14. Run Santa Run

**Little Moments**

**Ch. 14: Run Santa Run**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, just like before.**

**A/N: Holy cow guys, I can't believe I get enough last chapter to hit the 200 review mark That is just unbelievable, you guys are the best ever. So as promised, here is the new one. This is the first in a handful of Christmas chapters. Each of them will all be based around different years of the Naley family experiences. So if this one isn't exactly what you wanted to see, the next few might be more of what you were looking for. Oh and I was looking over some of the chapters and noticed some dumb mistakes so I apologize for any errors that may have popped up in the last 13 chapters and any that may in the future. I just try and get these uploaded as quick as possible for y'all so there not always edited perfectly. So thanks for enduring any of my spelling, grammar, or whatever elses mistakes.**

**Just a heads up, I'm going home for the Christmas holidays Tuesday. Hopefully I won't get as off track as I did during the Thanksgiving break and will be able to update like normal. That is my goal. Anyways, hope you all like it.**

**Flashback is in italics**

**OTHOTH**

Jamie jumped out of the car and headed strait for the maze of Christmas tree's in front of him. Seeing this, Haley quickly got out of the car and followed her son so he wouldn't get lost. He was 11 and probably would be fine, but she always liked to keep an eye on him.

Nathan got out of the car and opened up the back door.

"Hurry Daddy, Mama and Jamie are already in there." Charlotte pointed to the grove of Christmas trees and tried to maneuver out of her car seat.

Nathan smiled and unbuckled her straps, "Hold your horses there squirt, we'll catch up with them, I promise." He got Charlotte out of the car and lifted her so she could sit on his shoulders. "See, now you can tell me which way they went. We'll be there in no time."

Charlotte smiled at her father's actions. She wrapped her arms tightly around his forehead while Nathan held on to her legs. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"Do you see 'em Charlotte?" Nathan kept walking straight waiting for his daughter to steer him in the right path.

Pulling on his hair she got his attention, "Over there, there over that way." She pointed her finger and he followed her directions.

Haley saw Nathan walking over and seeing her 4 ½ year old daughter perched up on her husbands shoulders made her smile. If only she had the camera.

Nathan lowered Charlotte down and the family of four started the search for their Christmas tree. Haley, being Haley wanted it to be perfect. Not to tall, but definitely not too short. Not too narrow or too wide either. Jamie found one and asked his mom if it was good. After a good inspection, the tree gained Haley's approval.

This Christmas tree place was no ordinary place, it was a farm where they had clusters of trees all around and the customers got to cut the trees down themselves. Nathan went over to a barrel of saws and came back with a two person saw.

"Look Jame." He wiggled the saw in his hands and looked over to his son, "Looks like I'm gonna need some help."

"Sweet." Jamie perked up and walked over to his dad.

Nathan showed Jamie how they were supposed to do it. Haley was a nervous wreck. She just knew that someone was going to lose a finger or something, so she could hardly stand to watch.

Their tree's trunk wasn't big and really didn't need two people to chop down, but Nathan thought it would be fun for Jamie to do it with him. Haley picked up Charlotte and stepped back when the boys began to cut away. Shortly there after, a loud crack echoed through the air and their tree came down with a thud. Charlotte clapped her hands and Jamie pumped his fist in the air.

Nathan raised his brow, "Alright Jamie now that we cut it down, you think you can drag it to the barn?"

"Sure." He moved over to the trunk of the tree and pulled with all the might he had.

Haley tried not to laugh, but it was really funny. "Jamie, honey I think you need some help."

Charlotte walked over and tried to help her brother. She grabbed a branch and started to tug but nothing was happening. She looked a little frustrated and walked over to Jamie. Charlotte grabbed the back pocket of her brother's jeans and tried to pull him so he might pull the tree better.

Nathan walked over to Haley and put her arm around her, "You think I should help them out?"

"Not just yet, this is too cute." Haley leaned closer to Nathan and watched her children try with everything they had to move the Christmas tree.

After a couple more tries Nathan intervened, "Let me show you how it's done guys." With one hand he lifted the trunk and started dragging the tree behind him leaving his children stunned at his strength. "Come on guys, don't just stand there. We gotta get this tree home."

Haley laughed and walked up behind Charlotte and Jamie. With her hands on their shoulders she led them back to the barn.

After they had paid for the tree and hoisted up on the top of the Range Rover they all got into the car and headed for home.

As they drove away Nathan looked to Haley and reached for her hand, "It's a good tree."

Haley smiled, "It's a very good tree."

**OTHOTH**

It was a couple weeks later and Brooke, Haley, Charlotte, and Jamie were in Clothes over Bro's waiting for the big race to begin. It was tradition that Tree Hill hold the "Merry Christmas Marathon" and being that Nathan was running this year, they were all eagerly awaiting for them to start so they could cheer him on.

And being Christmas themed, this marathon was little different. The participants only had to run three miles but they also had to run wearing Santa suits. It was all for charity so nobody minded that they had to dress up, and Haley was actually excited to see Nathan in his suit. He was running with Clay and had left early to warm up so she had yet to see him sporting the St. Nick attire.

"So Tutor-Mom you think we'll be able to spot Nathan in the crowd. They'll all be wearing the same thing, so it might be a little difficult."

Haley shook her head, "No, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to tell which one he is." Changing the subject, she looked around to see if her kids were anywhere near, and when she saw that they were out of overhearing range she whispered to Brooke. "So how is...." She widened her eyes hoping Brooke would catch her drift.

"Oh he's off shooting another movie, but he said he'll be home for Christmas so that's good." She took a sip of her coffee and smiled.

"I don't mean Julian Brooke! I mean that other _thing_." Haley shook her head.

"Oh, yeah, that _thing_. It's fine. Safe and sound. Although, I still don't quite get why I have to be the secret keeper."

"Because if it were Lucas and Peyton, Sawyer would have found out and probably told Charlotte and Jamie."

Looking like she just figured out an impossible calculus problem, Brooke nodded, "Right."

Charlotte came running up and tugged on Haley's coat, "Mama, can we have our hot chocolate now?"

Haley looked down at her watch. The race had started just a little while ago and it was just a matter of time before people started running by the store. "Sure baby, let me get you your cups." Haley made her way to the back of the store and poured the pot of hot chocolate into two cups. "Charlotte be very very careful." She was handing Jamie and Charlotte their cups when they heard Brooke call out from the front of the store.

"Hurry up Naley family! The first Santa Clauses are coming by!"

The foursome made their way outside and the cool wind and low temperature caused each to shudder. There were tons of people standing on the sidewalks of Front Street waiting for the runners to come by. Haley knew that Nathan would be towards the front since he was an athlete, so she kept and eye out for him.

"Mom where's Dad?" Jamie over to his mom wondering his father might be.

"I don't know bud, he should be running by soon." Haley leaned over to look down the street to see if she could maybe spot Nathan. But seeing as everyone was in the same outfit, it was extremely difficult to try and pick him out.

There was a cluster of about 7 people in the upcoming group and Haley thought that maybe Nathan and Clay were in that one. Clothes Over Bro's was just around the 2 mile marker so she knew that his time would put him in around this crowd. As the 7 Santas got closer she could tell that none of them were Nathan, but then saw two people running just behind them.

It was Nathan and Clay for sure. Nathan was just a little taller and his form looked much better than Clay's. You could definitely tell that one of them was a pro athlete and the other not so much.

Jamie and Charlotte saw that Nathan was coming up and started yelling for their Dad. Nathan knew that they would be watching at the store so he moved over to the right hand side of the street. He slowed down his pace so he would at least be able to say hey.

"Dad! Dad! You're doing great. Only like ten of people are ahead of you." Jamie loved watching his father compete, whether it be on the court or in a simple charity run, he didn't care.

Haley had picked up Charlotte so she could see better and when she saw her dad coming up she got all excited. "Daddy!"

Haley couldn't help but chime in with the encouragement, "Go Nathan!"

Once he saw them standing on the curb he raised his hand waving, "Jamie, Charlotte, Haley!"

They all got closer to the street when Nathan was just a few yards away. He made his way over to his family and started to run in place.

Charlotte started laughing when she got a good look at Nathan. "Daddy you look funny."

"I know right. I'm dressed up as Santa." He tugged on the suit and laughed.

Haley had to agree with her daughter, "Yeah Charlotte, Daddy does look funny."

Nathan got closer to Haley and smirked, "You know you love it." He laughed then kissed her cheek. "I'll see you when I'm done."

Jamie called out to his dad before Nathan went off again, "Hey Dad! You better beat Uncle Clay or I owe him twenty bucks." Jamie pointed at his dad and flashed his trademark Scott smirk.

Nathan just laughed and pointed right back at his son, "Will do!" He took off running and met back up with Clay.

"Okay, that was nice and all but can we please go back inside now, I think I have frostbite." Brooke rubbed her fingers together and winced.

Haley just laughed at her friend and they all made their way back inside out of the cold. It was only twenty minutes or so before they heard the bell to the front door ring.

"Daddy!" Charlotte ran up to Nathan and he scooped her up.

Nathan took the medal off of his neck and placed it around her's, "Here this is for you." He set Charlotte down and walked over to Jamie. "This is for you." He plunked his Santa hat on Jamie's head then made his way over to Haley. She smiled and he returned the favor by kissing her. "And that was for you."

"What about me Nate?" Brooke questioned with open eyes.

Nathan didn't really have anything for Brooke but laughed when he thought of what to give her. "High five?"

Rolling her eyes, she reluctantly smacked Nathan's hand."Oh nice, see if I ever keep..."

"Ah, um Brooke..." Haley shook her head trying to make sure Brooke didn't finisher her sentence.

Nathan looked over to his kids and thought it was about time they headed home. "Ready to go home?"

Both Charlotte and Jamie agreed. Nathan picked up Charlotte and headed to the car. When Jamie left the store Haley turned to Brooke, "Brooke you gotta be careful. You gotta think before you say anything. If the kids hear about it, it won't be a surprise."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry it won't happen again." She raised her hand in front of her signaling she was sorry.

Haley laughed, "Well just be sure that you don't say anything at Luke and Peyton's on Christmas Eve please."

She ran her hand over her lips and smiled, "I won't, my lips are sealed."

As Haley left the store she hoped that Brooke would remain true to her word. She really did want the kids to be surprised on Christmas morning.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan, Haley, Charlotte, and Jamie and just gotten back from Lucas and Peyton's and Haley was getting undressed, taking the last of her make-up off when Nathan walked out of the closet. He grabbed his shirt and threw it in the dirty clothes. Bare chested, only in his black slacks Nathan walked over to Haley put his hand on her shoulders.

"Are you excited about tomorrow?"

Haley turned around so she was facing him, "Uh huh, I can't wait to see how they react. Did you tell Brooke that you would be over in the morning to get it?"

"Yeah...you don't think the kids have any idea do you?" Nathan was a little worried that the Jamie and Charlotte would somehow already know.

"I don't think so. Brooke didn't slip tonight so I don't think so" Haley shook her head and smiled up at Nathan. "I think they'll be as surprised this Christmas as I was all those years ago."

"Yeah, that was pretty great wasn't it?" Nathan laughed remembering what it was she was talking about.

_It was Christmas Eve and four year old Jamie had just gone to bed. Haley walked into the bedroom and Nathan took that as the cue for them to start setting up Santa._

_Walking down the stairs Haley turned to Nathan, "Shh, you'll wake him up and then it will all be ruined."_

_Nathan couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, it's not my fault the hardwood creaks."_

_Nathan headed toward the garage and came back with three very large shopping bags._

"_Alright so where do you want to start?"_

_Haley turned to Nathan and looked in the first bag, "How about we keep the legos in the boxes and just set them by the fireplace and we can set up some of the other toys."_

_They started to put presents out and things were going well until Nathan opened up a play train track._

"_How does this thing work, I can't figure it out."_

"_Did you read the instructions?" Haley looked over to her husband knowing that he probably didn't even glance at them._

_Glaring at her and shaking his head he responded, "Yes actually, but I don't know why they make it all confusing."_

_Haley crawled over to him and took the instructions from his hand. "Alright, well it can't be that hard."_

_Nathan laughed,"Ha, I'd like to see you try."_

_Picking up a piece of the track and studying it carefully then looking back and forth to the instructions then the pieces she thought she had figured it out. "Look, see." She showed Nathan her handy work and the right way to assemble the train track. "Not that hard."_

_Frustrated that his wife had shown him up he got up from the floor. "I'm going to get the bike, that, I know I can do." Nathan got up but before he made it to the garage he sneaked inside the room just off the kitchen and smiled at what he saw. There in the middle of the room was a beautiful new black, baby grand piano. He had bought it just a couple weeks ago and had the piano shop move it in today while Haley was teaching. He was sure that she had no idea that it was in there. It even had a big red bow._

_He closed the door and went into the garage to get Jamie's bike._

"_What took you so long?" Haley looked up to Nathan wondering how it could have taken him so long to get the bike._

"_I uh, couldn't find it." Nathan rolled the bike next to the Christmas tree._

_Haley looked up to Nathan puzzled, "You couldn't find it?"_

_She had finished putting the train track together and got up from the floor._

_He walked over next to her and grabbed her hand, "I want to show you something. I was going to wait till tomorrow but I don't think I can."_

_He led her to the room he had just check on and stopped at the door._

"_Nathan, what are we doing?" Haley put her hands on her hips and looked up curiously too her husband._

"_Shh, just wait a sec." He collected his thoughts and then began, "Okay, you do so much for this family and I love you for it. And I wanted to get you something that you would love, that you deserved." He slowly opened the door and revealed the baby grand piano._

_Haley gasped and walked over to the giant black instrument. "Nathan..." She couldn't continue, tears were flowing and she couldn't find the words._

"_I would wait and play it tomorrow so you don't wake up Jamie but Hales, I just wanted to get you something that you would love, that you would use."_

_Haley sat on the bench and ran her finger's over the shiny black and white key's. "Nathan it's beautiful. I love it." She turned around and got up. "Thank you."_

"_Merry Christmas Haley." He wrapped his arms around her small frame and held her close. _

_When they broke apart she looked up to him and smiled, "I love you Nathan Scott."_

_Nathan leaned down and kissed her longingly, "I love you too."_

Nathan smirked and looked down at Haley, "I think that piano was way better than that crummy little keyboard I gave you when we first got married."

Nathan walked back to the closet to fish out an old pair of sweatpants. Once he came back out Haley grinned, "Do you want to do the traditional one present on Christmas Eve now?"

Nathan nodded and they both headed downstairs. They saw both Jamie and Charlotte sprawled out of the couch watching Home Alone.

"Dad, you missed it, Kevin just slid out of his house on a sled." Jamie's face lit up and he glanced over at the stairs wondering if he could do the same.

Haley walked over to Charlotte and rubbed her back, "You ready to open up one present Charlotte?"

The little girl straightened up and squealed, "Yay!"

Haley walked over to the Christmas tree and pulled out four boxes all wrapped just alike. She tossed a box to Nathan, one to Jamie and walked over to hand Charlotte hers.

"Okay guys, go ahead." Haley smiled at her family and watched them tear into the presents.

They all knew what it was going to be. Pajamas. Every year on Christmas Eve they would open up pajamas that they would all wear to bed and on Christmas morning.

When Charlotte opened the box she let out an excited scream, "Pajamas!" She held up her clothes and showed off the red pants with little snowmen and a plain white shirt to go along with it.

Jamie held his up green plaid pants and his shirt. Nathan had gotten the same thing only in a bigger size and instead of green, he got red pants. Haley looked down and saw her green pants with little white Christmas trees and her white top. She couldn't help it if she had gotten her family nearly matching outfits, it was just her nature. It was for sure going to make one great picture though. Probably next years Christmas card.

Nathan gathered up all the boxes and threw them into the trash, "Alright guys, chop chop, you better get up to bed or Santa's gonna skip the house."

Charlotte took off running while Jamie slowly started to get up. He knew all about Santa but wasn't going to ruin it for his little sister.

Everyone made it back upstairs and had all changed into their clothes. Charlotte was already fast asleep and Jamie close behind. Nathan and Haley were in bed lying in the darkness thinking about how much fun tomorrow was going to be.

Nathan thought about Charlotte's reaction to her pajamas tonight and smiled, "So if Charlotte was excited about clothes tonight, what do you think she'll do tomorrow?"

"I don't know, and I can't wait to find out." Haley looked over to the clock and then back to Nathan, "We should probably go back down to set stuff up in like thirty minutes."

Nathan nodded, "Sounds good."

**OTHOTH**

Haley was making coffee waiting for Nathan to get back from Brooke's. She was hoping that neither of the kids would come barreling down the stairs while he was gone so when she heard the front door open she was relieved. He went straight to the living room and made a space for the family present.

Nathan and Haley hung out by the warm fire sipping coffee waiting for their kids when they heard footsteps upstairs.

Haley smiled and looked over to Nathan, "Those sounded small. I bet Charlotte got up and ran to get Jamie."

Nathan nodded and within 30 seconds he saw Jamie and Charlotte coming down the stairs. Jamie was clutching Charlotte's hand so she wouldn't fall down the stairs and then when they made their way to the bottom both of them ran towards the tree.

Jamie immediately saw a tall black object and went to it. "Whoa! Look at this rocket launcher!"

Charlotte was consumed by the Playschool play kitchen and was searching through the fridge looking at all of her plastic food.

Nathan and Haley just looked at each other. Neither of their children had noticed the thing sitting right in the middle of the floor. Nathan got up and sat next to it.

"Charlotte, Jamie." He called out for his kids and they looked over to their dad.

Charlotte was the first to notice and ran over to her father, "Puppy!"

"We got a dog!?" Jamie ran over to Nathan and like his sister, was captivated by the small yellow lab sitting in their father's lap. He had a big red bow tied on his collar and was rolling around in the discarded wrapping paper.

Haley had grabbed the camera and started to snap a few photos. The look on her kid's faces were what Christmas was all about.

Jamie turned to his mom, "So what's his name?"

Haley shrugged, "Well we don't know yet, we were waiting on y'all to see him but I really like the name Gatsby."

Nathan smiled, "Yeah that's a good name Hales. I like it."

Charlotte tried it out, "Gatsby, come here." The little girl held her hands out to the puppy. The little dog responded to Charlotte and walked over to her and licked on her hands which made her laugh.

Jamie smiled, "I think it's Gatsby."

Haley nodded her head, "I think so."

Nathan got up and walked back over to Haley. They sat on the couch side by side and Haley leaned into Nathan.

"I think they were surprised."

Nathan smiled, "Yeah, when they _finally _saw him. I thought they might never see him."

Haley laughed and snuggled up closer to Nathan, "A dog was great idea Nathan."

Nathan looked down to Haley and kissed her, "Merry Christmas Hales."

"Merry Christmas." Haley ran her hand over his cheek and kissed him again.

They sat quietly wrapped in each others arms enjoying the laughter and smiles on Jamie and Charlotte's faces. The best part about Christmas was bringing joy to the people you love and for Nathan and Haley, they did just that.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: There you go guys, next chapter will be about Naley's first Christmas as a family when Jamie is about 6 months. And if any of you were wondering why Brooke seems to pop up more in these chapters, I don't mean for it to happen but since she is still on the show I just kind of feel like it's easier to write her for some reason. I liked Lucas and Peyton but find it hard to write them in some of these, especially when they are set in the future and we don't know exactly where they are now. So if you are sick of Brooke or want to see more Lucas and Peyton, then feel free to let me know. The more reviews the faster the chapter update!!**


	15. Merry Christmas Baby

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 15: Merry Christmas, Baby**

**Disclaimer: If I owned just a sliver of OTH there would definitely be a holiday themed episode, but I don't.**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this updated, my bad. But anyways guys seriously, I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate y'alls reviews. I love reading what you have to say, what you want to see next, and what not. This chapter takes place in the past, part of the missing college years. Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

"That was Run Rudolph Run, the Christmas classic from Chuck Berry. Up next we'll do a little rocking around the tree with Brenda Lee. You're listening to 100.7, your number one source for holiday cheer." The radio personality's voice boomed through the speakers of Nathan and Haley's car.

"Ah I love this one!" Haley turned up the radio and looked to the backseat. "You like this one Jamie?"

Being as he was only 6 months old he showed his enjoyment by shaking his hand. Haley laughed at her young son then glanced over to her husband. She grinned when she saw that he was singing along with the words.

Nathan noticed Haley staring and shook his head, "What? I like Christmas music."

"I know, it's just funny watching you sing." Haley looked back to her son, "Daddy's bad, right?"

"Hey, that's not fair, I've got nothing on you." Nathan glanced back at Jamie, "Just wait till you see her shoot a ball, then we'll call it even."

Haley laughed and then saw the crowded parking lot they were approaching and frowned. "We are never gonna find a place to park. It's a madhouse."

Nathan pulled the car into the parking lot and started searching for a spot. They were at the mall hoping to get a picture of Jamie with Santa Claus. It was pretty much a given that all kids had to get their picture with him at some point and with Nathan not having practice and exams over and done with, they thought it was the perfect opportunity to take a trip to the mall.

"Ah yes!" Nathan nodded his head as he whipped their small sedan into an open space.

Haley couldn't believe it, "How did you do that, I didn't see anything open. I thought we were gonna have to park like a million miles away?"

Laughing he turned off the car, "I've got mad skills."

Nathan got out and went straight for the trunk. He grabbed the stroller and opened it up, making sure the locks were locked and everything alright. Haley meanwhile got Jamie out of his car seat and walked over to Nathan. She placed Jamie in the stroller and the young family headed in the direction of the entrance.

Once they made it into the mall they were a little overwhelmed at the mass of people.

"Oh my God, look at the line." Haley pointed to the never ending queen of parents and children in line to meet Santa.

Nathan grimaced and looked down at his phone. It was 10:30am and it was quite possible they would still be there well after lunch time. "Maybe it moves a lot faster than it looks."

Haley shrugged and made her way to the end of the line. "I hope you're right."

**OTHOTH**

It had been an hour and a half since they had first arrived and they had only moved up to the halfway mark. Nathan had picked up Jamie from the stroller and was trying to keep him entertained. It worked for a while but soon after, the little boy's eyes started getting heavy. It was apparent Jamie was fighting sleep. Nathan ran soothing circles over his son's back and within a matter of minutes the baby was fast asleep. Jamie's cheek rested on his father's shoulder and there was probably going to be a nice drool spot after all was said and done.

Haley took note of her sleeping child and whispered to Nathan, "Hey do you want me to go get us something to eat at the food court?"

Nathan turned to his wife and nodded

"Okay what do you want?"

Nathan shrugged and smiled, "Whatever you want is fine with me."

Haley turned and disappeared into the sea of people leaving Nathan and Jamie waiting in line.

It wasn't but a few minutes later that two teenage girls walked by Nathan. They saw a cute boy with an even cuter baby and couldn't resist talking to him.

"Oh how sweet, are you baby sitting?" The dark haired girl asked.

Nathan didn't realize they were talking to him until he turned to find two girls gawking at him. He smiled and shook his head, "Actually he's my son."

Both of the girls looked too each other and "Awed" at the same time. The blonde haired girl looked at Jamie, "How old is he?"

"Six months, it's his first Christmas and my wife and I came to get his picture made with Santa."

The brown haired girl squealed, "You're married too?!" It was like they had stumbled across the most adorable little family ever, and both girls couldn't help but think that this was the type of thing you saw in television and movies.

Nathan laughed, "Uh...yes." He moved Jamie's blanket from over his hand so the girls could see his gold wedding band.

Again the girls looked to each other and in unison let out an, "Aw!" They weren't trying to make Nathan uncomfortable or embarrassed they were just simply intrigued by the guy and his adorable baby. Once they were done cooing over Jamie they waved goodbye to Nathan and went on their way.

Haley could see Nathan and caught the very last of his exchange with the two young girls. When she approached her husband she raised her eyebrows, "Find someone to replace me already?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Never gonna happen."

Haley got closer to Nathan and got on her tip-toes, "It better not." She kissed him sweetly and then handed him his food.

Nathan gently placed Jamie in his stroller careful not to wake him up. Once he was sure that Jamie was fine he turned to Haley, "Pretzels huh?"

She handed him his pretzel and smiled, "Kind of reminded me of our high school days."

"What like eight months ago?" He joked.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Ok, so it wasn't that long ago."

He laughed, "You wanna know something funny?" She took a bit of her pretzel and nodded. "Well this one time when I was working at the pretzel place Dan came by and was giving me a hard time about being on my own. And well, I had just dropped this pretzel on the ground and..."

"You didn't?" Haley covered her mouth.

"Yeah I did. I told him it was on me." Nathan laughed remembering how much his father had enjoyed that dirty pretzel.

"Ew Nathan gross! That's just nasty."

Nathan shrugged, "But you gotta remember Hales, it's Dan."

"You're right, he probably deserved it."

Nathan nodded and took a giant bite of his pretzel smearing a nice yellow line of mustard from his lip to his chin. Haley saw and laughed. She looked through Jamie's diaper bag and pulled out a wipe. She moved toward Nathan, wipe in hand, and reached for his face.

"Ugh don't do that. Those are for Jamie's butt."

Haley laughed and shook her head, "Nathan there clean and you have a giant glob of mustard on your face."

Nathan pulled her close and smirked, "Well I can think of a better way you can get it off."

Haley tilted her head and looked up to him with her big doe eyes. She inched just a little closer and got up on her tip-toes. She grabbed a hold of his neck and right before her mouth touched his face she smacked the cold wet wipe on his face. He scrunched his face while she wiped off the mustard laughing.

"Not cool." Nathan looked down to Haley and ran his hand over the newly cleaned spot.

Haley just stood their laughing. "I guarantee that the wipe worked much better than what you had in mind."

Nathan shook his head, "No way, you would have done a much better job."

Rolling her eyes, Haley pushed the stroller towards Nathan signaling him to move up. They still had a while to go but they had definitely made progress for the 2 plus hours they had been there. Even if it was going to take all day. Nathan and Haley were going to wait patiently so their son could get a picture with Santa.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie had woken up about an twenty five minutes later and was getting a little fussy. Haley knew that he was probably sick of being in the mall with the noisy people so she was trying to entertain him. They were about 12 people away from meeting Santa so it wasn't going to be too much longer.

Haley was bouncing Jamie up and down while Nathan leaned on the stroller. They heard a sharp wailing sound coming from ahead of them and both moved to see what was going on.

"I don't think that kid likes Santa." Nathan folded his arms and shook his head.

Haley agreed, "Yeah not so much."

They toddler's cries echoed through the mall and it was pure torture.

"Jeez, you think Jamie will freak out like that?" Nathan looked over to Haley wondering if his son would cause such a commotion.

"I don't think so, I hope not." She ran her hand over Jamie's back and kissed the top of his head.

The cries subsided and the line moved forward. Just a little bit longer and it would be their turn. The next few people went quickly and soon enough they found themselves on-deck.

"Look Jamie, we're next. You're gonna see Santa." Haley pointed at the big bearded man in the red suit.

A girl dressed up in a green elf's outfit waved over to Nathan and Haley and told them it was their turn.

Haley walked over to Santa and set Jamie down on his lap. The little boy didn't quite know what was going on but the photographer held up a stuffed reindeer and tried to make the little boy laugh. It wasn't working and Haley noticed.

"Jamie? Honey look." Haley smacked Nathan on the shoulder causing him to flinch back in pain and bewilderment.

Jamie got a kick out of it and started to laugh. The photographer took the picture and handed Nathan a slip of paper. They could pick up their picture at the kiosk to their left. Nathan gave Haley the piece of paper knowing that he would somehow lose it and got Jamie off of Santa's lap.

"You liked it when Mom hit me?" Nathan looked down to his son and was met with warm blue eyes. "Well I hope you got a good laugh, or at least a good picture."

Haley was already standing in line to pick up the picture so Nathan made his way over to her. She handed the employee their paper and she picked out the picture. They got copies to send to their families and when they were leaving the mall Nathan took one out of the bag. He laughed at what he saw. His 6 month old son had the widest grin on his face and looked as if he had never been happier in his life.

"So I guess you'll have to hit me every time we need him to smile?"

"Probably." Haley leaned into her husband and laughed.

The made their way outside to the parking lot where the late afternoon sky was changing colors. They had spent nearly the entire day standing in line and neither Haley or Nathan would have changed anything. The time they got to spend together was what mattered most.

**OTHOTH**

It was a week later, Christmas Eve, and Haley was trying to get Jamie to bed. Nathan would peek his head in every once in a while to see how things were going. He was so excited that they got to 'play' Santa that he couldn't contain himself.

After Haley did get Jamie down she quietly shut the door behind her and walked out to the living room. Nathan hopped up from the couch as soon as he saw her come in.

"Is he down?"

"Uh huh, but we need to stay quiet so he doesn't wake up."

"Right, well okay, what do we do first?" Nathan walked over to Haley who pointed him in the direction of the hall closet.

"Why don't you get some of the presents and we'll set them up."

Nathan opened the closet and grabbed a couple of bags. Haley didn't recognize a few and worried that it was something he had gotten her.

"Nathan? What's in there. You know we decided that we weren't going to get things for each other, to just do everything for Jamie."

"I know, and it's just more stuff for him. I went out and bought a few things a couple days ago." Nathan started pulling out the toys and set them down.

Haley crinkled her brown and picked up one of the toys Nathan had picked out. "Honey, what did you get him?"

"I don't know, things that looked fun." He went back to unpacking the bags while Haley grabbed another toy.

"Nathan, there is a reason the boxes tell you the appropriate age numbers."

Nathan stopped and looked at her, "What? What are you talking about?"

Haley pointed to the small number on the sides of the boxes and laughed, "This tells you how old the kids should be to be able to play with them."

Nathan looked defeated, "What, I didn't know that." He ran his hand over his face, "Damn it. I thought I was being a fun dad by getting him cool toys. I never knew they even put age numbers on boxes."

Haley felt bad for Nathan. He really was genuinely upset that he had gotten toys not suited for Jamie. The look on his face made her heart swell and break at the same time. He wanted nothing more than to make his son the happiest kid at Christmas and was devastated that his attempt had been a failure.

She walked over to him and put her arms around his waist. "Hey it's fine. He's gonna have so many things to open up and play with tomorrow it's fine. And I love that you went out of your way to shop for him. I do, that was really sweet."

Nathan smiled and leaned down to kiss her. She tighten her grip on his waist and kissed him back. They stood there for a moment just the two of them in front of the tree holding one another. This was their first Christmas as a family together with Jamie and each of them wanted it to be the best ever. Nathan kissed Haley's forehead and spoke up, "We should finish setting stuff up. No telling when he'll wake up."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, and I want to get to bed soon, tomorrow will be a crazy day."

They went back to setting stuff up and as soon as Haley was satisfied with how things were laid out and set they went to bed. It was just past midnight and Nathan checked on Jamie before he went into the bedroom, and when he did, he slid next to Haley and wrapped his arms around her, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

**OTHOTH**

It was Christmas morning and it was just the three of them in the house. Lucas had gone to Tree Hill to meet up with Peyton who flew home for the holidays leaving Nathan, Haley, and Jamie in their small house for the little boy's first Christmas. Jamie woke up around 6:30am and Haley jumped out of bed at the first sound of his cries. She was just as excited as Nathan was but had a much easier time getting up than he did. She skipped into Jamie's room and looked down at her son with beaming eyes.

She picked him up and kissed his head, "Merry Christmas baby." Haley laid him down and put a fresh diaper on and then took him out to the living room.

Surprisingly, Nathan was already out there and stood up when Haley and Jamie entered the room. "Merry Christmas Jamie. Look at all your presents."

Haley walked over next to the tree and sat on the floor with Jamie. Nathan moved over to them and picked up a toy and showed Jamie how to play with it. It was pretty simple: drop balls into a hole and music would play. Jamie really seemed to like it so Haley wanted to move on to the next thing. The next present was wrapped so she helped him unwrap it. Even though the new toy was shinny and entertaining, Jamie seemed to be consumed with bunching up the wrapping paper. He laughed at the sound of the crunching paper and loved ripping it up.

"Maybe we should have just wrapped up empty boxes, he seems to like playing with the paper the most." Nathan let out a laugh and shook his head.

Haley nodded, "I know. Next year we'll do a much better job at this."

Nathan watched in awe has Haley continued to play with their son. Jamie was sitting in her lap, back against her stomach, going to town on some wrapping paper. He saw the way she was with him and even though he and Haley had decided to keep Christmas strictly about Jamie this year he knew that she had already given him the greatest gift of all. As corny as it sounded, it was true, he was looking right at him.

**OTHOTH**

**Short, I know. I had a hard time writing this chapter for some reason, I didn't know what I wanted to happen and kind of got stuck so I wasn't too happy with the outcome. But I think most of you wanted something in this time frame so hopefully y'all liked it. I am going to try and write the next chapter asap and get it posted before Christmas since I feel like I owe you a quick update for taking so long. Like always, please leave me your thoughts, anything you'd like to see next, or whatever is on your mind. **


	16. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 16: Christmas, Baby Please Come Home**

**Disclaimer: Do I really even need this thing, obviously I own nothing!**

**A/N: Well my review count plummeted pretty low last chapter but I love those of you who gave me your thoughts. They are like little presents that make me smile. I had every intention of posting this sooner but the holidays snuck up on me so sorry bout that. This chapter is still Christmas oriented and is the last in the Christmas few. It skips ahead quite a bit compared to last one. The kids are older, the core 5 older. A character from a past chapter makes a reappearance and the holidays are in full swing. Hope you all like it.**

**OTHOTH**

A 16 year old Charlotte was bustling around getting ready in her room. It was 5:30pm Christmas Eve and for the last 6 years Nathan and Haley held the annual Christmas Eve party at their house. Lucas and Peyton's worked for a while, but soon everyone grew out of their house and the most logical choice was to let Nathan and Haley throw it. Charlotte brushed through her brown hair, made sure her face looked fine, her necklace straight, and did a double check before walking away from the mirror.

It was an important night after all. Not only was it the party, but her boyfriend of 3 weeks Will, was coming as her date. It was going to be the first time he'd formally met her family and she was a bit nervous. Her dad was always protective over her and she didn't want him breathing down Will's neck all night. She really liked the guy and didn't want him running off scared.

As she walked toward the bathroom her cell phone started ringing and she hurried over to get it. She smiled when she saw who was calling and answered the phone, "I can't believe you're not going to be here tonight! You're leaving me here all alone with Mom and Dad, and everyone else without anyone fun to hang around with."

"Well Merry Christmas Eve to you too Charlotte." Jamie laughed in the receiver, "I thought your boyfriend was gonna be there. Won't he be fun to hang out with?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Yeah but that's different, Will's not the same as you. You're my big brother and I miss you. Why do you have to be in Savannah anyways?"

"You know Liza's family invited me. It's important to her that I be here to spend Christmas with them so..."

She cut him off before he could continue, "I know, it's just..."

Jamie could tell that Charlotte really was disappointed that he wasn't going to be home for Christmas so he interrupted, "Well I'll be home the day after Christmas so I won't be missing everything." There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Hey do you think that maybe you could save me a few of those little turkey sandwiches?"

Charlotte laughed, "Yeah, Mom put some in a little baggy marked 'Jamie' in the fridge already. She knows how much you love them. She even told Dad not too touch them. But I wouldn't be surprised if one or two goes missing till you get here."

Jamie smiled at the thought. "Keep an eye on 'em for me."

"I will. Hey Jame?"

"Yeah?"

Charlotte's voice softly spoke, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Charlotte. I'll call later and talk to Mom and Dad, have fun tonight. I'll see you in a couple days."

"Alright. Tell Liza I say Merry Christmas."

Jamie laughed, "I will, I will."

They both hung up simultaneously. Charlotte checked herself once more in the mirror and nodded her head in approval. Tonight was going to be a good night.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked out of the bathroom messing with his tie. He made his way over to Haley and opened his arms asking for her opinion on his outfit. She smiled at Nathan and moved closer to him.

Haley reached up and fixed his tie so it was straight and patted his chest, "You clean up pretty nice."

Nathan grinned and looked at Haley's outfit. She was wearing a gorgeous green dress, her hair was straight and down, and her heals added a few inches to her height. He loved her in green and she noticed that he was starring.

"What?"

"You look beautiful." Nathan gave her a cheeky grin and then let out a nervous breath.

Haley noticed Nathan's demeanor and smirked, "Nervous huh? About meeting Will?"

Nathan cut his eyes down to his wife and nodded, "A little. I mean, it's just that she's young and he's this star athlete and I don't know..."

"Sounds a lot like us. We were her age when we got married, and you were the hotshot basketball player." Haley laughed.

Nathan took a deep breath and shook his head, "Well, no way in hell am I giving them permission to get married this young." Nathan looked down to Haley with the most stern look painted across his face.

"Honey relax, I just saying all that to tease you. Charlotte and Will are just now dating. It hasn't been that long. I doubt that he is the _one_ for her. It's just a high school romance that will probably fade. It happens all the time."

Haley's words didn't seem to ease Nathan at all, "And what if it's not. What if they do come to us and say they want to get married?"

She looked up to her husband, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Haley rested her cheek on the top of his chest."

"What about you. You seem fine about tonight." Nathan looked down to Haley with his eyebrows raised.

"It's not Charlotte or Will I am worried about." Haley walked away from Nathan and went over to the bed. "I, it's just. This is Jamie's first Christmas not being home. I thought I would be alright with it but it just feels like something's missing, he's missing ."

Nathan saw the hurt in Haley's eyes and walked over to his wife. "Hales, he's twenty three. It was going to happen at some point."

"I know, but now that he's grown I think a part of me still see's him as this little boy who'll run down the stairs in footy pajamas, and it's just hard."

He laughed picturing his son at that age. "It will be fine." Nathan wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "I promise." Nathan kissed her forehead, "I am sure he is having a good time in Savannah. He won't be missing too much here. He's really only gonna miss the party and then tomorrow. Oh, and opening our traditional present tonight."

Haley bit her bottom lip and smiled, "Actually I mailed him and Liza both their Christmas Eve presents last week."

Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"What?" Haley looked up to her husband wondering why he thought it was so funny. "I didn't want him to feel left out. It's a tradition." Haley cocked her brown and shrugged, "And I didn't want Liza to feel left out either, she's practically part of the family. They've been dating long enough."

Nathan didn't quite know what to say. Haley was such a kind person. Always thinking about others before herself. Her kids especially. Nathan never quite understood how she did it. After nearly 25 years together she never ceased to amaze him.

He held on to her tight and they locked eyes, "I love you."

Haley smiled and kissed Nathan sweetly on the lips, "I love you too."

**OTHOTH**

It was close to 6:30pm and many of the guest had started to arrive. Brooke was the first. She and Julian came over about 6:15pm so Brooke could help Haley with hosting. Nathan and Julian let the girls do their thing and shortly after Brooke and Julian had gotten there everyone else and their kids started showing up. Lucas and Peyton, Mouth and Millie, Deb, Dan, Karen and Andy all made it as well.

Charlotte kept checking her phone to see if Will had called or to check on the time. She was anxiously awaiting his arrival.

The doorbell rang and Charlotte sprung to her feet. She had been chatting with Sawyer but excused her self for a moment. Charlotte made her way to the front door and started to open it. She knew it had to be Will since he rang the bell, everyone else just walked right in.

When she opened the door she smiled at the sight. "Hi."

Will grinned,"Hey, sorry I'm a little late."

Charlotte motioned for him to come in and told him where he could put his coat. It was then she saw that he was carrying two presents. Will turned to Charlotte and held out the presents.

"I uh got something for your parents as a thank you for the party. My mom told me I should bring something."

"You didn't have to do that." Charlotte took the tin boxes from his hand and smiled.

"My mom makes the best chocolate covered pretzels and I thought that they might like some."

"That was really nice of you." She guided Will to the kitchen where she placed the canisters down. "You ready to meet my parents?"

Will nodded his head and they both walked over to the living room where Nathan and Haley were talking with Lucas and Peyton.

Before Charlotte could introduce Will, Lucas saw them approach and smiled.

"How's it going Will?" Lucas stuck out his hand.

Will shook Lucas' hand, "Hey Coach Scott. Pretty good. I've been doing drills while we've had the time off, practicing my free throws, trying to get my percentage up."

"Nice work." Lucas turned to Nathan, "Will is the best two guard we've got."

Nathan swallowed hard, he looked from Will over to Charlotte and those deep chocolate brown eyes of hers were warm and comforting. She looked so much like Haley that sometimes it caught him by surprise. And hearing that this Will guy sounded a lot like himself at that age kind of scared him a little.

Charlotte smiled and cleared her throat, "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Will."

Will turned towards Nathan and Haley and smiled, "Nice to meet you both."

Nathan looked the young guy over. He seemed nice. Good looking kid and had a knack for playing ball. Charlotte really liked him so what really was there to worry about? It was probably just the idea that his little girl was getting older. She used to be able to ride on his shoulders and now she was driving a car. Now he understood why Haley had been so nervous when they had met any of Jamie's girlfriends. It wasn't that they had been nervous to meet their kids boyfriend or girlfriend but that it meant that their kids were growing up and that was the hard part.

Lucas continued talking about basketball and pretty soon Nathan, Will, and Lucas were off in their own little sports world. As the boys continued talking about the season the girls took that as their cue to leave them be.

**OTHOTH**

As time passed by people made their way home leaving just a few close friends and family members at Nathan and Haley's. After Lucas and Peyton had left, Brooke and Julian followed just after them leaving Will. Charlotte walked outside with him when it was time for him to leave and they stood out in the cool crisp December air saying goodnight.

Charlotte and Will made their way to his car and Charlotte turned to speak, "I'm really glad you could come."

"Yeah, it was fun. Thanks for inviting me." Will nodded and moved closer to Charlotte.

She smiled and brought her face close to his. Just like her mom had to do, she got up on her tiptoes and with that Will made the next move. He kissed her sweetly and when they parted both of them just smiled at each other. He'd been wanting to do that all night and now that they were alone he could.

Will was about to say something but Charlotte couldn't resist. He kissed him again and for a moment it was just them. They didn't notice the headlights pull up the driveway and the doors shut after that. Footsteps grew louder and unbeknownst to the young couple they had two onlookers

"You two better be using protection!"

As soon as Charlotte heard the voice she stopped what she was doing. Mortified at what her crazy grandfather had just said she murmured to Will, "Sorry bout that, my grandfather doesn't really have a filter. You better go before he wants to give you the talk."

Will let out a laugh and got into his car. Charlotte watched him pull away and made her way over to her grandparents.

"Hi, Merry Christmas!" Charlotte walked over to Lydia and hugged her grandmother.

"Merry Christmas dear. Do you think you could be a doll and grab a few bags?"

Charlotte nodded and took a few bags into the house. When she walked in she caught the tail end of her parents and grandfather's conversation.

"Yeah Nate, tonsil hockey. Full on make-out session. You know, what you used to do when you'd sneak into Haley's window."

With that Haley turned a shade darker. Even if Nathan and Haley had been married for over 20 years sometimes the things her father said still made her blush, "Daddy, he did not."

Nathan turned to Haley and smiled, "Yes I did."

"See that right there. Honesty. That's why we like 'em Haley Bob." Lydia called out as she and Charlotte walked into the house.

"How bout presents?" Charlotte walked into the living room trying to change the subject. "We have to open up our pajamas."

Haley quickly made her way over to the tree. "Mom, Dad, I got you both presents. I knew that since you would be getting her tonight you would be here for this." She tossed her dad both of their boxes and then got Nathan's and Charlotte's.

Everyone tore into their boxes at the same time and even though they all knew it was pajamas everyone' reaction was priceless.

Jimmy held up pajamas and laughed, "Gee honey, you know that your mother and I sleep in the nude."

"Oh Jimmy, stop it. These are fine. They're great." Lydia shook her head at her husband looked back to her daughter. "Thank you Haley for doing this."

Haley was still sitting on the floor and smiled up at her mom, "You're welcome."

Mr. James ran his hand over his head and sighed, "Well I'm pooped. We had a long drive and I am exhausted. What do you say Lydia? Ready to head to bed?"

"You know, that sounds kind of nice." Lydia got up from her spot on the sofa and headed toward a guest bedroom. "Goodnight y'all, we'll see ya in the morning."

Haley's parents exited the room leaving Nathan, Haley and Charlotte. Nathan was bunching up the wrapping paper and Haley was picking up the boxes. Charlotte said her good-nights and headed up stairs to go change into her new sleepwear.

Now it was just Nathan and Haley which was nice because they hadn't had much time alone since before the party started. Nathan thew away the trash and when he returned back to the living room he saw Haley messing with an ornament on the tree.

"It looked a little crooked." Haley gently moved the ornament around trying to make it face frontwards.

Nathan saw that the ornament she was messing with and noticed it was no ordinary ornament. It was a small orange basketball that had black painted words that read, 'Jamie's first Christmas'. Nathan wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the side of her head.

"He'll be home in a couple days." Nathan kissed the side of her head and held her tightly.

"I know."

Haley pulled away from Nathan and started to turn off the lights. Nathan helped her and turned the ones he was closest to off and pretty soon the Christmas tree was the only thing still on. The faint sounds of the stereo left on from the party filled the room and Haley walked back over to Nathan.

"Dance with me." She wasn't asking him too, more like telling him.

How could he say no. They way she looked and those deep brown eyes looking back up at him were encouraging. Nathan had never been the dancing type but they were in the privacy of their own home. Haley rested her cheek on his chest and wrapped her arms around the small of his back while he held her close.

They swayed for a while and when Otis Redding's "White Christmas" ended Haley looked up to her husband and smiled, "Thank you."

"For what?" Nathan furrowed his brow.

"This, for everything."

Nathan just smiled and leaned down to kiss her. He planted a nice kiss square on her mouth and she kissed him right back. Another song started up and they went back to their previous position. Standing, arms wrapped around one another, illuminated by the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte had gotten changed and brushed her teeth when the phone rang. She ran to get it figuring who it might be and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Charlotte." Jamie wasn't surprised that his little sister picked up the phone. "Can I talk to Mom or Dad?"

"Yeah their downstairs, hold on." She made her way down the stairs and stopped when saw them. Charlotte sat down on the stairs and looked through the iron railing. In a whisper she spoke back to Jamie, "Their busy."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Their dancing." Charlotte glanced at their parents and watched their slow movements.

"Dancing? Dad doesn't dance."

"I know, but, well maybe they're more like swaying." Charlotte squinted her eyes to see if maybe that would help. "I don't know but it's cute."

"Okay, do you think that maybe you could interrupt and let me talk to them."

"Yeah hold on." Charlotte slowly got up and a took a few steps back. She wanted it to seem like she had just come down the stairs. She nodded her head and yelled from the top of the stairs, "Mom, Dad? Jamie's on the phone." She walked down the remaining stairs and walked over toward her parents.

Nathan and Haley moved apart and Haley reached out for the phone, "Jamie?"

"Hey Mom."

"How's Savannah. Did you get the presents I sent you?"

"Yes thank you. I actually already have mine on, and I'm sure Liza is changing into her's. That was nice of you to send us both presents."

Haley sighed, "Well you couldn't be here and I didn't want you to feel left out." She paused for a moment, "You're grandparents got here tonight I know they'll be glad to see you when you get home."

"Oh yeah? Just be sure to let them know to go easy on Liza when we get there. I don't want their sense of humor to scare her away."

She laughed, "I will. I think your sister got a taste of it earlier tonight. Do you want to talk to you dad?"

"Yeah."

Haley walked over to Nathan, before she handed him the phone said one last thing to her son, "Thanks for calling. I love you. I'll see you in a few days."

"Love you too Mom. See you in a few days."

Haley handed Nathan the phone and she and Charlotte went upstairs.

"Hey?"

"Hey Dad. Did you see that bowl game today? Man it was crazy."

"I know. Lucas came over and we watched it. That third quarter was insane. That guy caught the ball on his shoe."

"Yeah, Liza's brothers couldn't believe it."

"So you're having a good time in Savannah?"

"Uh-huh, I had a great time. All of her family has been really great."

Nathan nodded, "That's good. I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Both of them got quiet and the Jamie spoke up, "How's Mom doing, with me being away and all?"

"Um, okay. Actually a lot better than I thought she would. No tears yet."

"Gee that makes me feel better."Jamie said sarcastically.

"No sorry I didn't mean to make you feel bad. But you know how your mom is. Your her first born and spending Christmas with your girlfriend's family...it's just different for her." The line went silent then Nathan continued, "But you did the right thing. Liza's your girlfriend and it was probably important to her that you go to Savannah. We'll be fine here. Did your mom tell you that her parents are here?"

Jamie laughed, "Yeah she did. Any Aunt Taylor jokes yet?"

Nathan shook his head, "No and don't you start too. I'll have my hands full with them tomorrow."

Jamie never really understood what all the jokes were about until he got older and now on occasion when his grandparents would visit he would sometimes joke along right with them. "Hey Dad, I gotta go but I'll call you tomorrow.

"Okay, I'll let your mom know, she'll be guarding the phone all day."

Jamie shook his head and laughed, "Alright, I'll see ya."

"Bye" Nathan hung up the phone and headed up stairs. When he got to their room he saw that Haley was already in bed fast asleep. He threw on his new pajamas and slid into bed next to his wife. He closed his eyes awaiting Christmas morning.

**OTHOTH**

Christmas morning came and went and before anyone knew it, it was close to 4:00pm.

Nathan had zonked out on his new Lazy-Boy that doubled as a massage chair and Haley and Lydia ran to the store to get a few items for dinner. Charlotte and Jimmy were chatting it up over college. It was a coupe years away, but everyone was interested in where Charlotte might go or want to go. And since Jimmy and Lydia had traveled the country in an RV Jimmy had opinions on every state.

When Haley and Lydia returned, Charlotte helped her mom and grandmother in the kitchen while Nathan gave Jimmy the tutorial on how to properly use the massage chair.

"Now Nate is it supposed to do that." Jimmy squirmed in the chair as he felt a hard ball start to roll across his back.

"Yeah, look" Nathan showed Jimmy the remote and how he could customize the settings which Mr. James found incredibly amusing. "You can do pretty much whatever you want. It changes the speed and intensity."

Nathan made sure Jimmy had everything under control then he went into the kitchen where he saw everyone hard at work. "Okay what do I need to do?"

Haley looked from peeling the potatoes and glanced at the clock. "In about twenty minutes you can put the lamb chops on the grill, their in the fridge."

Nathan opened up the refrigerator and saw the giant container of marinated lamb chops. "Jeez Hales, did you get enough"

"Well leftovers are always good."

Nathan looked back at the pile of lamb and laughed, " We'll have enough to make into next year. What were you planing on serving this for... about fifteen people instead of five."

Haley just rolled her eyes. So what if they had a little extra food.

An hour rolled by and the food was nearly done. Nathan just had to make sure that there were a few pieces of meat a little more done since Charlotte likes her meat medium well. Once Nathan was satisfied with his grilling he took the meat back inside and made his way into the kitchen. Charlotte and Lydia had set the table and Haley was adding a little salt to the potatoes.

"Smells good." Nathan walked past Haley and smiled.

She looked up and smiled, "The lamb looks pretty good too."

Nathan moved the food to a serving platter but before he set it down on the dinning room table he kissed Haley's cheek, "Merry Christmas."

Haley turned to Nathan and smiled. He flashed her his trademark smirk and she just shook her head. The way he looked at her sometimes made her feel like she was in high school again. As Haley walked toward the dining room the phone rang and she jumped.

"I bet that's Jamie!" Haley picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Merry Christmas Mom."

"Jamie, honey, I'm so glad you called. How's your day been?"

"Great. Liza's mom made this awesome breakfast casserole this morning and we had a light lunch after that."

"Well we are just about to sit down and eat dinner."

"Oh really, well I'll call back later then. Tell everyone I say Merry Christmas."

Haley smiled, "I will, thanks for calling. Love you." She hung up the phone and made her way into the dinning room. The salad was out, the rolls, asparagus, meat, and now the potatoes. Christmas dinner never looked so good.

Every sat down and started to pass the food around when the doorbell rang. Charlotte got up since she was the closest to the door, "I got it." Charlotte walked back into the room and looked at her mom. "Mom, it's for you, some big package."

Haley put her fork down and scooted her chair back, "That's weird." She got up and headed for the door. It was already open and she looked outside for the delivery guy. The guy had his back turned and as soon as she got close enough she realized who she was looking at.

The young man turned and flashed a smirk she knew all too well, "Merry Christmas Mom."

Haley didn't know what to say. Tears flooded her eyes and she hugged her son. "What, what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't miss Christmas with you guys, you're my family."

Haley wiped a tear from her cheek, "What about Liza?"

"She's in the car. I wanted her to wait so I could surprise you but she's actually the one who persuaded me to come up here." Jamie turned to the car and waved his hand. Liza got out of the car and started walking toward Haley and Jamie.

Liza smiled at Haley, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" Haley hugged Liza and waved them both inside, "Come on inside, we were just about to eat. I hope your both hungry." Haley guided them into the house and marched into the dinning room.

Jamie helped Liza out of her coat and took her by the hand, "Just as a warning my mom's parents are a little out there."

Nathan stood up when he saw Jamie come in and walked over to his son and hugged him, "Jamie? Hey, what are you doing here?"

Jamie smiled and walked toward his dad, "Merry Christmas Dad."

Haley cleared her throat and looked to Liza, "Liza actually persuaded Jamie to drive them up here."

Liza nodded, "Yeah, he came to Savannah for me and my family so I thought it was only right to let you guys get to see him."

"That's so sweet." Lydia stood up and introduced herself. "I'm Lydia James, Jamie's grandmother and this is my husband Jimmy."

"Very nice to meet you both." Liza smiled.

Nathan walked over to the bar, "Can I get you anything to drink?" Jamie asked for a beer and Liza was fine with water.

"Charlotte will you help me set two more places?" Haley looked toward her daughter who gladly got up to help.

Jimmy noticed that Liza wasn't drinking, "You might need a third if the happy couple is expecting."

"Grandpa?!" Jamie looked over his grandfather with a bewildered look on his face.

"Daddy!" Haley scolded her father.

"What? Their young and in love. Might I remind you that you were what 17 or 18 when you had your first. They're way behind you guys." Jimmy just smiled and looked from his daughter to his grandson. "You better get a move on."

"We're not even engaged Grandpa, definitely no baby on the way." Jamie shot Liza and apologetic look. At this point she was so caught off guard and embarrassed that she didn't quite know how to react. She was pretty sure that her face was a red as Santa Claus' suit and probably couldn't hide it.

"Don't worry dear. Jimmy has to embarrass nearly everyone to make sure they really fit into this family." Lydia looked to Liza and smiled.

"Yeah no hard feelings. Besides, did you know Nathan here and our daughter Taylor..."

"Dad!" Haley cut him off before he could finish.

Charlotte and Jamie couldn't help but laugh and now Nathan was turning as red as Liza was. It was one thing to say it in front of the kids who had heard it a thousand times, but he wasn't sure what Liza would think of it, so to say he was embarrassed was an understatement.

"Why don't we eat." Haley started to pass around the salad and everyone settled into their seats.

The conversation remained PG-13 throughout dinner and everyone was thankful for it.

After dinner was completed and everyone was stuffed Liza helped Haley and Lydia clean up. When Lydia headed for the living room Haley turned to Liza, "Thank you. Thank you for coming up here with him. I know you were supposed to spend Christmas with your family."

Liza shook her head. She really loved visiting his family, "I'm just glad I talked him into coming. He was so sweet to go to Savannah with me that he deserved, y'all deserved, to have your son home for Christmas." Liza wrapped an arm around Haley and grinned, "I loved the pajamas by the way, thank you."

"Oh, your welcome, and I'm sorry for what my dad said. He doesn't really think before he speaks."

Liza laughed and shook her head, "That's okay, I was just a little caught off guard but it's fine. He's a very funny man."

Haley and Liza walked back to where everyone else was and sat next to their significant others. Haley looked around and saw her twenty three year old son with the love of his life. Her sixteen year old daughter was sitting on the floor engaged in conversation with her parents, and she was currently leaning against her husband. She looked up to Nathan and kissed him on the cheek, "Merry Christmas."

Nathan looked down and smiled, "Merry Christmas."

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you liked it. That was the last of the Christmas chapters. Once again I apologize for it taking me so long to update but at least it's still December right. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and if I don't post before, have a very happy new year! I think most of y'all are going to really enjoy the next chapter. It has been highly requested, any guesses? Review please! **


	17. Hey Jealousy

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 17: Hey Jealousy**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, but am really enjoying re-watching my DVD's that I _do_ own over my holiday break...season 3 is my favorite by far!**

**A/N: Quick update I know! Well in honor of the latest holiday I give you all a new chapter. Many people requested this type of scenario so I hope I did what you guys had in mind. Thank you again for the reviews. Any comments are appreciated and seriously taken into consideration. I love all of those who have suggested future chapter ideas or just words of encouragement. Enjoy the chapter!**

**OTHOTH**

New Year's Eve was always a time of celebration but when you're in college, and a young married couple with a 8 month old son going out is never an easy thing to do. But luckily for Nathan and Haley they lived with a guy who knew they needed to get out of the house.

"Are you sure you wanna babysit?" Haley looked over to her best friend.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, absolutely. I love watching him. You guys need a night out anyway."

"But it's New Year's Eve. Don't you want to go out too?" Haley glanced over to her baby boy cradled in his uncle's arms.

"Peyton's in L.A. and you guys deserve the time away. We'll be fine. I don't mind. I offered anyway."

Haley nodded and walked closer to him and ran her hand over Jamie's back. She leaned down and kissed his head then looked back up to Lucas, "Thank you."

Lucas smiled, "You're welcome."

Nathan came out of their bedroom and was holding up two button down shirts. Blue and white. "Which one?"

Both Lucas and Haley answered at the same time, "Blue."

Nathan gave Lucas a funny look but since they had both said blue Nathan went back into the bedroom to change.

Haley knew they would be leaving as soon as Nathan came back out so she got up. She was wearing a plum colored blouse and black skinny jeans. Her now dark brown hair made her eyes pop and she was a little nervous about going out. She never was a party-er, and especially since she'd had Jamie. Going to parties wasn't high on their priority list.

Nathan came back out and walked over to Lucas and Haley. "Thanks man for doing this."

Lucas still held Jamie in his arms, "No problem. Have fun. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

Haley kissed Jamie's head once more and then reached for Nathan's hand. "If you need anything we both have our phones."

Lucas laughed, "I know, I know. Go on, get outta here." He waved his hand trying to get them out the door, because he knew that Haley had the power to keep saying random things prolonging her inevitable departure from her son. She sometimes battled mommy withdrawal syndrome.

Nathan tugged on Haley's hand in the direction of the door, "Come on Hales."

"Alright, alright. Bye Luke. Thanks so much." Haley took one last look at her son and turned to go.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan pulled up to the house party he could already hear the music and see the crowds of people going in. He glanced over at Haley who was smoothing out her shirt.

"Hales you look beautiful."

Haley tilted her head and smiled, "Really? I feel kind of awkward."

He laughed and shook his head, "What? Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders and looked back to him, "I don't know, maybe I'm still a little self-conscious about the weight from the pregnancy."

"What? Haley, you look great. You lost all that weight a long time ago." He turned toward her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "My girl could wear a paper bag and still look hot."

Haley laughed and rolled her eyes. She looked back to him and he was giving her the most serious look. He wasn't kidding around or just saying it to make her feel better, he was being serious. She sighed and leaned over the car's console and kissed him, "I love you."

It took everything Nathan had not to make their cute little moment into something more. They had been so busy lately with school, basketball, and Jamie that they found themselves missing out on alone time. When they parted Nathan opened up his door and Haley made her way out of the car as well. They walked hand in hand into the large white house, unaware of what was about to happen inside.

**OTHOTH**

Once they were inside Nathan went to get them drinks. Haley walked toward a group of girls she recognized but was stopped before she got there.

"Here you go. I see that you don't have a drink." Some random guy handed Haley a cup and smiled at her. "I've never seen you here before."

Haley didn't quite know what to say or do. She didn't want to take the drink from the guy but he had just put it in her hand. "Yeah, I don't get out that much."

The guy moved a little closer, "That's a shame."

"Actually I'm here with someone so..." Haley turned to walk towards the bar but the guy stopped her.

"Well he's not here now." He grinned at Haley and raised his eyebrow. "I'm Ross by the way."

"Okay Ross, well I have a husband named Nathan who will probably lose his mind if he sees you hitting on me."

Ross glanced down at her left hand and took a step back hoping he wouldn't create a problem. After he heard her say her husband's name he furrowed his brow. "Nathan? Is your husband Nathan Scott?" Ross apparently knew, or knew of Nathan Scott and was curious.

Haley nodded her head, "Yes."

"So you must be Haley?" Ross crinkled his forehead wondering if he had remember her name right.

Haley was a bit taken a back, she hadn't even said her name so how did this guy know her name? "Um yeah, I'm Haley." She took a second to look over Ross and then questioned him, "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

Ross shook his head, "No, but I work with the athletic trainers. I'm majoring in sports medicine, so I know or sorta know Nathan. I'm always there when he gets taped up before a game and he is always talking about his wife and son...." He was trying to remember what the little boy's name was.

Haley looked up to the guy and smiled, "Jamie."

Ross nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Jamie." He took a sip of his drink before starting again. "Sorry if I kind of came on to you before. I didn't realize you were wearing a ring and definitely didn't know you were Haley Scott."

Haley laughed, "That's okay. Don't worry about it." Haley looked around for Nathan wondering what was taking him so long and when she didn't see him she continued her conversation, "So sports medicine. How did you get into that."

"Well I have loved sports all my life but wasn't exactly a stand out player in anything. I've always thought medicine was something I would go into, so I just combined two things I loved and figured out there was a profession."

Haley nodded her head, "So since you work with the trainers do you get to practice anything?"

Ross shrugged, "Only the small things. But mainly I just fill the supply cabinets, run errands for the trainers, and watch them do all of the _real_ stuff."

"Sounds exciting." Haley nodded her head.

Ross laughed and sarcastically replied, "Yeah, real thrilling. Sizing people up for some crutches is always invigorating."

Haley grimaced, "Ugh been on those things, not so fun."

"Yeah tell me about it. I can't stand them and I always feel bad for anyone who has to use them." Ross frowned and motioned toward his arm pits, "They never have enough padding under the arms."

"I know, right. When I was using them I was pregnant which made it even more uncomfortable and awkward." Haley laughed remembering her time while on crutches.

"No way, you were pregnant with them. What did you do?"

Haley went on to explain the car accident leaving out the details that it was Nathan's fault, but Ross was heavily invested in the art form of crutches so she told him her experience when them. Who knew that crutches were such an interesting topic.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan finally made his way out of the kitchen from getting drinks and started looking around for Haley. There were a lot of people there but he knew what she was wearing so he started to go room to room searching for his wife.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. She was talking to some guy and seemed to really be enjoying herself. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Didn't he notice the ring on her left hand? It took a lot of restraint from Nathan to not march right up to the guy and punch him. He had always been the type to punch first and ask questions later. He took a deep breath and then headed over to Haley.

"Hales?" Nathan spoke up trying to get her attention.

Haley turned and saw Nathan quickly approaching. "Hey." She turned to Ross to introduce him. "Ross this is my husband Nathan, Nathan this is Ross he works with your trainers."

Ross stuck out his hand and smiled, "Hey man, I don't think we've actually met but I'm the one who's always with Greg before the games."

Nathan shook his hand but still didn't like him. He cleared his throat to speak to the guy, "Yeah, hey." That was it. Two miniscule words that came out a bit harsh and Haley noticed.

She cut her eyes toward Nathan, "We were just talking about crutches."

"What, about how much of a pain in the ass they are?" Nathan took a swig from his drink. He didn't really know if he was talking about the actual crutches or using them as a metaphor for Ross.

Haley realized then that Nathan had a problem with the guy but didn't know why. It wasn't like she was flirting with him or anything. They were just talking.

Ross could feel the tension so decided to change the subject. "So Nathan are you a literature fan like Haley? She's really got a knack for that stuff. I think she's right when she says that Poe is one of the greats."

Now Nathan was really irritated. This Ross guy apparently got along great with _his_ wife and had very similar interest as _his_ wife. Nathan stiffened up and decided to be cordial, "Yeah I keep telling her she should teach English."

Ross turned to Haley, "Really? My sister is a high school English teacher."

Nathan just rolled his eyes and walked away. Haley was in the middle of talking with Ross about teaching when she saw Nathan step outside. "I'm sorry, excuse me." She had a pretty good idea where he was headed and started for the front door.

**OTHOTH**

Even though they were at an unfamiliar house Nathan figured that in the back there had to be a basketball goal, he was right. Bouncing an old ball back and forth from hand to hand and hearing the swish of the net had a certain way of calming him down. It was nearly 11:45pm and most everyone was inside. The cold December air stung each time the wind picked up. Nathan shot a few times then heard footsteps behind him.

"Nathan it's freezing out here." Haley walked up to the goal clutching his jacket in her arms simultaneously trying to zip hers up.

He continued to shoot the ball without paying her much attention but mumbled a few words. "I'm fine."

Haley held out his jacket and pleaded with him, "Please it's freezing and you're gonna catch a cold."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at her. She was so maternal in her ways that it brought a smile to his face. Realizing she was right he took his jacket from her and put it on.

She reached for the ball and held in on her hip, "So are we gonna talk about this?"

He shrugged, "About what?"

"Nathan, you stormed out of there like a man possessed." Haley furrowed her brows.

Nathan shook his head, "Oh that, we'll you're more than welcome to join Rob, or Ross or whatever the hell his name is back inside."

Haley took a step toward her husband and smiled, "Nathan what has gotten into you? We were just talking."

He didn't respond. He reached for the basketball, but she flinched before he could get it. Nathan put his hand out letting her know that he wanted the ball. She shook her head and laughed. He rolled his eyes and glared at her, "Please give me the ball."

Haley slowly walked up to him and smiled, "You were jealous weren't you?"

He furrowed his brow and shook his head at her like she was crazy, "No."

After seeing the way he reacted she knew she was right, "Yes you were. That's totally it. You were jealous."

Nathan knew that she had figured it out and it was no use in trying to find a way around it. "Maybe a little."

Haley smiled and then looked at him concerned, "Why."

He shrugged, "I don't know, cause they way he was talking with you, we don't talk like that."

"I know and I don't want to. I don't think we'd have a lot to say it we had some academic conversation. That's just not us." Haley laughed, "Well, other than tutoring. With you and me it's all about our differences." She pointed at Nathan and smiled, "You're the jock and I'm the nerd. We're totally opposite and that's what makes us work. Nathan, just because I can talk literature or share funny crutches stories with Ross doesn't mean that I love you any less. I didn't mean to make you jealous." Haley gave Nathan a half smile.

"No I'm sorry, I over-reacted." Nathan took a deep breath and sighed.

Haley looked up and smirked, "I think he was the jealous one anyway."

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "What do you mean."

"Well he told me something very interesting that I think had him a little envious." Nathan raised his eyebrow questioning what Haley meant by that and she continued, "First I told him I was married to a guy named Nathan and he asked if it was Nathan Scott." He nodded listening to what she had to say but still not fully understanding the importance. "And then when I said that yeah I'm married to Nathan Scott he said the sweetest thing."

Nathan still didn't know where this was going, "What?"

"He said that he knew my name because Nathan Scott always talked about his wife and son while he would get taped up before a game." Haley ran her free hand through his hair and smiled, "Is that true?"

Nathan couldn't hide the smile that crept up on his face and nodded. Even if he hadn't said a word his reaction made her heart skip a beat.

They both turned toward the house and heard everyone counting down from 10. As the numbers got smaller they both continued to stare back at each other and when the number 5 rang out Haley let go of the ball she had been holding. It bounced a few times and rolled away while the couple wrapped their arms around each other. As soon as they heard the people inside cheer Haley got up on her tiptoes and Nathan leaned toward her.

From inside people who had finished their own New Year's kiss looked outside and could see two dark shadows embracing. If anyone had the right to be jealous it was the onlookers. There were these two people so in love with each other that they had forgotten about any and everyone else. Two people who needed each other and wanted each other. Two people who belonged together.

When Haley's calves started to hurt from standing on her tiptoes so long she and Nathan parted. She wrapped her arms around her husband's tall frame and leaned in close. It was 30 something degrees outside but she found herself heated and flushed, no doubt something Nathan instilled in her.

Nathan embraced her in a bear hug and never wanted to let her go. He'd been a little juvenile earlier, getting all jealous about nothing, but there was no way he was ever going to let this girl, his girl, slip away.

Haley looked up to Nathan, "Happy New Year's"

"Happy New Year's Hales. I love you." He gently placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled.

She glanced back to him, "I love you too, but do you think we could go inside now? I'm freezing."

Nathan laughed, "Yeah sure." They walked back toward the house one arm around each other.

Joking Haley replied, "Great, because there were some other topics I wanted to discuss with Ross."

Nathan squinted and grimaced. He ran his hand over his head and shook his head while rolling his eyes.

Haley saw the look on his face, stopped walking, and smirked, "Actually you better take me home. You're kind of sexy when you get all hot and bothered." Haley glanced up at Nathan and had that cheeky grin of hers plastered on her face.

He saw the look in her eye and heard the husky tone in her voice. Nathan took her hand and nearly sprinted to the car.

"Nathan! Nathan! Slow down I can't run in heels!" Haley shrieked as she followed Nathan. She'd never been much of an athlete so it was amazing that she had yet to fall while scurrying to the car.

When they made it to the car they were both nearly out of breath. It wasn't that they weren't in good shape but the coldness really took it's toll. Both of them looked like steam engines. Each time they breathed a moist white smog exploded from their mouths as the air from their lungs met the freezing temperature from outside. Panting, Haley leaned her back against the passenger side door. Nathan took full advantage of the situation and positioned his body so he was pinning her against the car.

He started to kiss on her neck, "Lucas and Jamie better be asleep when we get home."

Haley laughed and kissed him quickly on the lips, and grabbed on to his hips, "Well if you don't move we'll never get home."

With that, Nathan skipped over to the driver's side and started the car.

**OTHOTH**

As soon as their front door shut Haley had Nathan up against the wall. She was making quick work of his shirt buttons and neither of them noticed that Lucas had walked toward them. Nathan's mouth was glued to Haley neck and he was running his hands over her petite body.

Lucas blinked his eyes a few times and realized what he was going on. "Ew, guys! Come on! Can't you wait to get to your own room?" Even if they were married it was still very awkward for him to even see them kiss, not to mention the beginnings of what was sure to lead to something else.

Both Nathan and Haley mumbled something unrecognizable and continued what they were doing.

Lucas grimaced and turned around. He tried to say his next few words as quickly as possible, "Well Jamie's asleep. I'm going to bed now."

Once they heard Lucas' door shut Haley jumped on Nathan and he carried her to their room. Normally one of them would at least check on Jamie but they were a little preoccupied at the moment. Nathan used his foot to shut their bedroom door and made his way over to the bed. He set Haley down and she leaned back propping herself up with her arms. Even through the darkness he could see her perfectly. Nathan stood there starring at her and probably would have done it for much longer if he hadn't felt Haley tug on his shirt.

"Nathan?" Haley's tone changed from playful to serious.

He looked at her and smiled, "Yeah?"

"I love you. And don't ever think that I don't, or that you'll lose me to some guy who likes literature or whatever cause you won't, it's you. Only you." She bit her bottom lip and smiled, " Always and forever"

He took a deep breath and grinned. He knew that she had basically said the same thing earlier but hearing it now just made it more clear. He laid his body next to hers and kissed her, "Always and forever."

The two young lovers certainly were going to ring in the new year with a bang, but more than that they had reassured each other that they were _it_ for each other. Not that they had any thoughts to the contrary, but the things they said and did tonight were more than enough to start the new year off on a good foot. Even as time passed, Nathan and Haley seemed to fall more and more in love with each other which was something they could look forward to for years to come.

**OTHOTH**

**Happy New Year's guys. Hope everyone starts 2010 wonderfully. I really hope that Mark and co. have some great story lines ahead for Naley. I think we all really want something good for those two.**

**Okay question. I had an idea for one of the chapters to maybe center around Haley and a miscarriage. Nobody in particular has requested that but I kind of thought it might be a worth while scenario for the show to actually do, but now with Brooke's inability to have kids I see it not happening. Now I know some of you may be shaking your heads so that's why I am asking for y'alls opinion. It could either be before Charlotte is born or after. I'd try and focus a lot on Nathan and Haley and how they'd cope with it. So if you guy's think I could write it well enough or express any interest (that sounds bad...no one really wants to see that happen but you know what I mean) let me know. Depending of y'alls opinion I may or may not do it. And if it did happen, it wouldn't necessarily be soon but you never know.**

On a happier note: thanks guys. Your support for this story has really meant the world and I can't thank you enough for the reviews.


	18. California Dreamin'

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 18: California Dreamin'**

**Disclaimer: So what do I own?....nothing!!!**

**A/N: Hey guys. So I was so incredibly flabbergasted when I saw how many of you reviewed last chapter. Whoa, wasn't expecting that. I thought I would update kinda quickly since some of you guys may be returning to school or work tomorrow so here is a little gift from me to you. This is another one of those future chapters! Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

This was one of the most important decisions of Charlotte's life, well beside from choosing the man she would marry, picking out where she went to college was pretty high up there. She had it narrowed down to about 10 places and was going to sit her mom and dad down so they could talk about her options. They always told her that she could go wherever she wanted, and it helped that with her grades she would probably be getting scholarship money from each school she'd picked out. Some more than others, but money wasn't really an issue. Nathan had a great 10 year run in the NBA and Haley was a musician and while she didn't tour anymore she still kept herself busy in the studio. So now it was the hard part; telling Nathan and Haley that she may want to move hundreds or thousands of miles away wasn't exactly going to be easy.

She had decided that tonight at dinner would be the best time to bring it up. They had always kind of talked around it but now that it was February of her junior year of high school it was time they really thought about it.

**OTHOTH**

"Charlotte will you grab the plates?" Haley yelled to her daughter as she added some salt and pepper to the rice.

Charlotte got up from watching T.V. with her dad and went into the kitchen. She reached for the plates and got out some silverware too. Like she had done for as long as she could remember she placed the three plates in the same three spots. As Charlotte set the knives and forks down she sighed, she was gonna miss that. Doing the little things.

Haley took the roast out of the oven and called out to her husband, "Nathan it's ready!"

Everyone met back up in the kitchen and made their plates.

When they all sat down Charlotte cleared her throat, "So Mom, Dad, now that I'm nearly done with my junior year of high school I was kind of thinking maybe we could talk about college tonight?"

Nathan shoved a giant piece of meat in his mouth and nodded.

"Yeah honey sure, where are you thinking about going." Haley took a sip of her water and looked over to her daughter.

Charlotte pulled out a piece of paper from her back pocket. Nathan smirked over at Charlotte. Having a list was certainly something she would have done. She was always organized and on top of everything.

"Okay well obviously I'm considering UNC. Jamie loved it and it's pretty close."

Haley nodded her head, "Yeah that's great. It's just a few hours away."

Charlotte smiled and kept going, "Virginia. It's still kind of close." She paused a moment the continued, "The next few are a little farther."

Nathan shrugged, "That's fine, we've always told you, you can go wherever you want. As long as you're happy, we're happy."

Haley smiled over to her husband. It was true. Charlotte was smart enough to go anywhere in the country and they weren't going to give her limitations as to where she wanted to go.

Charlotte took a deep breath, she knew the next few might make her parents reconsider the whole, 'go anywhere you want' motto. "Yale, Brown, Harvard, Wellesley."

Nathan knew that most of those were Ivy League schools. An excellent place to get an education but they were all about 8 hours away. UNC was looking much more compatible for Charlotte in his eyes.

"All of those are great schools. You'd get an wonderful education at any of them." Haley smiled over at Charlotte. She wasn't quite as concerned with the distance between the schools and Tree Hill. As long as there was an airport near, visiting her daughter wouldn't be a problem.

"Yeah, and there's one more." Charlotte glanced down at the last name on the list and smiled. Her mom was going to love this. "Stanford."

Haley's eye's widened and her smile was the biggest it had been all night. That had been her dream school and now her daughter was thinking about going.

Nathan on the other hand wasn't quite as thrilled. Reality check: Charlotte was just like her mother. Beautiful, incredibly smart, kind, always trying to see the good in things, and he had been afraid of that. That she'd want the same things Haley wanted at that age. That she may want to go 3000 miles away from home. That she'd grow up too fast and he'd feel like he missed it all. So after hearing that word, Stanford, he tried to smile off his worries and looked from Haley to Charlotte, "You know your mom wanted to go there."

Haley still looked like she had just gotten some reward, "Yeah I did." She was all giddy and excited. This was something she had wanted for herself and now that her daughter wanted the same thing, she couldn't contain the joy.

As Charlotte watched her mom beam, she couldn't help but notice her dad's change in demeanor. Sure he tried to make it sound like he was excited about Stanford too, but she knew in her hearts of hearts that he was just playing along.

"Oh Charlotte, we can take a trip out to California for Spring Break and we can tour Stanford." Haley raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"Yeah that sounds great Mom. Maybe then at the first of summer we can go up the East Coast and see the other ones."

Haley nodded enthusiastically, "Sure." Haley clapped her hands together and smiled, "Great. I'll book everything up for the California trip tomorrow!"

Nathan glanced over at Haley. She and Charlotte were off in their own little world talking about their future college trip and even though it was a little depressing knowing that his little girl would be leaving home in a year, he couldn't help but smile at the sight.

**OTHOTH**

Dinner had come and gone and now Nathan and Haley were getting ready for bed. Nathan was brushing his teeth and Haley was sitting in bed putting lotion on. She placed the lotion back on her bedside table and then picked up her laptop. She began to research plane flights and hotel rates for their trip to California.

Nathan came out of the bathroom and saw that Haley was busily typing away on the computer. He smirked at her because just like Charlotte, she had to have everything organized and be on top of things. He slid into bed and rested his hands behind his head.

"How's it coming?" Nathan looked over to Haley who was studying the flight schedules.

"Good. How is March twenty second? We'd leave then and come back on the twenty sixth."

Nathan imagined his schedule for next month. He scrunched his brow and shook his head. "I don't think I can go?" He got up from the bed and went to find his date book.

"What? Really?" Haley looked up from the computer screen and frowned.

He sighed and walked back in the room, "Yeah on the twenty fourth I've got a benefit I've got to go to."

Haley shrugged, "Aw, well I can move it to summer, so we visit all the schools then."

Nathan shook his head, "No, why don't you make it a girls trip. I don't think Charlotte will want to wait till summer to go."

"Are you sure?" Haley looked back up to Nathan.

He nodded, "Yeah, y'all will have fun. I know I'll be able to go with you for the other ones so yeah sure. Book your stay so you can get the room and seats. I'm sure Charlotte will understand. I'll go tell her."

Nathan set the date book on the bed and turned to leave the room. He walked toward Charlotte's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Charlotte was in bed reading. When her dad came in she set down her copy of The Catcher in the Rye and smiled at her dad, "Hey."

"Hey" Nathan walked toward her bed and sat down, "So listen, your mom has picked out the dates and stuff for the trip to go visit Stanford."

Charlotte cut in, "Really? I'm so excited."

Nathan laughed, "Yeah but I've got a benefit I have to go to so I can't go."

Charlotte's happy attitude changed when she heard that, "Oh."

"I know, and I'm sorry but I think you and your mom should still go. Have a girl's trip." Nathan tried to make light of the situation.

Charlotte sighed, she really wanted both of her parents to go. Both of them to see the school she might attend. "You'll be able to visit the other ones with us right?"

Nathan nodded, "Of course." He rested his hand on her knee and smiled. "So is it okay for your mom to book the trip?"

"Sure. That's fine." Charlotte picked up her book and went back to reading.

Nathan saw that she was a little disappointed and that he should let her get back to her book. He did really feel bad that he couldn't go. He walked toward the door then looked to Charlotte, "Night Char, I love you."

Without taking her eyes off the words in front of her she replied back, "Love you too Dad."

He turned and went back to the bedroom. Haley was still on the computer and when she looked over to him he nodded, "Go ahead and book it. She said yes." He walked over to his side of the bed and got in.

Haley smiled and entered in the credit card number and any other information needed. When she received her confirmation email she shut off the computer and turned over to Nathan. "How did she take it?"

Nathan rolled over toward his wife, "Um, okay. I think she'll be upset for a day or two then will get over it."

Haley sighed, "Well at least you'll come to the other ones." Haley rolled over and turned out her light. The room went dark and she nuzzled up to her husband. "I love you Nathan."

He wrapped and arm around her and kissed her forehead, "I love you too." The darkness in the room was what he needed. Stanford made him nervous and he couldn't put his finger on it as to why.

**OTHOTH**

It was 5:00 in the morning March 22, and Nathan was trying to make sure Haley and Charlotte had everything they needed. For some reason Haley had booked the 6:00 am flight so they had to get to the airport early and Nathan was up because he was driving.

When they got to the airport Nathan helped Haley and Charlotte with their bags. It was amazing how much the two girls packed. They weren't even going to be gone a week but they packed like they were leaving for a month.

Once they got inside they approached the security line and that was as far as Nathan could go. He turned to his family and smiled. "This is it. As far as they'll let me go."

Charlotte put her bag down and walked over to her father and hugged him. Nathan wrapped his arms around his daughter and kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "Take care of your mom."

Charlotte looked up to her dad and laughed, "I will. Bye Dad."

"Bye Charlotte, have fun. I love you." Nathan let go her and turned to Haley.

She walked over to Nathan and smiled, "What was all that whispering about?"

Nathan put his hands in his pockets, "Nothing."

Haley rolled her eyes then took a step closer to him. He took his hands out of his pockets and rested them on her waist. They hadn't said anything to each other and were just staring when Charlotte spoke up, "Mom come on we gotta go!"

Haley looked over to Charlotte and nodded her head then looked up to Nathan, "Gotta go."

"I know. Call me when you land." Nathan leaned closer to her face and smiled, "I love you Haley James Scott."

"I love you too." Haley leaned toward Nathan and she kissed him goodbye. Noting that they were in a public place just a few feet away from their daughter they kept it simple and sweet.

Haley turned to get in line and Nathan watched his girls until they disappeared in the crowds of people. He headed back to the car wondering if maybe he should have canceled his appearance at the benefit.

**OTHOTH**

With layovers and delays Charlotte and Haley finally made it to California around 3:00pm PST. They flew into San Francisco where Haley had booked their hotel. It was only a 45 minute drive to Stanford from there.

As soon as they checked into the Intercontinental they made their way up to the 26th floor. When Charlotte swiped the room card she quickly opened the door and ran for the window.

"Mom look." She pointed to the large red structure in the distance and smiled, "It's the Golden Gate Bridge."

Haley set her bags down and smiled. She loved San Francisco and had been many times. Each time the Bobcats ever played the Golden State Warriors she would fly to see Nathan play. She would always stay in San Francisco since Oakland was just across the Bay Bridge. "Yeah it's great. We'll have to drive across it tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold up and it won't be foggy."

Charlotte nodded in delight the turned back to her mom, "I think I'm gonna take a shower. I wanna get this airplane smell off of me."

Haley laughed and nodded, "Okay, while you do that I'm gonna call your father."

Charlotte unzipped her bag looking for her toiletries bag, "Sounds good." Once she got what she was looking for she started walking for the bathroom. "Hey Mom? Tell Dad I say hey."

"I will." Haley grabbed her phone and punched in the number she called daily for the last 26 years.

On the third ring Nathan picked up, "I was worried about you. Did you run into some delays?"

"Hey, yeah we did. But we're here now so it's all okay." Haley sat down on the bed and fell back into the pillows.

"How's the weather?" Nathan knew that San Francisco weather could be very temperamental.

Haley took a look outside, "It's beautiful. We can see the Golden Gate Bridge from our room. I told Charlotte we might drive over it tomorrow."

"That will be fun. What day are you going to Stanford?"

"The day after that. I thought we might take in San Francisco tomorrow and then start the college stuff after that. I know Charlotte's really excited about visiting Stanford, but I thought we might do a bit of touring San Francisco while we're here."

"Sounds like fun."

Haley smiled, "Yeah, but I wish you could be here with us. I know you probably want to check out the school too."

Nathan sighed heavily, "Actually I have a confession to make." He paused the began again, "I didn't really want to come."

Haley squinted her eyes and scrunched her forehead, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I think I got scared of seeing you love it."

Haley sat up in the bed, "Me?"

"Yeah. I mean it was your dream school and I got in the way of it. It was my fault you didn't go. I know that your gonna be so excited to walk around with Charlotte, that I don't think I could handle being there knowing I was what kept you from going."

"Nathan." Haley closed her eyes and shook her head, "I wanted to go where you went. I...."

Haley didn't get to finish because Nathan interrupted, "I think that's why I have been so iffy on the whole Stanford thing from the beginning. When Charlotte said it at dinner a while back I thought I was just worried about her being so far away from home, but then I realized it wasn't that. I mean yeah I don't want her to go off, but it's gonna happen at some point. It was just that Stanford made me think about you and what you wanted."

Haley took a deep breath, "You. Nathan I wanted you. Sure, I wanted to go to Stanford but that was before I met you. Then things changed. We got married then Jamie came along, and the point shaving scandal happened, but listen." She paused for a moment, "I wouldn't have changed any of it. "If not going to Stanford got me here then I'm okay with that. I'm more than okay with that."

"Hales. I just didn't want to go on that campus tour and see the way you looked at those buildings and resent me."

Haley shook her head in disbelief as to what was coming out of her husbands mouth, "Honey. Did you hear anything I said?" She let out a small laugh, "I would never resent you. You've given me the two best things in my life and a wonderful, wonderful life."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't think I could do it. And when I saw that I had that benefit to go to it just became an easy out."

Haley thought it over and things started to fall together. She too thought that Nathan was just worried about Charlotte being so far from home but it made sense. Haley knew that one of Nathan's biggest regrets was keeping her from going to Stanford, but what he didn't know or seem to realize was that none of it mattered. "I just wish you had said something to me. Nathan, all of that happened so long ago. I didn't know you still worried about it."

"Everyday."

With that Haley's eyes started to water, and if he kept on going about how he only wanted the best for her she was certainly going to burst into full fledged tears. She took a deep breath, "Nathan, you don't need to. I love you for wanting all of that for me but I've gotten exactly what I've wanted and more." She sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek, "I love you, and I would have gone to a hole in the desert if it meant that we would be together."

Nathan started to laugh.

"I'm serious, none of it meant anything if I wasn't _with you_."

A wave of relief passed through Nathan as her words rang through his head. He had always worried that he'd let her dream slip away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I just wanted to be honest."

Haley sighed and sniffed, "No, I'm sorry that you were scared to come with us. I never even thought about it. Thank you for telling me." They both remained silent for a few seconds until Haley spoke again, "Nathan. Just remember one thing. It doesn't matter what we did, where we are, or where we end up. As long as we're together that's all that matters. I love you."

Even though Haley couldn't see him nodding he was, "I love you too."

Haley tried to stifle her cries, "I'll call you tomorrow."

Nathan didn't mean for the conversation to end up as it did, but he wanted to let her know the real reason Stanford had him uncomfortable, "Okay, bye."

Haley hung up the phone and rolled over on the bed. She had never imagined that Nathan might be hesitant about visiting Stanford because of what it had meant to Haley all those years ago. She didn't know if she was upset because he still worried about it or because of the way it made her feel. On one level she was sad that he still questioned their past. But on another, since he was worried it meant that he cared a hell of a lot about her not to want to come. Haley took a deep breath and couldn't help the tears. She rolled over and tried to not to think about what Nathan had said.

**OTHOTH**

Haley heard the water turn off and could hear Charlotte rummage around the bathroom. The door opened and Charlotte ran her hands through her wet hair, "Oh my gosh, that shower has the best water pressure." Haley had her back to her daughter and was lying still on the bed.

Charlotte thought her mom might be asleep so she quietly put some clothes on and carefully leaned on the bed next to her mom. "Mom?" Charlotte could see that Haley wasn't asleep and that her chest hitched with the movements of her breaths, "Are you crying? Are you okay?" She put her hand on her mom's shoulder waiting for a response. No answer. "Did you call Dad? Is everything okay at home?"

Haley took a deep breath, "Everything's fine. Everything's fine. Sorry." She turned over to face Charlotte and showed off her tear streaked cheeks.

"What happened?" Charlotte furrowed her brow looking her mom's sad appearance over.

Haley laughed, "I love your dad, you know that?"

Of course she knew that. Charlotte envied her parent's relationship and wanted to find someone she would love as much as her mom loved her dad someday, "Yeah, so are these happy tears?"

Haley nodded, "Something like that." She took a deep breath and sat up. "Well I guess I better take a shower then we can go out." Haley walked over to the table that held the book of what's what for San Francisco and plopped it on the bed, "Pick a restaurant. I'm in the mood for anything."

Charlotte watched her mom vanish behind the wall leading to the bathroom. Under her breath she shrugged, "What the hell was that about?"

**OTHOTH**

The next four days went perfectly. Charlotte and Haley had a blast touring San Francisco and when it came time to go to Stanford they had a great time there as well. Stanford reminded Charlotte of their home in Tree Hill. As funny as that sounded it's Spanish architecture made her think of their own house. The campus itself was huge. Which was a turn off but the academic excellence offered would surely outweigh it's disadvantages.

Haley loved walking around Stanford but it wasn't as thrilling or exciting as she thought it might have been. Sure it was beautiful and if it was possible, it even smelled of academic achievement. It may be worth while for Charlotte to go if she got in, but for Haley, it was nothing more than a school. The only aspect she found interesting was her daughter's reaction. That was all that mattered. As long as she was happy, Haley was happy.

To Charlotte, it was beautiful, and everything she had always thought it would be. Everyone there was nice, a little intimidating but nice. When they walked around she tried to imagined herself as a student there. What it would be like, where she might meet knew friends, how she would make new friends.

It was kind of scary at first to Charlotte, to think about leaving home. But some school was going to get her. One of ten or so schools she had picked was going to pop out at her. Even through it's beauty and ambiance, Charlotte didn't get that feeling of certainty, that this was where she wanted to be. It seemed Stanford might not be the place for her.

So that was that. Cross Stanford off the list. Maybe it was like true love; you just know when you know.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Well if it's not Stanford where will Charlotte go? I had planned on having the summer trip to the East Coast schools in this chapter as well but that would have made it insanely long. Which is a shame, because I think the second half is much more funny and not as heavy as this one was. So if you guys liked this chapter or are curious as to the family's other college trips I'll post that one later (Nathan does in fact get to go).**

**Again thank you guys so much for the feedback last chapter. I know that most of you who did review had opinions on the miscarriage chapter and I really really appreciate it. So if you were one of the ones who has yet to leave your thoughts, the offer is still on the table.**

**Another question. So I think we can all agree that it is really cute to see Nathan with a baby or toddler which brings me to my next chapter idea/s. Grand-kids! But in order to do that I think most everyone would want to get the back story on Jamie and Charlotte's relationships. Who they marry and what not ( I mean I guess I could just skip ahead). So what do you say guys? Wanna see Charlotte get proposed too, Jamie's marriage, and the birth of the first grandchild among other things? I know a few of you have mentioned something like that but I thought I would take an overall census like the miscarriage idea. I really do appreciate any and all comments so whatever you think just let me know.**

**By the way, I think next chapter will be about a moment missing from this season. I know I have been kind of going back and forth from the kids as babies then teenagers so I'm mixing it up. Hopefully I can figure out how to write it well enough...any guesses?**

**My apologies for the multiple questions and long ass author's note.**


	19. Sold!

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 19: Sold!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned a little piece of OTH but sadly I don't.**

**A/N: Hey guys. Back again. I seriously love you all for reviewing. Wasn't expecting such a big number again. All of your input is very much appreciated! This chapter is something we would have missed this season I guess. It takes place in 14 month time jump. Hope you all like it!**

**OTHOTH**

Since Jamie was in school Nathan and Haley used their time wisely to do a little bit of house hunting. They had found out just weeks ago that Nathan had made it to the NBA and with the multimillion dollar deal he signed, they thought it was time to upgrade. Not that their current house was in poor condition or too small, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Nathan pulled into the driveway next to their realtor, Donald's, car and put the Range Rover in park. He turned and looked over to Haley, "If you don't love it. We won't get it."

Haley nodded her head then glanced toward the house, "I love the outside." It was a beautiful green, three story, Cape Cod house. Situated on an island lot in Landfall just East of downtown Tree Hill, it had a beautiful view of Landfall Lake with a wrap around porch. It seemed perfect.

Donald came out of the front door with his hands spread in front of him, "So what do you think? It's great right?"

Nathan and Haley walked up the steps looking at everything their possible future home had to offer.

Donald shook Nathan's hand and opened the front door, "Let's take a look inside."

The couple walked through the house hand in hand and marveled at the sights. There was a home theater, a gym (which Nathan just loved), and even an elevator.

As Donald continued to show Nathan and Haley the magnificence, Haley was more curious as to how the bedrooms were laid out, "Hey Donald? Do you think you could show us the bedrooms?"

The relator turned and nodded, "Sure, sure. You're gonna love it. The master bedroom has the top floor all to it's self. It's quite romantic."

Nathan seemed to enjoy the idea of he and Haley having a whole floor to themselves. It might be kinda nice.

Once they made it to the top Nathan saw that Haley didn't seem as thrilled about the house as she once was. He walked over to her and arched his brow, "What's wrong?"

Haley glanced out the window and saw a boat pass by, "I don't know. I don't think I like having the master bedroom on a separate floor. I don't think I want Jamie to be by himself and what about when we have more kids? I just think when that happens..." She trailed off before she could finish, "I'd rather have a nursery on the same level as the one we would be on."

Nathan understood what she was saying. So the more he thought about it, the more he realized this house wasn't for them.

Donald couldn't help but overhear their conversation and clapped his hand together, "Well, I've got us another viewing booked so if you guys don't see the Scott's settling here then why don't we check that one out."

The thing about Donald was that he was nice, really nice, but sometimes he was just a little too enthusiastic about houses.

If the seemingly perfect Cape Cod house didn't have the floor plan it did, no doubt it would be the place for Nathan and Haley.

"How bout you follow me to the other house and we'll take a looksy." Donald looked from Nathan to Haley with a childish grin on his face.

Nathan tried not to laugh at Donald's phrase of 'looksy'. Haley saw that Nathan was holding it all in and nodded at Donald, "Sure that sounds great. We'll follow you over there."

When they made it to their car they both got in. Nathan busted out laughing and Haley smacked him on the shoulder, "Nathan stop! He can see you through the window."

Nathan looked over to Donald, "He's not looking, and besides. I couldn't help it. Any man who says 'looksy' deserves to be laughed at."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Ugh, you're awful." She knew that he wasn't trying to be mean. He would have laughed if anyone had said that but the point was that she was trying to let him know it was wrong.

Nathan just laughed at Haley and smiled, "I am not. You love me."

"Maybe so." Haley let out a small laugh and put her hand on his cheek, "But just try and contain yourself the rest of the day."

Nathan nodded. He knew that he was better than that; to make fun of someone's vocabulary. He wasn't anyone to talk. Before Haley came around he didn't have a vocabulary. They pulled out of the driveway and followed Donald's car. Off to the next prospective house.

**OTHOTH**

When Donald's car came to a stop both Nathan and Haley turned their heads to look out the window. Now this was a house. Located just a few miles South East of Tree Hill High, they were stopped in front of a beautiful Charleston Single with a balconies on each floor. It was a pale yellow, which reminded Haley of Lucas' house. It's red roof however was different. Nathan was already out of the car when Haley finally took her eyes off the house. She quickly got out of the car and walked toward her husband.

Donald smiled at Nathan and Haley and nodded his head, "Beautiful right?"

Haley leaned into Nathan and smiled, "It is."

Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley and led her up the stairs to the front door. Donald unlocked the door and smiled, "Now this one has the luxury of having the master on either the main or upper level. That way you can be close to Jamie now, and over time you could move up to the third floor."

"Really?" Haley looked to Nathan who saw that look in her eye. She liked it. He was happy she was happy, but it didn't have the waterfront property the other house did, which for him was a bit of a turn off. It had a pool which was nice but something about that last house and it's view of the water really had him.

Donald led them to the kitchen and frowned, "Now this is the only downfall of this place. This kitchen is a bit small, but it's nothing a little remodeling can't fix."

Nathan looked to Haley and they both frowned. Neither one of them wanted to buy a house they needed to fix. The kitchen was a little small but they had lived with smaller.

"Now Haley, I know you like to play, look over here." Donald briskly walked to a room next to the dinning room and did something that reminded both Nathan and Haley of Vanna White.

"Aw, it's a music room." Haley ran her hand over the top of the black piano and smiled. Even though it wasn't her piano she loved that there was already a perfect place for it.

Nathan could tell that Haley was head over heels for this house, and before she got any more excited he pulled her aside, "Hey can I talk to you?"

Haley nodded and they walked back to the foyer.

"I know you love this place, but..."

Haley moved closer to him, took a deep breath, and smiled, "If you don't love it. We won't get it."

Nathan took a deep breath and shook his head, "Are you sure? You seem like you really, really like this place."

She grabbed for Nathan's hand and grinned, "I do, but we both have to love it." She looked up to him and smiled, "It's only strike two, we've got one more before we're out."

It took Nathan a second for him to comprehend what Haley had just said. Did she just use sports as an analogy for their two failed attempts at finding their new home? He laughed and shook his head, "Since when did you learn so much about sports, I don't even play baseball."

"I know, but there's this third baseman for one of the New York teams who's kinda cute, so I've learned a few things." Haley laughed and smirked at her husband.

Nathan narrowed his eyes at Haley, "Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh. So you might wanna change the channel next time I'm in the room when you watch SportsCenter, I wouldn't want to make you jealous." Haley playfully raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Me, jealous? I don't think so." Nathan stepped closer to his wife and put his hands on her hips.

Haley smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "I can think of a few occasions."

Nathan smiled and leaned down to Haley and kissed her. Before Haley had the chance to kiss him back they heard some one clear their throat. "Ugh, uhm... So guys, what's the verdict?"

Nathan looked from Haley to Donald and shrugged, "Where's the next one?"

Donald's eyes lit up and he checked his itinerary. Even if they didn't like the house they were looking at now, he certainly wasn't going to miss an opportunity to show another one.

**OTHOTH**

The next home they drove up to was very different than the others. Instead of a classic style this one had Spanish architecture. Nathan and Haley got out of the car and met up with Donald in front of the door.

"I know this wasn't exactly what you had described on your wish list, if you will, but I think you might really enjoy this one." Donald opened to door and they all entered the house.

"Wow, this is great." Haley took note of the big open rooms and smiled at everything she saw.

Donald knew Haley would ask the bedroom question so he went ahead and told them how this house's were set up, "Just like the last house, you have the option as to where you want the master bedroom. So you can be on the same floor as your son."

Nathan looked over to Haley and saw that she was like a kid in a candy store. He thought she had been excited about the last house but it didn't even compare to how she looked now.

They made their way to the kitchen and Donald began to point out the various appliances. How the fridge was oversized and that the island in the middle was made extra large for an easy work space. When he finished going on about the the fabulous dinner parties Haley would be able to cook from this kitchen, Donald motioned toward the back door, "Now you'll notice that there is a pool, which I know you have at your current house."

The three walked outside and it was then that Nathan knew that this was the perfect place. Not only did it have a great layout for what they wanted, with a pool, and great backyard, but it was a waterfront property as well. Just beyond the play-set was a dock, and when Nathan looked to Haley he knew this was it for them.

"Could you give us a second Donald?" Nathan looked over to their relator and when Donald nodded Nathan took Haley's hand and headed toward the water.

When they reached the dock Haley turned to Nathan, "You know we kind of have a thing with docks."

"Yeah, we do." He smiled thinking about all the moments they had shared that took place on docks or piers. "So what do you think?"

Haley leaned against the rail and looked to her husband, "I love it."

"You love it?" Nathan smiled hoping he heard her right.

"I love it." Haley moved from the railing over to Nathan and looked up to him, "What about you?"

Nathan grinned, "I think we just found our house."

Haley let out a squeal and hugged her husband. It wasn't the first house they'd ever bought together, but it might be the last. It had plenty of room to expand their family and they could grow old there. Nathan could picture it now: his grand-kids running toward the swings and slide while Haley would freak out that they'd be too close to the water. Cooking out for holidays and watching the fireworks from the pier. Yeah, this was it. This was home.

**OTHOTH**

Move in day was always fun. Jamie was super excited that he was going to get to decorate his own room, but was a little disappointed when he found out that the rooms were all painted already. Nathan and Haley had hired movers to bring in the furniture and any other big things so most everything was in the house. Now they just had to unpack.

"Hey Mom!" Jamie came sliding into the kitchen with his socks on, "When can we do my room? Can we do my room first?"

Haley was checking which boxes held which things and turned when she heard her son slide into the room. "Uh, yeah sure Jamie. Why don't you get you're Dad and we'll do it all together."

Nathan and Jamie walked into Jamie's new room and both of their eyes went wide when they saw the amount of boxes piled high.

Haley saw the boys come in, "Okay I'll start with your clothes Jamie, why don't you and Dad do your shelves?"

The guys nodded and started to open up the appropriate boxes. As Nathan and Jamie diligently worked on the shelves Haley went through Jamie's boxes of shirts and pants. She held them up and smiled. Someday he wouldn't be able to fit into them and it was bittersweet. She took a moment to herself and the started back again. When she was done with one box she looked over at her husband and son. Jamie was sitting on Nathan's shoulders putting the items on the top shelf. It was like an assembly line. Nathan would get something out of it's box and hand it to Jamie who would put it in it's spot. It was quite possibly the cutest thing Haley had ever seen.

When she had finished putting away Jamie's clothes she saw that Nathan and Jamie were done as well. They had done a great job and the only thing left to do was to put things on the walls. Jamie had told Haley what he wanted so she started to get out another box.

Jamie ran his hand over his belly and looked at his parents, "I'm hungry, what are we having for dinner?"

Haley hadn't even thought about it. She certainly didn't have time to cook with all the unpacking so Nathan interjected, "How about pizza? I mean if it's okay with your Mom."

Haley nodded happily causing Jamie to pump both of his fists in the air, "Sweet! I want extra cheese!"

Nathan shook his head and laughed, "Come on you goof, let's go order."

It took 30 minutes for the pizza guy to get to the house and Nathan and Jamie met him at the door. As they walked back to the kitchen Haley got out three paper plates and a few paper towels. None of the dishes were put up yet so she was improvising. When they all got their food they went and sat on the floor in the living room. Sure they had chairs, but it was much more fun for Jamie if they acted like they were really roughing it.

After they had finished their meal Haley took their plates to the kitchen and threw them away. Nathan and Jamie and decided to lay on the couch and she could hear them talking about basketball. Jamie would ask him about plays or the different positions and Nathan would go off on a long spiel keeping Jamie thoroughly captivated.

Haley turned to go back to Jamie's room and decided she would try and finish Jamie's room.

When she was done with as much as she could do she smiled at her achievement. She was pretty sure that Jamie would love it.

Haley walked out to the living room and laughed at what she saw. Both Nathan and Jamie were asleep on the couch. Nathan was slouched in one of the corners while Jamie was laying with his whole body spread over the cushions. Haley quietly tip-toed over to the two and bent down to Jamie. She kissed his forehead and rubbed her hand over his head. He didn't stir a bit and then she moved to Nathan. Just like she had done Jamie, she kissed his forehead but ran her hand over his cheek. He slowly woke up and saw Haley holding a finger over her mouth.

"Shh," Haley whispered, "He's asleep. We should probably move him."

Nathan got up and stretched. Before he picked up his sleeping son he stared at him for a moment. He couldn't believe he was so big now. It seemed like yesterday that he was just a baby.

Haley watched as Nathan scooped up Jamie and walked in front of him pushing boxes out of the way as they made their way upstairs. With ease and grace, Nathan carried Jamie all the way up to his room. When he laid Jamie down he tucked him in, and then saw what Haley was working on when he and Jamie were asleep.

Haley turned off one of the lights and walked over to Nathan, "That's what he said he wanted on his walls. He's so proud of you. You're his hero Nathan."

Nathan smiled and wrapped an arm around his wife. He glanced up at the wall and saw his jerseys. There was one from his high school days, a Chief's jersey, and a new Bobcat's jersey. There was nothing better than knowing that his son looked up to him.

Haley leaned into Nathan and when he looked down at her she smiled, "I'm proud of you too. And I love you."

"I love you too." Nathan bent down and kissed Haley.

Standing in the dimly lit room Nathan and Haley knew that they'd found a perfect home. Even if unpacked boxes littered the floor or they'd be eating take out for a while it was fine. Everything was fine, it was perfect.

**OTHOTH**

The next day Brooke had been nice enough to take Jamie off of Nathan and Haley's hands while they unpacked the kitchen. They knew that a young child and breakable dishware did not mix.

"Hales?" Nathan held up two peach colored, dome shaped items and scrunched his eyebrows, "What the hell are these?"

Haley's eyes grew large and she laughed, "Uhm, ha, those are salt and pepper shakers. Taylor sent them too us one Christmas."

"How have I never seen these before?" Nathan laughed and realized they were a gift Taylor would send.

Haley cut her eyes, "Because we have an almost six year old son, who I don't quite want to see grab for those and pass around the dinner table."

Nathan studied them then looked back to her, "Why, because they look like boobs?"

Haley's mouth feel open. She didn't think he would be so blunt about it. "Yes."

"Why don't we just throw them away.?"

"No, they were a gift. That's rude." Haley shook her head.

"Okay fine here." He tossed them toward her knowing that she didn't have the skill to catch them.

"Nathan?! Wha. Whoa." Haley tried her best to try and spare the shakers but just like Nathan predicted, she got there just a little late and when they smacked the floor they busted into pieces. "I can't believe you did that. You know I can't catch anything."

"Exactly." Nathan laughed.

It was sad really. The whole reason Jamie was away now was so that nothing would get broken. When they got it all cleaned up Haley made them some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. It was about all the food they had in the house and neither of them really wanted to pick something up.

"You know, there is something really great about a PB and J." Haley took another bite of the sandwich and savored the wonderful combination of salty and sweet.

"You have always kinda had a thing for five year old's food." Nathan laughed and took a bite of his sandwich. "I mean PB and Js and macaroni and cheese? Definitely things off the kids menu"

Haley cut her eyes at him and reached for his sandwich and took it. "Well fine. Let me take your kiddy food from you. I wouldn't want big shot, NBA playing Nathan Scott to eat like a little kid."

Nathan frowned and reached back for his sandwich, "Hey, wait a second. I never said I didn't like it. Give me that back."

Haley got off her stool and walked over to the trash can.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nathan jumped out of his chair and rushed over toward his wife. Before Haley had the chance to drop his sandwich in the trash Nathan grabbed it back. "I love your peanut butter and jelly's." He took one last bite and then dropped the crust in the trash.

Haley jumped up to sit on the island and kicked her feet back and forth. Nathan brushed his hands off and walked over to her. With her sitting on the counter they were eye level, something that rarely ever happened since Haley was so short. Without saying a word he kissed her softly and smiled, "Thanks for lunch."

"You're welcome." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they parted Nathan moved from her lips down to her neck and she squealed, "Ah, Nathan, you're going to get me all sticky. I'm gonna have peanut butter and jelly on my neck."

Nathan smirked and looked to his wife, "That's fine. Have you seen the size of our shower?"

Haley laughed and kissed him again. She tugged on his shirt and they both worked its way up and over his head. He had his hands placed firmly on her hips and she had her legs around him.

While they were busy in the kitchen neither of them noticed the front door open and the sound of footsteps coming toward them.

"Ah, little eyes coming through!" Brooke had gotten to the kitchen first and yelped. "Jamie, stop where you are! We're going back out for ice cream!" Brooke reached for Jamie's hand and talked loud enough so Nathan and Haley could hear her, "Oh he is _so_ getting more than one scoop for that!"

Nathan laughed. While Brooke hadn't technically caught them doing anything extravagant, the fact that he was shirtless and Haley was sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around him probably didn't paint the most innocent of pictures.

Haley was mortified. Brooke walks in and thinks they're up to no good. At least Jamie would be out of the house for another hour or so. Brooke didn't know it, but she's given them quite the house warming gift.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: There you go guys. Maybe this is how buying their new house happened. I seriously can't thank you all enough for the reviews. Whether you were for or against older Naley, it really helps.**

**And just to clear something up. This _is_ a Nathan and Haley story. Some of you may have been worried at my last author's note when I asked if you guys wanted to see the kid's weddings or proposals. I never meant that the chapter would revolve around Charlotte or Jamie specifically. More like how Nathan would react when Charlotte's future husband came to ask him for her hand in marriage. Or how Jamie might go to Nathan on advice on how to propose. Things like that. So don't be worried that you'd miss Naley time if I do chapters like that.**

**Again all I have to say is thanks for the support. My readers are the best!**


	20. Nice to Meet You Anyway

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 20: Nice to Meet You Anyway**

**Disclaimer: Okay really? Obviously I don't own anything.**

**A/N: Hooray! Chapter 20! I can't believe I'm on chapter 20 already. No doubt a testament to all of your reviews! I write this story for fun but you guys make it even better. Thank you! So how about a missing moment from season 1? Yep, season 1, I haven't done one of those yet. I really wish we could have gotten this moment on the actual show but we didn't and I can't see them doing a flashback to this anytime...ever, so here's my take on it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked excitedly toward Haley's house. Practice had just ended and it was dark but he didn't care. He just needed to see her. It had been about two weeks since their first kiss and just short of that since the performance enhancers debacle.

As he shoved his hand into his pockets he rounded the corner and saw her house. Her bedroom light was on and he knew that she probably left it on for him.

When he made it to the walkway leading to the front door he stopped shy of the steps and reached for the porch banister. This was new to him. With Peyton, he could just come and go as he pleased, but Haley wanted to keep Nathan a secret for now, and the only way he could see her was climbing up to her window. He was no Peter Parker and couldn't shoot webs out of his hands, but Nathan's strength and height gave him an advantage.

Once he made it up on the roof he carefully and quietly maneuvered over to the window. Sure it was dangerous but even if he fell it would be worth it. Haley had this way about her. She did something no other person had ever done with Nathan. She got through to him. He'd always put up this big wall and somehow she slipped between the cracks and found the other side.

When he had one foot inside the window he ducked his head to get the rest of his body in. As he started to get up he heard a scream.

"Oh my God! Oh my God. Take everything in this room, it's all junk, but let me live!" Lydia James was sure that some burglar was entering her house and was scared to death. "Jimmy, help!"

Nathan didn't know what was going. When he looked up to see who he assumed was Haley's mom, she had her hands up in the air and her eyes shut.

Neither of them said anything for a while and slowly opened her eyes, "Please, I have kids! Don't hurt me!"

Nathan didn't want to laugh but he knew immediately where Haley got her quirky personality. Nathan took a deep breath, "Um Mrs. James? I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry if I scared you." He stood up and a man with brown hair wielding a Louisville Slugger came in.

"Let me at 'em" Jimmy James had the bat resting on his shoulder ready to take aim. Nathan saw that he was about to get pummeled and spoke up.

"Wait, wait. Hold on. My name is Nathan Scott and I'm dating your daughter."

Lydia took a sigh of relief. She realized that this apparent burglar was no burglar at all. She looked to her husband and laughed, "Well I'm sorry hun, but Taylor moved out of here a long time ago."

"Yeah, sorry pal." Jimmy leaned against the door frame.

Nathan was confused, "Who? Um, no. Haley. Haley James."

Lydia stiffened up, "Haley Bob?"

Nathan nodded his head. He'd never heard her called Haley Bob before but he guessed they were talking about the same person.

"No kidding? Our little book worm found herself a guy?" Jimmy nodded in approval.

Lydia smiled warmly and introduced herself, "Well I'm the Mom, it's nice to meet you Nathan."

"Hey, I'm Nathan." Even though he had already said his name he reiterated, "I'm really sorry I scared you." Nathan glanced to Mrs. James and smiled awkwardly.

Mr. James walked toward Nathan and extended his hand, "Jimmy James. Man of the house."

Nathan shook the man's hand and re-introduced himself to Haley's father, "Nathan Scott."

Jimmy raised his eyebrow and looked Nathan over, "Scott huh? I always thought she'd end up with a Scott but I thought his name was Lucas." Jimmy laughed and looked to Lydia, "Why don't we all go down stairs so we can get to know this horny cat burglar." Jimmy laughed at himself and then pointed to the widow, "And Nathan, you can use the window again if you don't know how to use the stairs."

Mrs. James laughed and walked over to Nathan, "You hungry?"

Nathan didn't quite understand what was happening. He goes to Haley's house and climbs through her window only to scare the pants off her mom. Her dad comes up ready to smack him down with an old wooden bat and now they were offering him dinner. Why had Haley been so hesitant for him to meet them? They seemed plenty nice, a little odd and maybe eccentric, but nice.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had left the library was headed home. While she walked she couldn't stop thinking about Nathan. He was just this guy that needed help in school, okay scratch that, a lot of help, and now he'd become something totally different. Every time she was around him she smiled. Her big brown eyes would widen and somehow even soften. Her breath caught every time he grazed her body, and her heart would beat so loud that she could hear it in her ears.

When Haley first noticed the way he made her feel she thought she may have been sick. Coming down with the seasonal flu. How was she to know that it was love's first bite? She'd never been in a relationship before. It only took a few days for her to realize that it wasn't anything medical that was wrong, rather just the opposite. Every thing was right. It was perfect.

Once she made it to her house she skipped up the stairs and opened the door.

Haley took off her coat and put in away in the closet, "Mom? Dad? I'm home."

"In here sweetheart." Haley turned in the direction of her mother's voice and walked into the dinning room.

Her mom was setting the table but she noticed that instead of 3 places there were 4. "Who's coming to dinner?" Just as Haley spoke the connecting door to the kitchen opened and Nathan came out carrying the salad bowl.

Baffled at his presence Haley was shocked, "Nathan? Wha...what are you doing here?"

"Hey Hales, I uh, well, your parents invited me to stay and eat." He set down the bowl of lush greens and smiled.

Haley was still trying to figure out how this had all happened and shook her head, "Stay?"

Jimmy came through the kitchen door and helped clear things up a bit, "Yeah honey. We found Romeo here climbing in through your window a little while ago. But when we realized he wasn't out for our money or goods, and that he was apparently dating you, we invited him to stay and eat."

"Although Haley, I do wish we had met him under different circumstances." Lydia added.

Haley sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you or that you had to meet Nathan like this, I just.... I didn't know...."

Lydia turned to her daughter and smiled, "It's okay."

Mrs. James paused before she started again. She knew that Haley was just worried that if she brought a boy home that it meant she would be like the rest. That somehow she'd turn out to be just like Taylor, or Quinn. That she'd maybe let her parents down, which wasn't the case at all. She's was still their most cautious, responsible child,(with Vivian a close second), and that would never change. Even if she did have a boyfriend, it didn't mean that her parents would be disappointed, it was the opposite. They wanted her to be happy, and if Nathan made her happy then everything was fine. "How about you help me with the rolls?" Lydia smiled warmly at her daughter and they both went into the kitchen.

**OTHOTH**

Once every one was seated, Lydia across from Jimmy, and Nathan across from Haley they all began to eat. Haley knew that her parents could be a little immature and didn't know exactly where the conversation should begin. If she started talking about her upcoming biology test her father would more than likely make some inappropriate remark about the subject so she kept it simple.

"Mom,the lasagna is great." Haley took a bite and savored in all of the wonderful flavors.

"Well honey," Lydia smiled graciously at her youngest then laughed, "It's the same one I've been making and you've been eating since forever."

"Yeah, Mrs. James. It's great. I don't think my mom even knows how to make lasagna." He literally had no idea if Deb could make it. He knew that he certainly couldn't spell it, but what he did know, was that he really enjoyed this whole family sit down dinner.

"Thank you Nathan."

"So Nate, does that mean your mom is the kind that burns most things and picks up something later? Cause don't worry, she'll come around." Jimmy looked over to his wife and grinned, "It only took Lydia here, what after thirty plus years of marriage, about half that time to really figure out the right way to cook. Your mom will figure it out. It just takes time."

Nathan took another bite of his food and nodded. He hoped it was true, but if it wasn't he could see himself coming over here for dinner a lot. With Haley at his side, good food, and good conversation, he wasn't sure he'd want to go back home.

"How was it exactly that you two met?" Lydia looked from Nathan to Haley wondering how the duo got together.

Haley cleared her throat, "He came to the tutor center and needed some help."

"More than just some help." Nathan took over and continued, "I was doing really bad in a few subjects and my grades were threatening my playing time."

Jimmy folded his hands together, "Basketball?" It was in season and Nathan didn't look like the wrestling type.

Nathan nodded, "Yes sir. So if I didn't get better fast my basketball days were gonna be over." He glanced over to Haley and smiled, "And Haley did it. I don't know how she did. It still makes me wonder but she did it. She explained things with such ease and this light just went on and I got it."

"It wasn't all me." Haley tried to brush off her achievement.

Nathan shook his head, "Yes it was. I doubt any other person at that place would have done half as good a job as you have." He shot her a look and with his powerful blue eyes he told her everything she already knew. She had done it. She'd tamed the beast.

Lydia saw the obvious chemistry between the two youngsters and smiled, "Well I can say that it's not quite the comedy that came from me meeting Haley's father."

Haley grimaced hoping that her mother would stop there.

Jimmy laughed, "Three words. Bike. Car. Broken arm."

"Daddy that was four words." Haley looked down at her plate embarrassed.

"Oh, what's the difference." Mr. James used his hand to wave it off. "I ended up with a cast on my arm and the day I got it off, was the day I knew Lydia was the one for me."

Mrs. James smiled, "And ever since he's never ridden a bike, and I haven't run over anyone else."

Haley arched her brow and laughed, "Not true." She smiled remembering that her mother had in fact run over another human being, "The summer I was in second grade Taylor and I made a lemonade stand. You had come home from work and stopped to see what we were up to. I gave you a glass for free but Taylor marched up to your window and demanded money."

Lydia nodded, "That's right. Taylor was always wanting something from me."

Haley continued, "When you didn't want to hear all of her complaints about not getting any profit you just rolled up your window and drove to the driveway."

Nathan was listening carefully but was sure that he had somehow missed the part about someone getting run over.

Lydia rolled her eyes, "But oddly enough I seemed to have rolled over the very top point of her shoe."

"It was hysterical. Taylor just stood there and smiled. She wasn't hurt or anything, but I went to her all worried and asked her if she was okay. And you know what she told me? She said that now she'd be able to go back to school and tell all of her friends that over summer break she'd gotten hit by a car.

"That's Taylor for you. Always making something out of nothing." Jimmy laughed. He remembered that day, and how at the end of the school year Taylor's friends signed her yearbook with, 'I'm so glad you survived that awful accident.' or 'Stay safe this summer.'

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. He really enjoyed the craziness that was Haley's family- the fact that they weren't perfect and didn't try to be, and that they loved each other even with their flaws. Dan certainly wouldn't condone that behavior. Dan Scott's family had to be perfect. But what Dan didn't see was that it was already flawed. He abandoned one child and basically abused his other. His marriage was crumbling and Nathan liked spending more time with Haley than he did his own family.

This was certainly something Nathan could get used to.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan offered to help clean up when dinner was over but Mrs. James insisted that he do nothing of the sort. Haley hadn't been surprised that he'd offer, he was a kind guy, but the fact that he was trying really hard to make a good impression meant a lot to her.

Mr. and Mrs. James went to work in the kitchen and left the two teenagers alone in the dinning room, both still sitting in their places. Haley leaned on the dinning room table and shook her head at Nathan.

"What?" He didn't know what he had done wrong.

"Nothing. I just can't believe my parents caught you sneaking into my room."

Nathan laughed, "I know, and I'm sorry. I should have called before but I didn't think you'd still be at the library that late."

She smiled, "You must have forgotten. I am tutor-girl after all."

He nodded his head. "But I'm actually kind of glad they caught me. I got invited to dinner."

"Me too, and I think they really like you." She rested her chin on her forearm and smiled.

Jimmy and Lydia came back to the dinning room and Nathan stood up, "Thank you both for dinner. It was great."

"Well Nathan we were glad you could drop by." Lydia let out a laugh. "Don't be forget to use to front door next time."

Nathan nodded then turned to Mr. James who had stuck out his right arm.

"Good to meet you Nate. You're a fine young man." After Jimmy shook Nathan's hand he put his arm around his wife.

Haley looked to her parents, "I'm just gonna walk him to the door."

Nathan and Haley walked out of the dinning room and into the foyer. He opened up the door and to his surprise she walked outside. Nathan stepped onto the porch and closed the front door.

"I thought you were just gonna walk me to the door?"

Haley leaned against the side of the house and smiled, "I was, but I know that they're gonna be eavesdropping, and are probably looking through the living room window now, so I thought we'd have a little more space out here."

Nathan laughed. He glanced over to the living room window and saw two shadows disappear behind the blinds. Yep, her parents were watching. He moved closer to her and looked deeply into her eyes, "I'm really glad I stayed for dinner."

"Well I'm really glad you got caught coming through my window." She playfully grinned and raised her eyebrows.

It was cool outside and she didn't have her jacket so he didn't want to keep her long. He also knew that he wanted to kiss her but that her parents were probably spying on them as they stood outside.

He leaned down close and whispered in her ear, "I'll see you tomorrow." He moved his mouth just above her ear and kissed her temple. It was a safe move. Sweet, and nothing her parents would disapprove of, hopefully.

As he turned to leave Haley grabbed one of his hands. She took a step closer to him and got up on her tiptoes. He knew what she was doing and leaned down. He kissed her softly on the lips and she smiled when they parted. It was exactly what she wanted.

Inside the house Lydia and Jimmy were in the kitchen. They peeked through the blinds just after Nathan and Haley got on the porch but decided they should be left alone. Haley was a big girl, she could handle herself.

Jimmy sat at the counter shaking his head, "Did you see the way they were with each other?"

Lydia took a sip of her hot coffee and nodded, "Uh-huh, kind of reminded me of us."

Mr. James got up from the stool and walked over to his wife. "But I was a much better looking than Nathan."

Lydia laughed and put her arms around her husband, "Sure you were. With that long hair and your tie-die t-shirt. You were one handsome devil."

"Now that's what I like to hear." Jimmy embraced his wife and spoke up again, "I think she's really happy."

"Me too."

They stood together in the kitchen for a while and hadn't spoken a word until Haley walked in. She leaned against the door frame of the kitchen and looked to her parents, "Look, I'm really sorry I was hiding Nathan from you but..."

Lydia shook her head, "It's fine Haley Bob. Just be sure to tell Nathan that he can use the front door. It works perfectly fine and tell him that he is more than welcome to come to dinner next week." Jimmy nodded, he wasn't ever upset at Haley for hiding Nathan, a little surprised, but never upset.

"Thank you and I will." Haley turned toward the stairs and headed for her bedroom. Maybe it was because she was the youngest and that her parents were lenient with things, but she never expected them to take to Nathan as well as they had. Now she wondered why she had ever been nervous in the first place. She could get used to this. Having Nathan over more and having him eat dinner with them. It was like he was part of their family and it felt really nice.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Sorry it was a shorter than the last few but I didn't want it to drag on. Hope you all enjoyed it! Just another week or so till the new episodes come back on. I seriously hope that they are Naley filled! High hopes, but whatever, I can dream right? Review please!**


	21. When a Heart Breaks

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 21: When a Heart Breaks**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thanks guys so much for the reviews. For those of you who don't have accounts just know that I seriously always read what you have to say and value your opinions! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Classes started back up Monday so I'm trying to get my schedule all sorted out, and I kinda had to but writing on the back burner. But I'm back with a new chapter that I hope all of you like!**

***Flashback in italics**

**OTHOTH**

It was the second time Haley had done this. Granted, the last time she was in high school, but now it was five years later. Nathan had been playing for the Charleston Chiefs for about a month when she had found out. She was pregnant again. They were pregnant again.

A few weeks back she had taken a home pregnancy test and the two pink lines said it all. Nathan had been thrilled when she told him and he'd even gone to the doctor's with her to make sure. It was only a blood test but he wanted to be there for her. With him being on the road, and away in South Carolina most of the time, he knew he couldn't be there for everything. But he was home then and wasn't going to miss it. Actually, he was the one who answered the phone when they called back confirming the results.

_Nathan walked through the kitchen to grab a bottled water when the phone rang. Not thinking anything of it he answered expecting it to be Lucas, or Skills, or maybe a teller-marketer. But it wasn't any of those._

"_Hello?" Nathan causally answered and tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder twisting the cap off his water bottle._

_A woman replied, "Hi, Mr. Scott? Nathan Scott?"_

"_Yes." Nathan had no idea who this person was, but this woman apparently knew his name._

"_Hi, this is Sharon from Dr. Walker's office and we have your wife's test results."_

_Nathan put his water down. This was it. This was a defining moment. Was he going to be a father again, or would they have to try again? "Oh." That was all he could manage to say. He paused to collect his thoughts, "So, what...what did it say?"_

_Sharon could tell that the young husband was nervous but she had good news. Very good news. "Congratulations, Haley's pregnant." _

_Those three words took his breath away and he leaned on the counter. He smiled and nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and spoke softly, "Thank you, thank you very much."_

_Sharon laughed, "Oh it wasn't me. I just get to relay the good news." Nathan could hear the ruffling of papers and then she began again, "Now Haley needs to come in, in about four weeks to do her first ultrasound, preliminary testing, and all that."_

_Nathan was taking mental notes. He'd never been good at remembering things but this was something important._

_Before Nathan could respond, Sharon continued,"We'll call back to confirm the dates but just let her know."_

_Nathan nodded, "Okay, I will. Great, thank you."_

"_Well that's that. Congratulations again and we look forward to seeing you both later."_

_Nathan took a deep breath. This was real. It was really happening. He said thank you once more then goodbye, and walked out of the kitchen. He made his way to the laundry room and leaned on the door frame._

_He was starring at her and she didn't seem to notice. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was sporting the casual look of jeans and a t-shirt, but looked more beautiful that he'd ever seen. It was like his world slowed down and he took it all in. The way she poured the detergent and made sure it was just even to the fill line. The way she pressed those buttons and took the clothes out of the dryer had him enamored. These everyday little things had him captivated and he thanked his lucky stars that he got to call her his wife. She was the best part of him and he knew it._

_Haley finally looked toward the door and saw Nathan watching her, "Hey, who was on the phone?" She bent down to separate some of the laundry not knowing the news he had to share._

_Nathan walked into the room and stepped close to his wife. She looked up waiting for an answer but he just smiled in return. She stood up from her crouched position curious as to what was going on._

"_I love you." Nathan stared hard into his wife's eyes and she was a bit puzzled by his sudden comment. Not that she didn't love him too, she did. More so than he probably even knew, but she was caught off guard by his demeanor._

_She ran her hand over her brow and let out a small laugh, "Well I love you too." Tossing a few socks into a basket she looked to Nathan who still had this look on his face she couldn't quite make out. Haley pushed a few things on top of the dryer aside and lifted herself up to sit on it._

_Nathan took that as his cue to move even closer and he did._

"_Nathan? What's going on?" She racked her brain trying to figure out what in the world was happening._

"_That was Sharon from Doctor Walker's office on the phone." Nathan stepped as close to the dryer as he possibly could with the sweetest smile painted across his face._

_His tone had said it all. She already knew what he was going to say. He didn't need to say it, but she wanted to hear it from him. "Am I? Are we...?"_

_Nathan put his hands on her sides and nodded,"Pregnant."_

_Haley's beautiful dark brown eyes now had a glossy sheen and she smiled. She put her hands on his shoulders and brought her face close to his. He was looking at her with love and happiness, and it made her heart swell. She took a deep breath and looked to Nathan, "I love you." She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and around his neck. _

_He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, "Well I love you too." He couldn't help but say what she had said just minutes ago, and laughed when he pulled away._

_Haley smiled and kissed him again. That was all they needed. Love. It was what held them together in the good times, the bad times, and everything else in between. But it wasn't just them. They had Jamie and now a new baby on the way, which made everything in the world worth living for, worth loving for._

_The two of them stayed embraced in each others arms for what seemed like an eternity and for a moment everything else disappeared. The faint buzz of the washing machine had been blocked out and the sweet smell of detergent had faded away. All they knew, all they had, was this family and the news that they were adding to it was just what they had wanted._

That was just shy of a month ago and now Haley was on her way to that all important doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, Nathan was in Charleston and wasn't able to make it, but he would be home later that night after practice.

When Haley stopped the car in front of the building she never would have guessed that this was the doctor's appointment she'd need Nathan the most.

**OTHOTH**

Once they had called her name she anxiously walked to the exam room and waited for Dr. Walker. To her surprise she didn't have to wait long until the familiar man walked into the room.

"Good morning Haley. How are you doing today?" Doctor Walker took a look at her chart and nodded to himself a few times. "So it seems you are here for the first ultrasound?"

Haley straightened up, "Yep."

"Now is Nathan going to be joining us? I can wait a minute if he's on his way." Doctor Walker was an avid basketball fan and knew about Nathan's busy schedule.

She shook her head, "Um, no. He's in Charleston right now. It's just me."

"Oh well, alright." He sounded a bit disappointed. He loved his job and was happy to perform the ultrasound, but honestly he was quite excited when he saw that Haley had an appointment. He thought for sure he would get to talk basketball with Nathan.

Dr. Walker turned to the counter and put on a pair of gloves, "I'm just gonna suit up and then squirt some of this stuff on." He grabbed the tube of jelly and Haley lifted up her shirt.

She laid her head back and looked to the monitor.

"This is baby number two right?" Doctor Walker knew that but was trying to make small talk as he squeezed a glob of the cool blue goop on Haley's belly.

Haley looked to him with warm eyes and nodded. "Uh huh, baby number two."

"Okay, well here we go. Now we won't be able to see too much but we'll hear the heartbeat and we'll be able to get picture if you want."

Of course she'd want a picture. Who wouldn't?

Dr. Walker slowly ran the transducer probe over her stomach and looked to the screen. After a few more swipes across her stomach he shook his head, "Sometimes it takes a minute to get a good angle." He added some more jelly and switched hands, thinking maybe that would help.

Haley was getting nervous but knew that sometimes it did take a few tries to pick up a image or signal.

Pausing his hand, Dr. Walker took a glance at the screen and squinted his eyes. He knew what he saw but needed to get a second opinion, wanted to get a second opinion. He glanced over at Haley who was looking at the screen not realizing what she was looking at.

"Um, I'm going to need to step out for a second. I'll be right back." Dr. Walker placed the probe down and threw his gloves in the trash. When he walked out of the door Haley knew something was wrong.

As she sat there, every possible complication flashed through her mind. But how could that be happening. She was healthy in every way and it wasn't like she hadn't done this before, she had. And aside from the fact that she'd been hit by a car, that pregnancy went rather smoothly.

Dr. Walker opened the door and gave Haley a somber smile. He was putting on a fresh set of gloves when another doctor walked in. He introduced himself as Dr. Monroe and started moving the probe around looking intently at the monitor. Haley said hello but her mind was somewhere else. She knew in her heart of hearts that she was about to receive devastating news. As soon as she saw them pointing at the screen and shaking their heads she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Dr. Monroe exited the exam room and left Dr. Walker with Haley. He set the probe down once again and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Haley, but..."

Haley couldn't even hear the rest of the words coming out of his mouth. Her quivering chin and tear stained cheeks preoccupied any and all of her thoughts as her world had just been turned upside down.

She did manage to hear Dr. Walker tell her that it wasn't anything she did wrong. That it just happens sometimes. He started talking about something called blighted ovum and how it may have happened. He told her that she had been pregnant, the test results were correct, but that there never was any fetal growth.

Haley didn't understand how it happened, or why, just that she was no longer pregnant. It was definitely the hardest moment of her life and the one person she needed to be there couldn't.

She tried to compose herself as Dr. Walker explained what the treatment was but everything he said made her stomach hurt.

"You'll need to come back in a few weeks so we can do a check-up." Dr. Walker reached out for her hand and the older middle aged man tried to comfort the young twenty something, "This doesn't mean you won't be able to try again in the future."

Even though he was being sincere and was trying to make her feel better, she just needed to leave. Get out of that tiny exam room and get from fresh air. They scheduled her return appointment and when she walked through the lobby lined with happy expectant mothers she wanted nothing more than to break down right there.

As she got into the car she rested her head on the steering wheel and silently sobbed. Haley took a few deep breaths and knew that she would need to ask Lucas to pick Jamie up from school and watch him tonight. She'd want to have the house to herself for the afternoon and definitely later that night when Nathan got back to town.

How do you tell a father this kind of news. How do you explain to him what went wrong when he wasn't there to hear it from the doctor. Thank goodness they hadn't told Jamie they were gonna have a baby. The idea of having to sit him down and explain to him that he wasn't going to be big brother anytime soon broke her heart. But telling Nathan was going to be the worst.

**OTHOTH**

On his way home from Charleston Nathan tried to drive as quickly as possible. It was one of the few weekends he had off and didn't want to miss a minute of it.

He missed his house and the way it smelled. He missed his own bed. The one in the Charleston hotel room had nothing on the one at home. He missed his son and asking him about his day. But most of all he missed his wife. Without her none of what he did would be worth it so getting the chance to spend time with his family was exactly what he wanted.

Pulling into the driveway, Nathan parked his Range Rover and hurried toward the door. When he walked inside he smiled.

"Jamie? Haley? I'm home." He shut the door behind him and was curious as to where everyone was.

He didn't hear the bustling of little feet Jamie made every time Nathan came home, and he didn't see Haley waiting for him which struck him as odd. He turned to walk into the kitchen and saw four of their kitchen drawers on the counter. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Haley only organized their kitchen drawers when something was bothering her.

Nathan saw that the drawers were perfectly neat and put them back in their right places. Neither Haley or Jamie had come into the room so he decided to looking for them.

When he opened up Jamie's door he found the room empty except for Chester. Frowning, he walked to his bedroom expecting to at least find someone in there. Again, the room was empty. He walked in and saw that it was perfectly neat. It was like no one was home. He glanced toward the bathroom and when he walked toward it he saw that the door to the balcony was slightly open. Wondering if someone was out there he stuck his head out.

There she was. Just Haley, standing next to the railing leaning on the wooden beams. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I was looking all over for you." He brought his cheek close to her ear and kissed the side of her head.

Haley hadn't said anything and couldn't. Any and all words she thought about saying were being swallowed up by the tears and emotion. It was a good thing her back was to him because otherwise he'd know right away something was up.

Nathan slowly ran his right hand down her side and across her stomach resting just below her belly button. "I'm sorry I missed the appointment, how did it go. Did you get a picture?"

Haley tried to move out of his embrace. She took a deep breath and it hitched before she exhaled. Nathan heard it and knew then that something wasn't right. Haley turned around to face him and when her swollen puffy eyes met his concerned blues his face dropped at the sight.

"Hales, what's wrong?" Nathan arched his brow not knowing the news Haley was about to tell him.

She took another deep breath and tried to speak, "I.... When I...." Each word felt like razor blades coming out of her mouth and she closed her eyes and shook her head. Nathan reached out and brushed away a tear. She swallowed hard and spoke up, "Nathan..."

He interrupted her before she could finish. She had worked up the courage to say it and he didn't let her finish. Nathan was really worried. He'd never seen her this emotional, or sad about something, "Are you okay? Is it Jamie, or the..?"

This time Haley interrupted him. She didn't want him to say it. Baby. Because there was no baby. Not anymore. In a hushed whisper Haley spoke, "I lost the baby." As soon as it came out of her mouth she collapsed in Nathan's arms. He felt her shaking and heard her soft sobs.

He didn't know if he'd heard her right but by the way she was reacting he was pretty sure that they'd lost the baby.

"I'm so sorry," Haley whispered and rested her head on his chest.

Nathan rubbed her back soothingly and looked down at her, "Sorry? Haley you didn't do anything? These things happen. I'm the one who's sorry. I can't believe I wasn't there." He was genuinely upset that she had to go through all of that by herself. Sure playing in Charleston got him one step closer to his dream but he was really getting tired of missing it all. None of it was more important than his family.

He was still taking it all in. Nathan was trying to be strong. Haley didn't need to see him break down while she was upset too. He knew that the best thing was for him to comfort her, to hold her close, and let her know that no matter what everything was going to be okay.

As they stood outside the cool evening air whirled around them. Nathan could feel Haley shivering and didn't know if it was due to the temperature outside or the outcome of her emotions. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight, "Why don't we go inside."

Haley nodded and they walked in their bedroom. She sat down on the foot of the bed and Nathan sat next to her. He saw that she was broken and wanted nothing more than to put her back together. It would happen but it would take some time.

He heard her sigh and put an arm securely along her back, "Haley. I love you." He waited for her to look at him before he continued, "And I know we wanted this. But we can try again." He reached for her hand and took it in his, "We'll get through it. Together." Haley locked eyes with his and leaned into his body.

"I love you." Her soft whisper was barely heard but he somehow caught it.

He placed a sweet kiss on top of her head, "I love you too."

They both laid down on the bed and soon Haley was sound asleep. With the day she'd had and the emotional toll, she was worn out. Nathan watched her sleep and could see the hurt and pain. He whispered that he loved her and kissed the corner of her mouth. He slowly got out of bed and grabbed his keys. There was someone he needed to see.

**OTHOTH**

Sitting in the car Nathan tried to stay strong but with Haley asleep upstairs he was safe to let it out. Just like she had done earlier, he rested his head against the steering wheel and salty tears rolled down his face. He wasn't the type of guy to cry often but the news that Haley had lost the baby hit him hard. He'd only felt worse the night of the state championship. Haley lying in the middle of the street, motionless, and the uncertainty of her own fate and their child's loomed above him for what seemed like years. He would still on occasion have a re-occurring dream, or nightmare, where they weren't okay, that they didn't survive. Those were the things he feared in life most. The idea of losing one of them killed Nathan and the news that they'd lost the new baby drove a stake right through his heart.

What was worse was that he hadn't been there for her. He remembered what it was like when the doctor was searching for Jamie's heartbeat after the accident, but he was there for that. And he was the one she had leaned into when they heard that thump, thump, thump, but today she didn't have anyone.

But that wasn't necessarily all true. She did have people. She had a wonderful husband who wasn't there then, but he was here now, and she had a son who adored her with everything he had. Jamie. Jamie was the someone he needed to see.

Even though Haley hadn't said that Lucas and Peyton were keeping him he drove over there anyways. It was semi-late, around 11:00pm but Nathan needed to see him. He wanted to take Jamie home.

He didn't call beforehand and when he pulled up to the curb he saw that the porch lights were still on. When he walked up the few steps he knocked on the door and Peyton opened it up. Haley hadn't said why they needed to keep him but when Haley had called that afternoon Peyton could tell something was up. No one else knew about the pregnancy except for Lucas but he hadn't said a word to Peyton about it.

"Hey Nate." Peyton looked a little sleepy but let her soon-to-be brother-in-law inside.

Nathan didn't know that his face showed the signs of his distress and past tears so he perked up and smiled, "Hey, I was gonna come get Jamie."

Lucas walked out of the bedroom and looked at Nathan. He could tell that Nathan was upset but knew better than to ask. Instead, he waved Nathan over and opened up the guest bedroom door.

Nathan stepped into the room and watched his little boy sleep. He looked so comfortable that he didn't want to move him, but he wanted him home. Haley needed him more than she knew.

He walked over to the bed and scooped the little boy up. Jamie stirred a little when he was lifted out of the bed and started to open his eyes.

But before Jamie opened his eyes Nathan intervened, "Shh, go back to sleep."

The little boy apparently took directions well and shut his eyes. Nathan held Jamie close and thanked Lucas and Peyton for keeping him. He carefully walked outside and buckled Jamie in his booster seat. As Nathan drove home he was sure to be super careful and took wide turns not to wake Jamie. When he made it back home he gently picked his son up and went into the house.

Instead of taking Jamie to his own room he kept straight and walked into his and Haley's bedroom. He moved over to his side of the bed and saw that Haley was still fast asleep. He gingerly placed Jamie in the center of the bed and laid down next to him.

Haley moved a little then slowly opened up her eyes. Nathan was looking right at her and then she saw Jamie in between them. She looked at her sleeping boy and ran her hand over his shoulder. He felt his mom's touch and instinctively moved closer to her. Haley's eyes filled with tears and she kissed him softly on the cheek.

Through the darkness she looked to Nathan and smiled appreciatively, "Thank you."

He knew that Jamie was just what Haley needed. It was what they both needed. He was everything to them, and maybe someday there would be another little Scott but what was important was now. Today. And Jamie was there now.

Nathan saw Haley wrap her arm and around Jamie and shut her eyes, so he scooted a little bit closer to his family. Today had been a bad day, nothing went as planned. Nothing was perfect, but they were. They, Haley and Jamie, were his world and while he'd always want a little girl just like Haley, that could wait. Right now his wife and his son were his main concern. As long as his family was safe and healthy things were going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

**OTHOTH**

**Well what did you think. Everyone who voted yes to this chapter, I hope this is something along the lines of what you were expecting. It was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. Definitely a challenge. So with that said, how was it. Hate it? Love it? Want more emotionally charged chapters or should I stick to the more cutesy stuff. Next chapter will definitely be more cutesy...about a certain trip we never/haven't seen them take. Guesses anyone??**


	22. London Calling

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 22: London Calling**

**Disclaimer: Well...not much has changed here. I still own nothing!**

**A/N: Hey guys, so you all are Awesome with a capital 'A'. Everyone had such great things to say about last chapter. So thanks for that, and thanks to those of you who didn't enjoy it because you didn't review. Although I know there were probably some who didn't necessarily like it. But enough with talk about last chapter, get to the good stuff right? Okay well as I teased at the end of last chapter, this one centers around a certain trip we never or haven't gotten to see. London people. Anyways I'll stop now and let you read!**

**Oh and my apologies for any discrepancies about London, I've never been, so just go with me here. And to my British fans...sorry if I didn't capture the city as you may see it, but I tried! Maybe one day I can visit and then I'll know what I'm talking about.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley checked and rechecked her purse for the thousandth time. Boarding pass, check. Passports, check. Identification, check. Copy of flight itinerary, check. The suitcases were already down stairs and so was Brooke, their always faithful babysitter when needed. Haley had everything they would need to get overseas but one very important thing was missing. Nathan.

As she walked out of the bedroom she heard her son laughing and knew that Nathan must be in Jamie's room. When she walked in, just as she'd thought, there they were. Her two favorite boys, one a miniature of the other (besides the lighter hair). They were playing with Jamie's toy Nerf guns.

"I've got you now." Nathan snickered as he pumped his plastic machine gun.

Jamie's eye went wide. He had run out of ammunition and knew that he was about to get pummeled. He tried to hide on the other side of his bed but it was too late. Nathan pulled the trigger and foam darts hit him in the sides.

Haley watched as her 7 ½ year old son continued to get hit and when she saw the canon blaster sitting on the floor she knew exactly what she needed to do. Picking it up she made sure it was loaded and aimed straight ahead. Pulling the trigger she hit Nathan square in the back.

"Hey, no fair!" Nathan turned to Haley and made a pouty face.

Haley set her gun down and smiled, "Sorry."

"Sweet" Jamie raised his hands in the air, "I win!" Jamie ran past his dad and over to his mom, "Thanks Mama!"

Before she could get in a word Jamie went off down the stairs. Haley looked over to Nathan who was still perturbed by his loss, and laughed, "Can't win 'em all honey."

Nathan rolled his eyes and laughed, "Yeah I guess." He placed the colorful plastic toy down and walked over to Haley, "So is it about that time?" Nathan stood next to his wife who nodded.

"I'm gonna go see Charlotte then I'll meet you downstairs." Haley turned to go to her daughters room but noticed that someone was following her.

When she turned around she saw Nathan. "I'm gonna say bye to her too." He smiled and they both walked into Charlotte's room.

The little girl was asleep and the room was dark. Nathan and Haley made their way over to the crib and when they reached the rail Nathan put his arm around Haley. He knew that over the course of their week long stay in London she'd probably get mommy withdrawal.

Haley wanted nothing more than to pick Charlotte up and hold her for a moment or two but she knew better. Once that cute adorable little child woke up and then saw that both her parents were gone or leaving she'd have a fit. So instead Haley gently placed her palm along Charlotte's back and traced the pattern on her onesie.

"She'll be fine. Brooke will do a great job. She always does." Nathan pulled Haley closer and looked down at his wife.

Haley met him with worried eyes, "I know, it's just the first time we'll be gone for any extended amount of time."

Nathan leaned toward Haley and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "It'll all be fine."

Taking in a sigh of relief Haley looked back to her husband and smiled, "Thank you. I needed that."

Instead of verbally responded Nathan just held Haley close. When the young couple parted Nathan bent down, "Char, be good for Aunt Brooke alright. I love you."

Every time Haley saw or heard Nathan do that kind of thing made her heart swell. The mere idea that this man, her husband, was so infatuated by their children was one of the most romantic things she'd ever come across.

When Nathan straightened back up Haley bent down, "Bye baby."

Nathan headed for the door but Haley was still standing at the crib. In a rushed whisper Nathan laughed, "Come on Hales, we're gonna miss our plane."

With that, Haley stepped away from Charlotte and toward her husband. If she could have she would have stood in that place forever, but the truth was, they had a plane they had to catch.

Nathan and Haley walked downstairs and they saw both Brooke and Jamie waiting by the door.

Brooke took a step toward them and laughed, "Jeez I was _wondering_ what you two were doing that was taking so long." Brooke had this knack for always assuming that whenever Nathan and Haley were alone they were always fooling around.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Saying bye to our daughter."

Brooke looked from Haley to Nathan and smirked, "Riiight."

Before Brooke could insinuate anymore Jamie spoke up, "You're gonna bring me back something right?"

Nathan ruffled his son's hair, "Of course little man."

"Nice!" Jamie nodded his head glad that he was going to get a gift after all was said and done. "Bye Mama, bye Daddy." Jamie hugged both of his parents and darted off to the living room.

Startled, Haley called out, "Ugh, bye Jamie. Love you!" Haley wasn't exactly expecting that type of send-off.

Brooke walked towards the luggage and motioned toward the suitcases, "Well, you guys should be going. Don't wanna be late for that honeymoon."

Nathan laughed at Brooke's words. Late for their honeymoon was an understatement. After nearly 10 years together they'd finally decided to take that all important trip to London.

**OTHOTH**

The plane ride went rather smoothly. Flying in first class always helped. If you'd asked Haley how she thought her honeymoon in London would go she never would have thought that flying first class, staying in a lavish hotel, renting a town car, which by the way came with a driver, and attending one of the most well known sporting events England had to offer would have ever been included.

But that all happens to come with the perks of having a professional athlete as a husband. It was all so bizarre. When they had first gotten married they struggled to pay bills and now money wasn't an issue. Sure, Haley was still frugal and never wanted to be outlandish with their purchases but Nathan persuaded her to be a little more carefree. It was London after all. They'd waited long enough.

Just outside the airport they were met by their driver Samuel and he led them to the forest green Bentley. Nathan was excited about the car but Haley didn't really seem to understand all the fuss, it just a car. As Haley stared out the windows looking at all the famous buildings she's read about Nathan was staring out as well. But not at the gorgeous architecture or the very pleasant early July weather.

"I don't get it." Nathan looked over to Haley and shook his head, "Why do they drive on the wrong side?"

Haley laughed, "Well it's not really the wrong side, it's just different than back at home."

"Yeah, so it's the wrong side."

Samuel cleared his throat, "In compliance with you're wife sir, it's not the wrong side, just tradition. You see, we've been driving this way for quite some time now."

Haley nodded her head, "Yeah, doesn't it have something to do with being able to draw your sword from the left much better than if you were traveling on the right?"

"Yes, indeed. You see, for one to be able to put up a fight against his or her enemies they must have been able to obtain their sword in a timely manner."

Nathan looked at Haley, "How did you know that?"

Haley smiled, "I like to read."

Of course. Reading. The one thing Nathan didn't do much of. It amazed him sometimes, the vastness of his wife's intellect. She knew something about everything.

Samuel slowed the car and stopped at their destination. "Here we are. The Dorchester."

Haley looked out the window and saw the beautiful hotel. Situated across from Hyde Park, The Dorchester reeked of elegance.

When Nathan and Haley made their way over to the concierge, they were given their key and told how to get up to their room. Not only were they staying at one of, if not the nicest hotels London had to offer, but they had booked a roof top suite. The Harlequin.

Haley eagerly opened the door and gasped at the sight of their room. She noticed the hard wood floors and modern interior design, and the beautiful French doors that lead out to the terrace. Windows lined the outside wall letting natural light beam through the room.

Once they put their bags in the bedroom Haley walked into the bathroom.

"Holy cow! Nathan come here!"

At the shrill sound of Haley's voice, Nathan didn't know if he should be worried or not. He hurried over to the bathroom and saw Haley standing barefoot in the middle of the room.

"The floors are heated!" Haley did a little jig trying to show him her enthusiasm but he just laughed. "What? Don't you think this is amazing. Heated floors!"

Nathan smirked and walked over to her, "It's great." He planted his hands against her waist and smiled, "And look at that bathtub, big enough for..."

Haley wiggled out of Nathan grip, "This is so exciting! I've got to check out the other rooms. I mean this place is bigger than our apartment was in high school."

Haley bounced out of the bathroom headed for the rest of the suite. Nathan stood there in shock. He thought they had come for a romantic week long vacation with no kids, no distractions, time to themselves, but Haley was more interested in their suite. Unbelievable.

For the next thirty minutes Haley went room to room gawking at everything she saw. Nathan however didn't find the rooms all that exciting. But to be fair, he'd done the same thing with the Bentley earlier. So he'd let her have her time to gawk.

When Haley was sure that she'd looked in every nook and cranny the place had to offer she called out to Nathan. He came out of the bedroom and she took him by the hand, "Come outside."

He opened the French doors and they stepped out on the terrace. It had a wonderful view of Hyde Park. It was late in the afternoon so the warm evening glow of the sun painted everything in soft golden hues. Nathan saw that there was a bucket of champagne next to the table and chairs, and opened it. He poured himself and Haley a glass.

Haley took her drink and smiled, "To us."

Nathan clinked his glass with hers and smiled, "To us."

She took a sip of her drink and set it down on the table. She walked over to the railing and took in a deep breath, "I can't believe we're here. We're finally here."

Nathan sat down on the iron chair and nodded, "I know. Took us long enough."

Haley turned around and rested her back against the railing. She folded her arms and smiled, "Almost ten years."

Nathan took another sip of his champagne and smiled up at his wife. Haley walked toward her husband and instead of taking the seat next to his she settled for his lap.

They both sat there for a little while just looking at each other before Nathan brushed a few stray hairs away from her face,"I love you."

Haley smiled and nuzzled up to the crook of his neck, and in a soft whisper she let out, "I love you too." Nathan could feel her smile against his skin. She raised her head up and started to get off of his lap. "You know, I'm kind of exhausted. This whole five hour time change and traveling stuff has really worn me out." As she stood up she looked over her shoulder, "But I'm gonna try out that big bathtub first" She slowly unbuttoned the first button of her shirt teasing Nathan. "It might not be so bad if you want to try it with me."

Haley walked inside toward the bathroom and Nathan got up so quickly his head started to spin. This was more like it. This was the vacation he was looking forward to.

**OTHOTH**

It was 8:00 am the next morning and Haley woke up to find herself in a daze. Maybe it was the jet-lag, or the champagne, or maybe the night she'd had with Nathan, either way it didn't matter. All that did matter was that they had a match to go to at 1:30 that afternoon.

She rolled over in bed expecting to find Nathan but he wasn't there. She slid out of the plush covers and threw on her robe. When she walked out of the bedroom she saw that Nathan was iChatting with someone.

"Oh okay I'll let her know. Tell him I said hey and that we'll talk to him around six tonight your time." Nathan spoke intently to the screen and saw Brooke Davis nodding.

"Will do. Have fun today. Bye." Brooke signed off and Nathan shut the computer.

Haley walked over to Nathan, "Was that Brooke? What is she doing up so early?"

"3am feeding."

Haley smiled, "Did she say how the kids were?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, they're fine. She said that Jamie's been awesome with Charlotte."

"That's great." Haley sat down next to Nathan and leaned back against the pillows. "So we don't have to leave here till about twelve. Do you want to go out or stay in for breakfast?"

As much as Nathan wanted to stay in they were only in London so many days and they might as well get out and do things while they were here. "Why don't we go out. We can get Sam to take us on a little tour after we eat."

"Sounds great."

Haley took a shower in record time and Nathan jumped in as soon as she was done. When he walked out of the bathroom he saw that Haley had blown her hair dry and that it was relatively straight, but the green sundress was what caught his eye. For some reason green was his most favorite of all on Haley. He put on a simple white button down shirt and khaki slacks. The two made for one dashing pair.

Samuel met them downstairs and drove them to breakfast. He knew the best places and while he ushered the couple around he gave them a bit of a guided tour as well. The guy knew his stuff. Historically speaking, politically, culturally, they had a genius on their hands. When they were done with breakfast and had done a little sight seeing, Samuel headed South East.

"Who are you rooting for?" Samuel asked.

"Andy Murray." Haley answered.

"Smart lady you've got Mr. Scott." Samuel looked to Nathan through the rear view mirror and smiled.

Nathan nodded. Samuel was right, but he didn't know exactly just how right he was. "Yes, I do."

When they arrived at the All England Club Nathan and Haley made their way over to center court. Even though Nathan was a professional basketball player he didn't mind watching tennis, and since they were in London the same time as Wimbledon, why not see a match. Haley had always wanted to go. She'd said that it was something of a pastime and when they decided a while back that they were coming to London she'd suggested they get tickets to a match.

The hot July air filled the atmosphere and Haley was glad that her dress was relatively thin. Just as they sat down two people stopped in front of them.

"Excuse me." A man pointed to the seats next to Nathan.

"Oh. Sorry." Nathan stood up and let the man and his wife pass by him.

The man sat down and introduced himself as Bernard. He was quite the tennis enthusiast. When the players walked on court everyone stood and applauded. Nathan and Haley had never been to a tennis match so did what everyone else did.

Love fifteen. Love thirty. None of the scoring really made sense to Nathan at first but after awhile he figured it out. When the match was in it's second set a light rain began to fall.

Haley leaned into Nathan, "It's raining!"

"I know, great right?" Nathan smiled.

Bernard interrupted, "Not to worry my friends, they've just put a retractable roof on. I'm sure they'll close it any minute." Just as soon as the words came out of his mouth Nathan looked up and could see the roof closing.

Haley looked at the sky and then back to Nathan, "That's a shame."

Play continued for the next hour and by the time the match was over the rain had subsided. Nathan and Haley met Samuel and he drove them back to the hotel but instead of going inside they decided to walk around town. More specifically Kensington Gardens.

**OTHOTH**

They walked hand in hand looking at the beautiful landscape before them. They passed Kensington Palace and walked a little bit further till they stopped at a statue of a young boy.

"Is that?" Nathan pointed to the statue curious.

"Uh huh, Peter Pan."

Nathan smiled, "You know that's my..."

"Favorite Disney movie. I know." Haley laughed and pulled the camera out of her purse, "Want a picture?"

Nathan gave her the 'duh' look and she smiled. But what was so cute was that Nathan, pro basketball playing Nathan, stood with his feet a bit further than shoulder length apart, elbows out, and his fists on his hips. A very tall version of his favorite cartoon character.

Though Peter Pan was actually a character from an early British novel, Nathan probably didn't even know that. He was more concerned with the wonderful world of Disney.

After Nathan was done looking at boy wonder, they walked back towards the hotel.

Haley stopped to take a few pictures of the landscape and turned when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Here." Nathan held a single purple flower in his hands.

Haley took the flower and smelled it. But when she realized that Nathan probably picked it from the gardens she looked at him sternly, "Nathan!" She tried to whisper, "Wha? Did you just pick this from over there?" Haley pointed to a cluster of purple flowers and he nodded, "Why? That's probably like illegal. This is a Royal Garden. We might get beheaded or something."

Nathan tried not to laugh.

"Seriously. I don't think the you should have done that. The Royal Guard probably have cameras or something. We need to go."

Haley swiftly took his hands in hers and headed in the direction of the hotel.

As they walked back Nathan saw a few men in red uniforms standing around and pointed over at Haley, "I think they saw me."

"Oh my God, Nathan run!" He was still holding on to her hand which made it nearly impossible for her to run away from anyone.

Nathan laughed and pulled her back towards him, "Hales, I'm kidding. They're by the entrance to the palace." He pointed in the direction and pointed, "See." Nathan laughed again. "I was just messing with you. We're fine."

Haley bunched her face up and scowled at him. "Ugh, I hate it when you do that." She smacked him on the shoulder.

Nathan couldn't stop laughing and while Haley found it not so funny at first, she had to admit that in hindsight, it was pretty funny. When they reached their suite she tucked the purple flower away in the pages of her book hoping she wouldn't lose it. They had to get ready for dinner and the at 11:00pm on the dot they needed to back in front of the computer so they could talk to Jamie.

**OTHOTH**

Dinner went well, they'd decided to do the whole fish and chips thing. Eat out at a local favorite, take in the night life. But time slipped away from them and to make that 11:00 iChat with Jamie they had to run back to their room.

"Would you just turn it on please?" Haley looked over to Nathan frantic that for some reason they'd miss the opportunity to talk to their son.

Nathan walked over to the computer and opened it up. "Hales, it's okay." He looked at the clock, "It's 10:58pm, 5:58pm there. It's fine." Haley ran to the bathroom and just when she left the room the message sound beeped. Jamie's picture flashed up on the screen and Nathan sat down, "Hey bud! Can you hear me. Can you see me?"

Jamie waved at the camera and smiled, "Hey Dad. I can see you and I can hear you fine. But guess what?"

Nathan was puzzled, "What?"

"Me and Aunt Brooke saw you and Mama on TV today."

Nathan scrunched his face, "What?"

Haley heard Nathan talked and hurried back into the living room. She plopped down next to Nathan and looked into the web-cam, "Hey baby? How are you?"

"Hey Mama, I saw you on TV today!"

Haley looked at Nathan, "What?"

Jamie nodded his little head, "Yeah Me and Aunt Brooke were watching SportsCenter and they were showing highlights of the tennis match and you guys were on it."

"Really?" Nathan had know idea.

"Huh uh, they showed all the famous people there." Jamie started to laugh, "And Aunt Brooke started pointing and yelling at the TV saying that you were wearing one of her dresses, or something."

In the background Nathan and Haley could hear Brooke defend herself, "I didn't yell in a bad way. I was just excited. You're gonna help me go international Tutor-mom."

Haley laughed at her friend. "So Jamie what did you do today. I guess you know what we did."

Jamie scratched his chin and thought for a second. "Well I fed Chester, I helped Brooke color in some of her sketches, I played with Charlotte, went swimming in the pool. Stuff like that."

"Sounds fun little man." Nathan smiled at Jamie through the lens.

"Oh and Dad, Uncle Julian came by and I think he beat you record in Wii. He made all of the baskets on the three point shoot off in Sports Resort.

Nathan shook his head, "What, no way!"

"Way, and he even taught me the trick." Jamie raised his eyebrows and grinned at his parents.

"Jamie tell you parents that's you got to go, it's time for dinner." Brooke voice rang out through the speakers and Haley frowned.

"Bye Mama, bye Daddy, have fun on the rest of your trip!"

"Bye Baby." "Bye Bud." Haley and Nathan said simultaneously.

Jamie shut the laptop and left Nathan and Haley staring at a empty black box. Nathan turned to Haley and smiled, "He's a great kid."

Haley nodded. "Yep."

Haley got up from the couch and walked toward the bedroom. Nathan got up right behind her and grabbed her by the waist.

"Hey, it's only a couple more days. You'll see them in no time." Nathan tried to comfort Haley. He'd been prepared for this. The mommy withdrawal. "They're gonna be so happy to see you. Charlotte will probably do that bird shriek she does every time you walk in the room, and Jamie will give you one of those giant bear hugs."

Nathan wrapped his big arms around her encompassing her within his grip.

She looked up to him and smiled, "I love you."

I love you too Haley James Scott." He laughed before continuing, "SportsCenter babe."

**OTHOTH**

The next few days flew by and the last night of their vacation crept up on them like Christmas does after Thanksgiving. Super fast. Over their week long stay they'd ridden on a double decker bus and had even gotten a toy one for Jamie. They'd gone to the history museum, House of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and even walked across Abbey Road. They took pictures of Big Ben and Nathan made jokes about London Bridge falling when they rode over it. But for their final night Haley had saved the best for last. She had booked them a private capsule on the London Eye and had even gone all out and done the River cruise as well.

Once they had eaten Samuel drove them from the restaurant to Westminister Millennium Pier where the boat was waiting. The river tour wasn't private but it was perfect. They sat on the upper deck and Haley watched the reflections from the city dance across the water.

Nathan moved close to Haley, "Remind of you home? The cape?"

"Kinda" Haley nodded and leaned her back against Nathan. The air was now cool and the night sky twisted in colors of blue and violet.

The boat splashed through the Thames as it made its way to Westminister Bridge then back towards the Tower Bridge.

Haley could see Big Ben and though she'd gotten a picture of it earlier in the week, she wanted to get one of it at night. When the boat returned to the pier Haley checked her watch. Their timing was perfect. Only ten minutes until their reservation on the London Eye.

Nathan looked up at the giant apparatus and gave Haley a shy smile, "So how high does this thing go?"

"Four hundred something. It will be so amazing to see the city from up there." Haley smiled and looked up to the massive structure before them.

Nathan let out a nervous laugh, "Yeah."

A young guy approached them and smiled, "I'm Hugh, I'll be your guide this evening. I do hope you enjoy your time on London's Eye."

"Hi, I'm Haley and this is my husband, Nathan."

Hugh nodded and lead them aboard.

Once they made it on board Nathan was happy to find that their was seating available. Haley immediately walked up to the glass and looked out at the city. Nathan on the other hand took a much for comfortable position on the wooden bench in the middle of the capsule.

Huge began to spit out historical facts and tour guide information while the eye made it's slow rotation. Haley was glued to the glass as she looked from building to building but Nathan had a hard time finding the nerve to walk over there.

Nathan took a deep breath trying to collect his thoughts. _Just breathe, it's only a ride. A very tall, very, _he looked at the glass_, fragile ride. But it's like a ferris wheel. Man up. _Before Nathan could put one foot in front of the other the Eye stopped. _Oh God, did it just break down._

"Don't worry nothing's wrong. It only stops for the disabled or elderly." Hugh walked toward Haley and pointed at the city. "You can see Big Ben. Have you two been able to take a look at it up close?"

Haley nodded her head, "Yeah, we saw it a few days ago and then I got a great picture tonight on the river cruise."

"And how did that go? The river cruise?"

"It was great. We actually live in a city by a river so it felt a little like home."

Nathan wasn't too keen on this guy being so close and cordial with Haley. If he had the nerve to get over and walk towards the edge he would go over there and tell the guy to get lost, but at the moment, he couldn't stomach the idea.

Haley realized that Nathan had yet to even walk over to the edge so she made her way over to him. She extended her hands and smiled, "Come on, it's beautiful."

"Nah, I'm good." Nathan laughed it off and gripped the edge of the bench with his hands.

"Oh, come on." She reached down and grabbed his hands and pulled him up. "You'll love it."

"Hales, really. I'm not sure about this." Haley looked back to Nathan. "Really, I mean the only ride at Disney World I did as a kid was ridding the shuttle to and from the parking lots."

Haley laughed and when she made it to the window she reached up and gently stroked his cheek, "See it's not so bad."

Nathan looked out the window and it really was beautiful. It also just so happened that they were at the peek of the Eye's climb but surprisingly he wasn't worried or scared.

Haley moved her hand from his cheek and wrapped her arms around his torso. They both faced outwards and watched the faint lights from headlights go through the streets in town.

As Nathan held Haley close he knew why he could stand up there. Up four hundred and how ever many feet. He knew that Haley was the one that made it okay. She was the one who pushed all his fears and insecurities aside. She brought out the best in him and shut out the worst. It was true. She was the one who changed him and he'd be forever grateful.

Haley looked up to Nathan and smiled, "Not so scary after all huh?"

Nathan looked down and shook his head. It really wasn't bad at all.

Coming from above them, both Nathan and Haley heard the familiar tapping on the glass. The both looked up and then out across the sky. It was raining.

Haley turned to Nathan and laughed, "It's raining."

Forgetful of Hugh's presence Nathan smirked and nodded his head. He leaned down and kissed Haley. Returning the gesture, Haley, even in heels, stood on her tiptoes and reached out for Nathan's neck. She met his warm lips with hers.

The last 6 days had been perfect. They took in all the sights and sounds of London. They stole from a Royal garden, took in a match at Wimbledon, toured all the renowned museums, rode a double decker bus, and now finally had the rain.

For the next ten minutes Nathan and Haley stood perfectly still in the company of each others arms. Hugh had figured that he need not interrupt the happy couple and the only time he spoke up was when it was time to depart.

"Thank you both very much for riding on London's Eye. We do hope you come back again."

With that Nathan and Haley exited the platform and headed for the forest green Bentley. Through the rain they saw the car but Nathan stopped before getting in. Haley realized it, and went back to get him.

"Come on. I'm gonna ruin my dress." Haley gave Nathan a pleading look but he wasn't having any of it.

"I'll buy you a new one." He reached for her wrist and pulled her close. "Besides, when was the last time you kissed me in the actual rain?"

Haley couldn't resist those charming blue eyes and his trademark smirk. But before she kissed him she arched her brow, "What did you mean, 'the last time you kissed me'? It's not like it's all on my shoulders to do that. You are just as capable as..."

She had a tendency to ramble so Nathan cut her off in the best way he knew how. It was like they were teenagers again.

Samuel took note of the happy couple and twisted the gold band on his left ring finger, "Young love."

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Now I know they could have done about a million and two things while they were there and if there was something in particular you wanted to see that didn't happen let me know. They can always go back to London. **

**Oh and can I just state how frieking excited I am about the next few episodes of OTH. I know this is random and has nothing to do with my story, but it comes back on tomorrow and I am stoked! I'm awful and I read spoilers which basically ruins it all for me but guys...from everything I've been reading it seems like us Naley fans are in for some good episodes. Just thought I's share my excitement.**

**But as always. Let me know how you liked/disliked the chapter. The more reviews, the quicker the update!!**


	23. Rules of the Road

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 23: Rules of the Road**

**Disclaimer: Still nothing here. It's all thanks to Mark that I write this story.**

**A/N: Wow guys, thanks for all the reviews, they really do mean the world. Well after seeing this Monday's episode I felt the need to write a little moment from Haley's tour. But with that being said, I know that in my time line Charlotte would have been born or at least a baby when Haley hit the road. So for this chapter...just forget about Charlotte. Think of it as an actual missing moment from the show. I didn't really want to write a baby on a tour bus or leave her out and then have people be like 'Where's Charlotte." Don't worry. She'll be back later. But I just wanted to give you a heads up.**

**OTHOTH**

The Scott family had been on the road for five weeks. Five weeks of sleeping in cramped quarters, eating out, and using a bathroom the size of a phone booth. But letting Haley live out her dream was worth the tight space; and, each night Nathan was thankful that Clay had struck a deal so he didn't have to miss out on anything.

Jamie was having a blast. Sleeping in a bunk and being in a different city nearly every night was exciting for him. The kid was 7 and had been to more cities than the average 40 year old. He walked into the sitting area of the bus and sat down at the booth across from his parents, "So where are we going now?"

"Chicago." Haley checked her watch and then looked back to her son. "We'll probably be there within the hour."

Jamie nodded, "Cool."

Sitting in between the glass window and Haley, Nathan looked over to Jamie and grinned, "You know Jame, there's this great restaurant I think you might like."

Haley smiled at Nathan, she thought she knew where he was talking about thanks to the map he made her before they ever left Tree Hill. "The rib joint?"

Nathan met Haley with kind eyes and nodded.

"Yum, I love barbeque." Jamie raised his eyebrows and licked his lips.

Haley laughed and looked to Nathan, "So what's this famous place called anyways."

Nathan took a sip of his water, "The Rib Joint."

"Yeah, what's it called? The name?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "The Rib Joint."

Haley turned her body toward her husband and frowned, "No, I don't mean what the place is. What is the name of the actual restaurant."

Nathan smirked talked really slowly. "The" He paused, "Rib." Paused again, "Joint."

Haley looked to him and scrunched her forehead, " Wait, what? It's name is The Rib Joint?"

"Yep."

"Get outta here, really?" Haley raised her eyebrow still questioning Nathan.

"Yeah. Me and few of the guys ate there when we played The Bulls back in February."

Jamie looked at his dad with wide eyes, "So is it really good? Do they have ribs?"

"The best!" Nathan nodded at his son and smiled.

The young boy imagined how dinner might go and then perked up, "Hey Dad?" Jamie started to shuffled out of the booth, "Will you play Scrabble with me?"

Nathan huffed, "Jamie, I'm not a good speller."

"I know. That's why I wanna play. I'll win."

"What about me?" Haley looked to Jamie a little hurt he didn't ask her.

Jamie didn't want to say no, but he also didn't want to lose. "Okay, but you get two less letter than me and Dad to make it fair."

Haley laughed, "Alright, alright. Only for my boys."

Jamie ran off toward the back of the bus to get the game.

Haley leaned her back against Nathan's side and he ran his hand down her arm, "You know, you think you could knock it down to like four letters less?"

"Nathan! That means I'll only start out with three letters."

Nathan flashed her his blue eyes and trade mark Scott smirk, "Just to make it fair."

Haley sat up and turned her body towards him. She cut her eyes in his direction and Nathan could tell that she wanted to say no.

He laughed and scooted close to her, "Can't say no to me, can you?" He snickered and leaned towards her neck. He placed a few butterfly kisses along her jaw moving up towards her mouth.

There was no way Haley could say no. With those eyes and that smirk. They way his lips felt on her skin. Nope, that was a lost cause.

When he pulled apart he was a few inches from her face. "So you'll play?"

Haley quickly kissed him and smiled, "I'll play."

**OTHOTH**

They pulled into Chicago just after the family game of scrabble concluded. Even with the nuisance of playing with fewer letters Haley kicked ass. She was after all, Tutor-girl.

"Re-match tonight!" Jamie shouted as Nathan put away the game.

"I don't know Jame, I don't think I can take another embarrassing defeat." Nathan looked to his son.

"Oh come on Dad. Me and you will team up. Us against Mom." Jamie nodded his head and shot his own Scott smirk at Nathan, "She won't have a chance against both of us."

Haley got up from the floor where they had been playing and sat on the couch, "Hey honey, how far away is the restaurant from our exit? I'm starving."

Nathan walked back into the main sitting area and shrugged, "I don't know. All I know is it's on eighty seventh street."

Bill, the tour bus driver, cleared his throat, "I can pull off in one of the parking lots off of eighty fifth. Do you mind walking the rest of the way?"

Haley shook her head, "No, that's fine. It's great that you can even get us that close."

It seemed like only seconds later that they felt the bus come to a stop. Everyone made their way off and headed in the direction of food. Haley's band mates had decided to go to a pizza place leaving Nathan, Haley, and Jamie alone to have a family dinner.

As the family walked into the restaurant the sweet aroma of pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and barbeque sauce filled the air.

Haley put her hand on her stomach and smiled, "Oh my gosh, I hope the food is as good as it smells."

Nathan put his arm around her, "It is, believe me."

Once they were seated at a table a fresh loaf of white bread came in a basket. The waitress took their orders and to no ones surprise they all go ribs. When their food made it's way to the table the happy threesome dove into the heavenly feast.

As the family finished up Nathan ordered two pieces of pie to go and they made their way back to the bus. Haley's performance at the Chicago Theater was tomorrow and he knew that she would want to get straight to bed. When they were back on their home one wheels Haley went back to change but Jamie really wanted to play scrabble again so Nathan volunteered to play, "Only if you get two less letter's than me."

"What? Dad, I'm only seven."

Haley walked out from the back and smiled, "It's fine Jamie. You're father needs all the help he can get."

"Hey!" Nathan tried to swat at Haley's feet when she walked by but missed.

Haley laughed at her husband's failed attempt, "Oh and look. He's apparently lost all athletic ability too."

Nathan emptied out the letters and started looking for certain ones. Before they had even started Nathan had a word on the board.

Jamie saw the word but since it was backwards to him he read the letters out loud,"S" "M" "A" "R" "T" "A" "S" "S".

Before Haley shut the back door she yelled out, "Nathan Scott! You better not be spelling inappropriate things on that board!"

Nathan couldn't contain his laughter. Haley walked back towards her husband and narrowed her eyes. She looked at the board and smirked. Laughing to herself she bent down and whispered in Nathan's ear, "It's two words." She kissed him quickly on the cheek, "Smart ass." She laughed and then looked to Jamie and Nathan, "Night."

**OTHOTH**

It was 4:00pm the next day and Haley was busy running rehearsal. Nathan and Jamie stood just offstage watching Haley front and center in old sweat pants and a Bobcats sweatshirt. Even without all the glitz and glamor Haley was a rock star. Nathan watched her talk into the mic and use her hands signaling for more or less feedback. Every time she sang Nathan could feel all the nerves fire across his body. It wasn't that he was nervous, but he couldn't believe that it was his wife up there. His always. His forever. Every now and then she'd look over to him and smile which made those nerves fire over and over again.

Jamie tugged on Nathan's jacket, "Dad? Can we go do something?"

Nathan looked down to Jamie and shrugged, "What do you mean?"

"Like go outside and walk around? It's kind of boring watching Mama sing and talk during mic check."

"Uh.." The truth was that Nathan really didn't want to leave. He loved watching Haley sing in her sweatpants, hair up in a bun, without a care in the world; but he had a son who, to his credit, probably found rehearsals a bit boring. They had been watching her for the last five weeks do it before every show. Nathan saw that Jamie had his hands clasped together with a puppy dog look painted across his face. "Okay, uhm, well we can go out for a walk I guess."

"Okay, let's go." Jamie grabbed his father's hand and started walking.

They July sun beat down on their faces as they left the building. Nathan reached for Jamie's hand but pulled away at the last second. He knew that Jamie wouldn't want to be holding his father's hand unless he had to. Nathan decided he'd keep that strictly to when they crossed the street.

While they walked, Jamie had his eyes to the sky admiring the tall buildings. "We sure don't have anything like this back home." Jamie pointed to the tallest gray building. "It looks like it's made of legos."

Nathan laughed, "Well, I don't think it's made out of legos bud." He looked up to the tall skyscraper.

Jamie nodded in agreement, "Yeah probably not."

They turned the corner and as soon as they did, they were met with an intense wind.

"Whoa." Nathan braced himself as the wind blew in their direction. Lucky for them, it was summer and it was quite refreshing.

"It's the lake effect wind Dad." Jamie continued to walk against the breeze.

Nathan grinned, "Where'd you learn that?"

Jamie causally looked over his shoulder, "The Weather Channel." Once more a breeze hit them hard and nearly knocked Jamie over.

Nathan stepped in front of Jamie shielding his son from the massive blasts. "How about that. Does that help."

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

They walked a few more blocks before turning around. Rehearsal was probably done and Nathan didn't want to get too far away from the theater. They went straight for the bus knowing that Haley was probably there. Jamie ran up the few steps and saw his mom playing her guitar.

"Hey Mama."

Haley set her guitar down, "Hey baby. Where'd you go? I saw you and Dad cut out of the rehearsal".

Nathan walked on the bus and answered her question, "Just around. Jamie about flew away with the wind though. You should have seen it."

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, I had to walk behind Dad just so I didn't fall over."

Haley laughed, "Really?"

"It was kind of intense." Jamie raised his eyebrows.

Haley's drummer Matt came on the bus and asked Jamie if he wanted to play a little and Jamie jumped at the opportunity.

"I guess he's gonna want drums for Christmas." Haley grimaced.

Nathan shook his head, "No way. Only if we can get him the electronic ones that come with headphones."

Agreeing, "Or maybe Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour. They have drums on those. I think."

Nathan nodded and then took note of the time, "How long till the show?" Nathan sat down and looked over to Haley.

"Uhm about an hour. I gotta go get ready soon." Haley started to get up and Nathan got up as well. She turned to him and looked a little upset. "Do you think Jamie's getting sick of it. Touring I mean?"

Nathan took a step closer and shook his head, "No, why do you say that?"

Haley shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe cause he didn't wanna hang around today."

"I think that's just a case of cabin fever Hales. He loves being out here. Watching you sing. He's having a great time. We've only got a week left anyways. He'll be fine."

Haley wasn't exactly sold on Nathan's explanation.

"I promise. I bet all he's gonna talk about when he get's home is how much fun he had. Poor Chuck and Andre and the rest of them are gonna get an ear full."

She sighed heavily, "You think so?"

"I know so." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "And I love being on the road with you. Do you know what's it's like for me to watch you rock it out on the stage."

Haley laughed, "I think I have an idea." She did. She got the same feeling watching him play basketball.

Nathan smirked, "But you know, I think I like watching you rehears better. It's like watching you play back at home on your piano. Just you and the music."

Haley couldn't help but smile because she felt the exact same way about him and basketball. Sure it was great to see him wear a Bobcats jersey but her favorite place to watch him was the river court or at home. Even if it was a juvenile game of HORSE or around the world, something about the simplicity of it all made her heart beat fast.

Haley came out of her trance and looked at her husband smiling before her. "Well I should really get dressed. I'll see you before I go on."

Nathan nodded, "Alright."

He watched her go back to the back of the bus and smiled. His girl was a rock star. Tutor/rock star but his nonetheless and he couldn't be more proud.

**OTHOTH**

Just like the cities before, Haley's show went perfectly. The fans had been chanting for an encore so she sang one last song before heading out to the lobby. Haley made a point in getting to know her fans. Doing a bit of a meet and greet afterwords to thank everyone for their support.

"Wow, just wow. Can you like sign this for me please." A young girl approached her favorite singer clutching her ticket stub.

Haley smiled and nodded, "Sure, sure. What's your name?"

The girl seemed to be a bit starstruck so her friend answered, "Her name's Annie."

Haley looked to the young girl, "Well Annie, do you want to get a picture too?"

Annie gasped and nodded, "Really?"

"Yeah!" Haley put her arm around the girl and smiled wide.

"Thank you so much" The young girl looked to her friend then back to Haley as if to make sure it was really happening.

"Well Thanks so much for coming." Haley watched the girls walk away then turned her attention to the next person and greeted him, "Hi."

They guy walked up to her and smiled. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. She grimaced but tried to be nice.

"Thanks so much for coming. Did you want something signed?" She looked down at the guy's hands to see if there was a picture or cd or anything but there wasn't.

"Nah, just a picture with you." The guy took a step toward Haley wrapped his arm around her back.

Haley was a bit uncomfortable at the guy's state but didn't want to turn down a fan who wanted a picture.

Before the picture was taken the guy strategically moved his hand lower so it rested just above her butt.

Haley squirmed a bit, "Uh what was your name?" She tried to distract him with a question so he might move his hand.

He didn't even answer her question. The guy was obviously thickheaded, and instead of moving his hand up he moved it further down.

Haley was incredibly uncomfortable with this guy's hand on her ass, "Okay pal, I think you've had your turn. Thanks for coming to the show." Trying to keep her composure and grace she took a step away from the guy.

And like any other drunk perv he wasn't having it. He thought it would be better to give her butt a nice squeeze but what he didn't realize was her husband standing right behind him.

"Hey man. Get you hands off her." Nathan took a few steps toward Haley and balled his fists together.

"Wait your turn." The guy slurred at Nathan.

Nathan was furious now. Not only did this guy think he could grope his wife, but apparently he thought Haley gave it out in turns. Nathan took another step toward the guy and let out a deep breath, "Back off."

Haley didn't want Nathan to cause a scene, "Nathan, don't."

"Hales, take Jamie to the bus please." Nathan looked seriously at Haley and nodded, "Please."

"Where is she going. I didn't get my picture." The guy still had the nerve to ask about Haley. "What a bitch."

Nathan took another step closer to the guy, "Listen, you're not getting a picture and if you don't walk away fast you're gonna get a fist in your face."

"You first." The guy swung at Nathan and caught him on the jaw. Nathan hadn't planned on taking actual physical action but the guy threw a punch and his adrenaline took over. In one fail swoop Nathan busted the guy right in the nose. And down he went.

The guy rolled over brought his hands to his face, "Shit. Damnit!"

Nathan hadn't even had time to think about his own injury. He just wanted the guy to get the hell away from his family.

If there was one thing Nathan didn't enjoy about being on the road was overzealous fans. They had a tendency to get a little friendly. To make maters worse, the guy he hit had been drunk, but Nathan wasn't going to stand up and let some guy harass Haley. Call her a bitch and get away with it.

Haley may not be a damsel in distress but that didn't mean Nathan could fight for her.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked on the tour bus and went straight into the minuscule bathroom. He looked at the mirror and saw that the right corner of his mouth was bleeding. He turned on the facet and dabbed his lip with a wet paper towel.

Haley had heard Nathan come on the bus and knocked on the bathroom door, "Nathan? Are you in there?"

The last thing he wanted to do was get Haley upset. She hated it when he lost his temper but this guy hit him first. Taking a deep breath and hoping she wouldn't yell too loud he opened the small door.

With one look at his mouth she shrieked, "Nathan! What happened?"

He put his hand over his mouth trying to shush her and she stepped into the small little room with him.

"Oh my God, did he hit you?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. Obiviously he'd been hit. "Yeah, but you should have seen him." He tried to make a joke out of it but Haley wasn't laughing. "He hit me first. Hales, I tried not to get physical with him but he was being a dick."

He paused to wait to hear the wrath of Haley come down on him but she had no reply. He tried to defend his actions, "Look, I swear, he hit me first. He was basically groping you in front of me then he called you a bitch so I think I held my ground pretty well. Please don't be mad. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done it but I..."

The first thing Haley did was kiss him. Right on the mouth. Normally she would have been a little more than furious with him considering his history with fights but this was different. Something about the time and place made it all different. She wrapped her hands around his muscular frame and had to stand on her tip toes to kiss him properly.

When they parted Nathan smirked, "So you're not mad?"

Haley shook her head, "Not mad." She looked up to him desire burning through her deep brown eyes and it had caught Nathan by surprise.

"Really? You're not mad?" He rested his hands around her waist and looked at her.

"Nope. He deserved it." Haley leaned into his chest and smiled, "Besides, you coming home with a busted lip is kind of sexy."

"Oh yeah?" Nathan raised and eyebrow and laughed.

Haley nodded, "Uh huh." She turned the knob on the door so it read occupied and smirked, "Very sexy."

Nathan kissed her passionately and while they were definitely in cramped quarters Nathan didn't seem to mind. He seemed to actually quite enjoy it until he pulled away. "What about Jamie, he's not asleep yet. And the others."

Haley smiled, "The others are still out and I got Jamie in his bunk. He'll be pretty busy for a while."

Nathan looked down at his wife, "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, he's got Pirates of the Caribbean one, two, and three to keep him entertained. It will be a while before he comes knocking."

Nathan laughed and leaned down to kiss Haley. Even thought they weren't on an airplane, they were in a little bitty bathroom; and Nathan and Haley Scott were about to be honorary memberships of the the mile high club.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: You guys really seemed to enjoy the jealousy chapter so I threw in some protective Nathan in this one. Hope you all liked it. The more the reviews the faster the update. You know how I work.**

**Oh and I know I always ask, or it seems like it but if anyone has anything they want to suggest or something they really really really want to see let me know and I'll see what I can do. Next chapter is someone's birthday. Who's? I'm not telling!**


	24. They Grow Up Fast

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 24: They Grow Up Fast**

**Disclaimer: Mark and co. are the creative master minds, I just play off their characters.**

**A/N: Surprise!!Quick update, but you guys deserve it!!! Thanks so much for the reviews. I've gotten to 400 woo hoo!! Thank you a million times. I know I didn't say I'd reward you all if I hit the 400 milestone but I am. So this really for the 25 of 570 something readers who took the time to review. Here's your thank you. Okay guys, this chapter is something we missed out on when they skipped ahead between season 4 and season 5. Hope you all like it.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley waited nervously in the living room of the beach house. Looking toward the vastness of the deep blue sea she hoped the rolling waves would ease her nerves. Normally on any other day in late May she wouldn't be nervous, but today was a different. Her little boy was turning one tomorrow and friends and family were going to be showing up any minute. Royal and Mae were making the trip and so were Haley's parents. And for some reason the idea of Jimmy and Royal together made her palms sweaty. Royal was a hard ass and Jimmy was...not, and having everyone in town, in one place was a little frightening.

It might not have been so weird or awkward if anyone had bothered to show up to Nathan and Haley's second wedding. But they didn't, and now Nathan's grandparents would be meeting Haley's parents for the first time.

Hopefully Jimmy would keep any and all inappropriate jokes and gestures to himself or things could turn south quickly.

Since Dan was in jail, Deb suggested everyone gather at the beach house to celebrate. It was much bigger than the little house the young family shared with Lucas back at Gilmore, so Nathan and Haley took her up on the offer.

When Haley heard footsteps come from downstairs and saw Nathan round the corner. He walked over to her and frowned, "Hales, it's going to be fine."

"How do you know I'm worried." Haley got up from the couch and started to pace.

Nathan laughed and looked at his wife of two and a half years, "Haley, I know you better than you think." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, "I got Jamie down by the way. He should be out for an hour or two."

Haley looked up and smiled appreciative, "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips and just as they parted he heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it." Nathan walked to the foyer and opened the door.

"Nathan!" Mae Scott clasped her hands together and looked to her grandson, "How are you."

"Hey Grandma, I'm good." Nathan smiled and stuck out his hand, "Grandpa."

"Nice to see you Nathan." Royal shook Nathan's hand and eyed him curiously, "Well, are we the first ones here?"

Nathan cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes sir, Mr. and Mrs. James should be getting here soon though."

"Haley!" Mae threw her hands up in the air and walked into the house to greet her great-granddaughter-in-law.

"Mrs. Scott. Hi. How are you?" Anytime she ever addressed Mae by that name or even Deb she sometimes had to remember that was a Mrs. Scott too.

The elder Mrs. Scott hugged the younger and shook her head, "Oh call me Mae."

Royal walked in and nodded in Haley's direction. It wasn't that he didn't like her, he did. He actually thought that she was wonderful, but ever since he raised his voice at her when he and Mae visited a few years back for Dan's birthday he's always been a little distant.

"Hi Mr. Scott." Haley still had an arm wrapped around Mae and looked hesitantly up to Royal.

He murmured a hello and the four Scott's noticed a RV pull into the driveway. With an annoying rhythm the horn honked a few times too many. Haley took a deep breath. Her parents had arrived.

Haley wanted to go speak to her parents before they came in but she was still in Mae's half embrace.

"Those must be your parents." Mae looked to Haley and she nodded.

"Some ride they've got." Royal noticed the two toned beige and brown RV parked cattywampus in the drive way.

Nathan smiled, "They uh, they like to travel."

Haley nodded, "Yeah. My brothers and sisters and I are all spread out so they like to be able to see us all."

"That's nice." Mae glanced at Haley and Nathan, "Maybe we'll start doing that so we can come visit you guys more often."

Two people got out of the RV and waved toward the house. Haley's mom had a slew full of presents in her hand and Jimmy had a cooler in his. When they made it up the porch steps Jimmy set the cooler down and smiled, "Where's the party?"

Haley walked to her dad and smiled, "It's not till tomorrow." She hugged her father and then turned to her mom, "Hi Mom."

Lydia passed off the presents to Jimmy and opened her arms. Haley fit right in her mother's embrace. Lydia ran her hand over her daughter's hair, "Missed you kiddo."

"Missed you too."

Jimmy cleared his throat, "So you must be old people Scott." He looked to Nathan's grandparents and raised his eyebrows.

Nathan let a little bit of a laugh escape his lips but tried to hide it when he placed his hand over his mouth.

Mae bugged her eyes and laughed, "Well I guess so. Hi."

She extended her hand but Jimmy wasn't having any of that. He hugged the older woman and smiled, "You've got a fine grandson."

Jimmy took a step back from Mae and then looked over to Royal. "Jimmy James."

Haley was afraid her father might engulf Royal in a hug but she breathed easy when she saw him stick out his hand. The two men shook hands and then Jimmy introduced Lydia to Royal and Mae.

"So Royal. I have to ask? What's with the name?" Jimmy looked at the old man with a puzzled look on his face.

Royal laughed, "Well, my father was a vet in World War II and was a pilot. But he wasn't just any pilot. He actually went overseas and flew for the Royal Air Force..." The men walked inside and began what would be an endless conversation between the two.

Mae and Lydia walked in the house leaving the younger Scott couple alone on the front porch. Nathan looked at Haley, "I told you everything was going to be fine."

Haley shuffled closer to Nathan and smiled, "You do that a lot you know. Telling me everything's gonna be fine."

"Cause it is." He took her hand and they walked back inside.

Nathan hadn't ever been particularly good with words, but every time Haley needed comforting or words of encouragement, he'd always been there for her, and he always would be. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning went by insanely quick. Lydia and Mae were captivated by Jamie and Nathan and Haley ran a few errands before the party stared. They picked up the cake, bought extra plates and napkins, and Haley had to get a new memory card for the camera.

By the time they got back it was almost 12:00pm. The young couple walked into the kitchen and found Jamie bouncing on his great-grandfather's knee. Royal had his hands protectively secure along Jamie's back and sides. The little boy laughed each time he bounced and Haley immediately took out the camera. Snapping a few photos she turned to the counter where she saw her mom and Mae preparing some of the food.

It wasn't anything spectacular. Since it was summertime they had decided to cook out: hotdogs and hamburgers. Jimmy was manning the grill while the women took care of the sides.

There were only going to be about 10 people there, strictly family. It kept the party low key and low maintenance and that was a goal. Jamie didn't need a plethora of guests, just the people who mattered the most.

"Hello?" Deb's familiar voice rang through the house.

"In the kitchen." Mae called out.

Deb walked in the kitchen and waved at the adults but went straight over to Jamie, "How's the birthday boy?"Royal passed Jamie off to his grandmother who cooed and smiled at the light haired boy.

Haley took another picture and then she heard the door open again. She walked to the foyer and saw that it was Lucas and Peyton.

"Peyton! Hey you made it!" Haley hugged her friend and smiled.

"Yeah, I mean I got a week off from the record company and couldn't miss the opportunity to see baby Scott."

"Well I'm glad you're here. I wish Brooke could have come." Haley paused, "But I heard you and her got Jamie a pretty cool present.

"Luke! You weren't supposed to tell." Peyton shot Lucas a look of disdain and rolled her eyes.

Haley laughed, "He didn't actually tell me what it was, just that Jamie's gonna love it."

Peyton nodded, "Yeah, Brooke callled me and told me about this thing and I wanted to go in on it with her. I wish she wasn't so busy in New York. I know she's sorry she's missing this."

Haley shrugged, "It's okay. I'll just email her some pictures."

The four young adults heard Jimmy say that the food was ready and they all headed for the kitchen. Even though they were older and had somewhat grown apart. It was still nice to know that through it all, everyone was still friends.

**OTHOTH**

After everyone had eaten it was time for cake. Deb strapped Jamie in his high chair and secured a bib around his neck. Mae cut pieces of cake and distributed them to those who wanted it. Haley had a cupcake with blue icing with a white number one in her hands. She placed it in front of her son and Nathan lit the single candle placed in the center. When the flame flashed alive everyone began to sing.

Jamie didn't quite know what to do but when the song ended Nathan and Haley both told him to blow out the candle. The little boy formed his mouth in an O but didn't blow out. He looked confused so Nathan helped him out. Nathan counted down and told Jamie to blow, and in one quick breath Nathan blew out the candle since Jamie was having one cheered and clapped when the smoke from the extinguished candle rose in the air.

Haley took the candle out of the cupcake, "Go ahead Jamie, eat it."

Jamie sat staring at the item in front of him. Nathan used his pinky to swipe a bit of icing and held his finger to Jamie's mouth, "Here."

Jamie's mouth closed down on Nathan's finger and the little boy's eyes lit up. He knew what to do now. Picking up the cupcake Jamie smashed it in his face and the room erupted in laughter.

Haley had the camera ready, she didn't want to miss a moment. The adults watched the little boy devour the cake for the next fifteen minutes. Who knew that it would be that entertaining to watch.

When Jamie had finished and everyone else had eaten their own cake they all went to the living room. It was time for presents.

Peyton walked over to a giant blue box, "Why don't we do this one first." She pointed to the present she had brought and smiled.

Nathan was sitting on the floor with Jamie in his lap and nodded, "Yeah sure."

Peyton with Lucas' help set the box in front of Jamie and Nathan helped him tear the paper away.

Ecclesiastically Nathan questioned, "What's it gonna be bud?" As they tore all the paper off Nathan laughed, "Whoa Jamie it's a train."

Peyton piped up, "But no ordinary train. It's one he can actually sit on and ride around the circular track." She picked up a small gift bag and handed it to Haley, "And this was special made."

Haley scrunched her eyebrows and opened the present. "Aw cute. They're overalls like conductor's wear." Haley held them up and everyone cooed. They were denim with thin white pen stripes. "Did Brooke make these?"

Peyton nodded, "Yep., and there's more."

Haley reached into the bag and pulled out a little matching hat and a pipe. Haley frowned, "Well the hats cute but I don't think I'll be giving Jamie the pipe."

"Oh come on Hales, it's only a prop. It's not like it's real." Nathan looked at her with is deep blue eyes.

Haley studied the pipe, "Actually."

"Oh no she didn't" Peyton covered her mouth with her hands and winced. Haley handed Peyton the pipe and she took a look at it. "She did."

"Are you serious?" Lucas laughed and looked at the small wooded item.

Haley nodded, "Yep."

"Well that's Brooke Davis for you." Nathan laughed.

Haley put the pipe down, "I'll be calling her later about this."

Everyone laughed. Jamie started beating on the box and the attention went back to him. Nathan wanted to open up the box and set the train track up but Mae passed him another present.

"That's from me." Jimmy looked proudly on as his grandson started to tear at the paper.

Haley wanted very quickly to snatch it up and make sure it was baby safe, whatever it was, but Nathan and Jamie opened it first.

Nathan read the jar of green putty and laughed.

Jimmy smiled, "Flarp! It's like the most hysterical invention ever." Jimmy moved over to the floor next to his grandson and son-in-law. He twisted the top off and looked at Jamie, "Watch Jamie." Jimmy began to instruct the little boy on to what to do, "Put your finger in here, press down and it makes a funny noise."

Jimmy held the jar out and watched as Jamie put his hand in it. Once he pressed down a very crude flatulent sound emitted from the can. Jimmy started to laugh and Jamie did it again. Moving his hand up and down in the container Jamie giggled every time the noise came out. The little boy's laughter was contagious and pretty soon every one was cracking up.

Haley wasn't surprised at all that her father at gotten Jamie a gift that made fart noises. But what was funny, was that when Nathan handed Jamie a different present he wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. He was perfectly content with his jar of Flarp. If they had know, she would have told everyone to get him some.

**OTHOTH**

When Jamie had opened all his presents everyone dispersed around the house. Lucas had Jamie and was reading him the book he had given him, Go, Dog. Go! Nathan and Peyton were hanging out in the living room trying to put the train tracks together. Jimmy and Royal were outside enjoying the breeze and Haley, Lydia, Deb, and Mae were all in the kitchen cleaning up.

"So can you believe it? Jamie's one years old." Deb looked over to Haley.

She shook her head, "I know, it's crazy."

Lydia smiled at Haley, "You know, the first year goes by really quickly and you'll never want them to get old but they do."

Mae nodded, "They grow up fast."

Deb though of her own son and how quickly he went from being a boy to a husband and then a father, "Really fast."

"You know Haley Bob, when your father and I agreed on you and Nathan getting married, I do remember saying to wait a little while for the whole children thing."

Haley's face turned bright red. It wasn't like they'd planned Jamie. He was for sure unplanned and unexpected. But sometimes the best things in life are the unexpected.

Mae laughed, "I am far too young to be a great grand-mother."

"Me too. I mean grandmother that is. He's gonna have to come up with something other than grandma Deb. I'm going to feel so old." Deb looked at Haley, "I'm not even forty yet." Deb grabbed a the garbage and headed for the door.

Lydia looked over to her daughter, "Jamie can call me what he likes, just not bitch or whore."

Haley's mouth fell open, "Mom!" She cleared her throat, "He will not be calling you any of those names."

"I know Haley. I was just kidding." Lydia laughed and headed for the back porch leaving Mae and Haley in the kitchen.

Mae turned to Haley and smiled, "I don't know if anyone's told you this, but you're doing a wonderful, wonderful job."

Haley didn't really know where this was coming from, but hearing it made her smile, "Thank you."

"That boy of yours is going to grow up and do great things. And I don't know what you did to Nathan to turn him into such a fine young man but thank _you._" Mae looked outside and saw Royal, "Sometimes Scott men can be stubborn and thick headed, but they mean well."

Haley saw that Mae was looking at Royal and nodded, "I know." Haley noticed the way the older woman was looking at her husband and envied the relationship she had. She hoped that she'd be as in love with her own husband as Mae was with Royal when they were that age. It was some forty years down the road, but in her heart she knew that she and Nathan would grow old and gray together.

Mae squeezed Haley's hand and smiled. Mae walked outside and joined in on Jimmy, Lydia, and Royal's conversation. Haley watched the older people interact and she smiled. She had a great family.

**OTHOTH**

When Deb, Peyton, and Lucas left the beach house it was around 5:00pm. Jamie and been in the arms of someone else all day and she had yet to even hold him herself. As she searched the house for her son she noticed that not only could she not find Jamie but Nathan was missing as well.

Haley headed for the porch and thought that maybe Nathan took Jamie down by the water. As she made her way down the pier she stopped at the top of the stairs. There they were, inches away from the ocean. Nathan dangled his son's feet just above the surf as it washed ashore and she could hear the little boy laugh when the cool water touched his toes.

Nathan turned towards the house and saw her. "Jamie wave to Mom." Nathan waved and Jamie did the same.

Haley smiled and waved back. She slipped her shoes off and walked down to the beach. Haley slowly walked toward them and ran her hand across Nathan's back when she met them at the water's edge.

"Mama!" Jamie squealed when he saw Haley and she smiled brightly.

"Hi baby, happy birthday." She picked him up and held him tightly against her chest. Jamie rested his head against her and she rocked him back and forth.

Nathan looked on and smiled, "He's had a big day."

"Yeah, he has." Haley nodded and they walked back towards the house. "Hey." Haley reached out for Nathan with one of her hands, "Can we stay down here for a minute."

Nathan looked to Haley and nodded, "Sure."

Haley slowly sat down on the sand and Nathan sat next to her. Jamie was leaning into her side and Nathan put his hand on Jamie's back, "I can't believe he's one."

Haley sighed, "I know."

Nathan smirked, "Freshman year of high school, would you have ever thought that this is the way things would be now?"

Haley shook her head, "Never." Haley looked down at the little boy snuggled in her arms, "You'd think you'd be a dad before your freshman year of college."

"Never." Nathan hung his head and laughed, "But I wouldn't change it. Any of it."

"Me either." Haley leaned into Nathan and closed her eyes.

Nathan kissed her just above her left eyebrow and rested his cheek against her head. Haley could have stayed like that for forever but she and Nathan both heard Lydia's voice coming from the pier.

"Guy's if you're hungry we heated up some leftovers."

Neither of them were particularly hungry but they couldn't stay out there too long. Jamie needed a bath cause he still had bits of icing on himself and the ocean breeze would turn cool any minute.

"We better go." Nathan turned to Haley.

She nodded her head. Nathan stood up first and took Jamie from her arms so she could get up off the sand easier. Nathan had Jamie resting against his broad chest and had wrapped an arm around Haley escorting her back toward the pier. The young family made their way back to the house to end the night's celebration of their little boy's first birthday.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan rolled over in bed and felt that he was the only one in it. It was late, too late for Haley to be up and he wondered where she could have gone. Blinking his eyes a few times he adjusted his vision and got up. He crept past the other guest bedrooms hopefull not to wake anyone up and made his way down to the living room. Haley wasn't in there but heard a rumble in the kitchen and figured she must be in there.

With Jamie on her hip Haley was pouring a few ounces of milk into a bottle. She looked like a natural. Like a mother who'd been doing it 10 years.

Haley heard footsteps and turned, "I didn't wake you did I?"

Nathan shook his head, "No. I just woke up and was wondering where you were." Nathan walked closer and kissed Jamie's head, "He hungry?"

"Yeah I think so. He didn't eat a whole lot with everything going on today."

Nathan smiled,"It was a pretty good birthday huh?"

"Yeah it was." Haley screwed the cap on the bottle and looked up to Nathan, "And you know what I realized today?"

"What?" Nathan arched his brow.

"That we had our first wedding at the beach, and Jamie had his first birthday at the beach."

Nathan nodded, "Too bad it didn't rain."

It was a light hearted joke and Haley rolled her eyes, "I was being serious."

"I know. I know. I love the beach. I'm glad we had everyone over here." Nathan leaned down and sweetly placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He glanced at Haley then to Jamie, and back to Haley, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

Haley looked to Nathan and smiled. She'd would never be able say that he'd never given her anything. Because the truth was, he'd given her everything. He'd given her his heart and he'd given her the most precious thing in the world. Jamie. For a whole year that little boy had been in their lives and neither Haley nor Nathan couldn't believe how fast it had gone.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Jamie's first birthday. Hope you all liked it. I can't say thank you enough for all of your reviews guys. Your words are what make me want to keep going!!**


	25. An Officer and a Gentleman

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 25: An Officer and a Gentleman**

**Disclaimer: None of the major characters are mine, but you'll find a new one in this chapter that _is_ mine.**

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys, didn't get as many as last time but that's alright. This chapter is a future moment. Nathan and Haley are much older and the kids are grown up, but I hope you like what happens. There is a new character in this one and they may or may not pop up in future chapters.**

**OTHOTH**

It was mid June and the North Carolina heat and humidity were sweltering, but downtown Tree Hill was the place to be. It was the morning of the Diligence Dash, the annual 5K marathon sponsored by the United States Coast Guard and tons of people came out. Nathan had been competing in it for a while now and he wasn't going to stop this year. He may have been close to fifty but age was just a number. It didn't phase him.

Before he went to the registration booth to pick up his number he and Haley walked down Water Street. Every year when the marathon was going on, vendors lined the street closest to the Cape and for a day Water Street became more like Market Street.

Nathan and Haley sat down at their infamous bench and looked at one another. Nathan found the smile lines on Haley's face beautiful. She'd looked the same to him as she did when they were sixteen. Haley thought the same. Aside from Nathan's now salt and pepper hair he was still the cute boy she'd fallen for thirty two years ago.

Nathan smiled kindly at Haley, "To bad I don't have any Cracker Jacks."

"Yeah." She rested her elbow on the table and sighed. "Doesn't that seem like such a long time ago?"

Nathan shook his head, "Nah, I mean maybe. But I feel the same way now as I did then."

Haley met him with warm eyes and smiled, "Me too."

"Aw is that Naley at their bench?" Brooke spotted her two good friends and laughed, "That's adorable."

Both Nathan and Haley turned to see their still petite friend smiling and they laughed.

Haley turned towards the raspy voiced woman, "Hey Brooke. Where's Peyton I thought we were gonna shop together?"

Brooke walked up to the couple and pulled her sunglasses up, "Well P. Sawyer Scott is talking to Sawyer and Charlotte at the registration booth, she'll be here soon."

Nathan got up, "That reminds me. I gotta go get my number." He turned to Haley and smiled, "I'll see you when I'm done."

Haley got up and tugged on his shirt, "Please take it easy. You're not as young as you used to be. You don't have to win."

Brooke laughed, "Yeah, most of these guys are half our age."

Nathan peeled his eyes, "I'll be fine. I won't out do myself."

Haley knew her husband inside and out, and she also knew perfectly well that if there was a competition he was going to try and win. Haley sighed deeply, "Just have fun." She got up on her tip-toes and kissed him quickly on the lips, "Love you."

Nathan smirked, "Love you too. I'll see you at the finish line." With that he walked toward the registration booth.

Brooke watched him leave and laughed, "Oh he is so going to try and win."

Haley shook her head and laughed along side her friend, "I know. I keep telling him we're not kids anymore but..."

Brooke interrupted Haley, "No kidding. I mean you guys are already grandparents." Brooke raised her brow, "Really young grandparents but still." Haley smiled. It was true, she was a grandmother. Brooke scrunched her forehead and looked to her friend, "Where is Jamie by the way? He normally runs this thing, right?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, but he's at home getting ready for baby number two."

"Oh, oh. Boy or girl? Do they know yet?" Brooke's eyes went wide with anticipation.

"No, they want to keep it a surprise."

Brooke scrunched her brow, "That's so aggravating. How am I gonna know what type of clothes to make if I don't know if the newest baby Scott will be a boy or girl?"

Haley laughed. "Well it'll only be a few more weeks till we find out." Haley looked out over the freely flowing water and took a deep breath. A baby. Jamie would soon have his second and she couldn't believe how fast the years had flown by.

Life had a funny way of sneaking up on you. One minute your in high school, then college, and everything after that just seemed to fall into place: marriage, kids, grand-kids. Haley had all of that and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte was situated in the A-N line while Sawyer sat next to her at the O-Z line. Both of them volunteered to work at the marathon. A year out of Brown, Charlotte was still trying to figure out what she was going to do with her life. She had moved in with Sawyer when she'd come home after graduation and really enjoyed living with her best friend and cousin.

Sawyer on the other hand had figured everything out. She went to the famed Berklee College of Music and got a degree in music business with the intent to help her mom run Red Bedroom Records. She'd always wanted to do it but never wanted it handed to her. And when she came back to Tree Hill a few months before Charlotte did, it was clear that they should get a place together.

So there they were, side by side handing out people's registration cards.

"Are you girls giving people a hard time?" Nathan teased Charlotte and Sawyer as he made it to the front of the line.

Charlotte looked up and saw the familiar blue eyes that belonged to her father, "Dad, hey. I was wondering when we'd see you."

"Hey Uncle Nathan." Sawyer smiled and began to look for Nathan's number as he and Charlotte talked.

"Well I got held up talking with your mom and Aunt Brooke."

Laughing Sawyer handed Nathan his number, "Gee, you're lucky you even got away."

Nathan looked at his niece, took his registration number from her, and laughed, "I know. Thanks." He tore off the back and stuck it to his shirt. "Is it straight?"

Both girls nodded. Charlotte handed the person she was assisting their papers and looked up to her dad. "Good luck Dad."

Nathan nodded to his daughter, "Thanks Char." He walked off toward the starting line and the girls helped the next people.

"Next please." Charlotte had her head down and was waiting for the name.

"McFarland. Graham."

Charlotte turned to the M's and found the registration. She handed it over to the young guy and when she looked up brown met green. He looked familiar but she knew she'd never met him before, "Hi." She noticed his gray t-shirt with USCG printed on the front, they way his light brown hair was just a shade lighter than her own, and that he was probably around six feet.

He didn't say anything at first but was captivated by the girl in front of him. "Hey."

Charlotte passed him the registration and was about to say 'next' but he spoke up, "So I've never done this before. What is all this stuff?"

Charlotte looked up and took the packet back from him. She opened it up and took out his number and smirked, "Well." She glanced down at the name and then back to him, "Graham McFarland. This is your registration number. You peel it off." She began to strip off the paper and looked back to him, "And stick it on," She stood up and placed the adhesive paper to his shirt. As she patted the material down she felt the his toned stomach beneath the t-shirt, "Just like that."

He ran his hands over the numbers and smiled, "Thanks. I'm Graham by the way."

Charlotte sat back down and bit her bottom lip. She knew that already, he'd already told her his name so she could find his registration. Charlotte looked up to Graham and smiled, " I'm Charlotte."

"Well thank you for you're help, Charlotte." He smiled at her and turned to walk away.

Sawyer turned to her cousin and gawked, "Whoa, who was that and where can I find one?"

"I don't know? He just. He just got his registration." Charlotte was slightly blushing and tried to look down in order to hide it.

"Well whoever he is, he's all kinds of adorable."

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah, he was...nice." She didn't quite know how to describe him. As she turned her head in the direction of the starting line she saw the guy she'd just met stretching. She scanned the crowd saw her father and waved. Nathan waved back and when he looked away she found her self looking for Graham. She didn't know why, they had only just met, if you could even call it that, but something about that guy had her heart racing.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was breathing hard when he crossed the finish line. He didn't win, no surprise there. When he looked up he saw Haley leaning against one of the trees next to the fountain. He made his way over to her and she smiled when she saw him.

"Honey you did great." She had a bottled water in her hand and gave it to him.

Nathan took a deep breath and laughed, "That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

Haley frowned, "But you made the top twenty."

He took a sip of water and shrugged.

"Well I'm proud of you." Haley took a step closer and even though he was drenched in sweat she placed her hands on his sides and kissed him.

"Thanks Hales."

"Good job Nate!" Peyton called out when she saw Nathan with Haley. "I told them you'd be in the top twenty. Lucas owes me forty bucks."

Nathan scrunched his brow, "What, Lucas thought I wouldn't make it? I'd like to see him try and do it."

"Heart condition, remember?" Brooke walked up next to Peyton and stuck out finger.

Nathan saw the multiple shopping bags Brooke had and laughed, "Gee Brooke, get enough stuff?"

Apparently Brooke bought something at each of the stands because she had about three times as much stuff as the other two. She shrugged, "Well trendy little items are a must have. Tutor-mom and P. Sawyer are the ones who came up short. And besides, Clothes Over Bro's is just one street up. I can find some cute Coastie to help me take my bags over there." She looked around and laughed, "And speaking off, who's the stud with Charlotte?"

Nathan turned his head so quickly that it took him a second to refocus. His little girl, well twenty three year old girl, was chatting it up with some boy he'd never seen before. He was quite positive that she wasn't dating anyone so maybe it was one of Sawyer's friends.

Haley squinted in the direction of their daughter and shook her head, "I have no idea."

**OTHOTH**

Nathan got out of the shower and threw on some sweatpants. Walking out of the closet shirtless, Nathan collapsed on their on their king sized bed. "Oh it hurts."

Haley walked out the bathroom with a glass of water and some ibuprofen. "Here these should help." She handed him the medicine and water.

In one quick gulp he swallowed the pills and turned onto his stomach grunting.

"Where does it hurt?" Haley sat down on the bed and ran her hand along his back.

"Everywhere." Nathan buried his face in their comforter and sighed.

Haley bit her bottom lip and traced a few random lines on his back. He hadn't said anything and she bent down and placed a few light kisses between his shoulder blades. She maneuvered towards his legs and rubbed both her hands around his right calf.

"Mmm that feels better." Nathan turned his head so his cheek rested again the bed.

Haley smiled and switched to the left calf.

"You're too good to me." Nathan closed his eyes and any ounce of pain he once felt was being subsided by Haley's touch.

"Kind of out did yourself today, huh?"

"A little."

Haley moved up from his calf to his hamstring and started pushing on the back of his thigh. "Nathan you gotta remember you're not twenty anymore. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

He felt her move to the other hamstring and sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if I could still do it." He rolled over on his back so he could face her.

Haley stopped massaging his thigh and met him with kind eyes, "Of course you do." She laid down next to him and rested her head on his chest. "And you don't have to prove that to anyone, or even yourself. You'll always be great." She let out a small laugh, "You're Nathan Scott."

He wrapped an arm around her side and squeezed her close. Nathan leaned over and kissed her forehead. They laid like that for a while until Haley broke the silence, "So I talked to Charlotte while you were taking your shower."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh, and that boy we saw her with, his name's Graham."

Nathan stiffened up, "Who is he?"

Haley laughed at her husband's change in demeanor. He was now more concerned about their daughter's new friend than his aching muscles. "Just some guy she met today. But she kind of rambled and did that thing where she talks really fast when she gets excited."

Nathan took a deep breath. "So, did.."

"Yeah, he asked her out." Haley knew that's what he was going to ask, so she beat him to it.

"Oh" That was all Nathan could manage to say. It wasn't that he wasn't glad Charlotte met someone new, but it was still hard getting used to the idea that she'd moved out and wasn't a little girl anymore. She didn't need help tying her shoes, and she was way to big to ride on his shoulders. Charlotte Scott was growing up.

**OTHOTH**

It was couple weeks later and Nathan had just gotten done with working out. As he sat down on a kitchen stool he stared at the telephone and wondered if he should call him. It wasn't like he'd have all the answers, he might not have any, but calling somebody might make him feel better. He punched in the familiar numbered and waited for the line to pick up.

"Hello?"

Nathan smiled at the sound of his son's voice, "Hey Jamie."

"Hey Dad, what's going on?"

"Not much but I was wondering if you had any friends from high school in the Coast Guard." Nathan sure didn't beat around the bush.

Jamie laughed, "What, are you stuck out on the boat?"

Nathan shook his head, "No, uh actually it's your sister."

"Is she okay. Did she take the boat out by herself?"

"No, no, no she's fine. It's that, well she's dating someone in the Coast Guard and I didn't know if you knew anyone or...."

"So you're trying to find out if the guy's good enough?"

"No. Yes. No! I just was wondering if you knew anyone, but it's not a big deal. It's fine."

Jamie sighed into the phone,"Dad, Charlotte's a good girl. I'm sure whoever she's dating is a good guy. I don't know anyone in the Coast Guard so I can't help you there, but Dad, don't worry. I think you might be worrying about nothing. This guy could just be a fling."

'Fling' was the last word Nathan wanted to hear. He didn't want some random guy to be treating his daughter as a fling. She deserved better than that. When Jamie didn't hear his father respond he stuttered, "I didn't mean like fling, fling. More like not serious. Charlotte's had good taste in guys so really you don't have anything to worry about. What has Mom said?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't know. She doesn't seemed to be worried at all"

Jamie laughed, "Well that's the rule right? The mom is supposed to worry about the son while the father worries about the daughter. I mean any time I ever brought someone home Mom was always a nervous wreck. She tried not to act like it, but I could always tell."

His son had a point. Was it just a natural right for Nathan to worry about Charlotte? Of course. Was it his job as a father to always want the best for his daughter? Yes. So was it normal for him to be feeling this? Absolutely.

Nathan took a deep breath. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I think I'm just worried about nothing. I feel better now, thanks"

"No problem Dad."

"Hey Jame?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Liza and the boy I say hey."

Jamie smiled, "I will."

When Nathan hung the phone up Haley walked into the kitchen.

"Who was that?" She put a few groceries and the mail down and looked to Nathan.

"Jamie."

Haley smiled, "Really? How is he, how's Liza? She's not in labor is she?"

Nathan laughed, "No, I think it will be another week or so. And Everyone's fine." He didn't want to tell her that he'd actually just had a heart to heart with their thirty year old son about him worrying so he just played it cool.

Haley reached for the mail and began to sort through it. Amongst the bills and junk mail there was an envelop addressed to both Nathan and herself. Haley arched her brow and began to tear it open. "Looks like we have an event to go to."

"Another one?" Nathan got up and put a few things away in the refrigerator. Over the years Nathan and Haley had been to multiple gala's, charity benefits, and other banquets and normally Nathan tried his hardest to get out of them.

Haley read the invitation, "Oh."

Nathan heard the word slip from Haley's mouth so he gave her a questioning look, "What?"

"It's from the USCG."

"What?" Nathan walked over to her and took the letter from her hand. "Please join us as we celebrate the two hundred and fourty sixth anniversary of the United States Coast Guard. Sunday, August fourth, at the Tree Hill Civic Center ballroom." Nathan looked up from the letter and saw Haley smile.

"I think we're gonna meet Graham." She raised her eyebrows and popped a grape in her mouth.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte was in her room when she heard a knock on the door.

Sawyer stuck her head in, "Graham's here."

"Alright I'll be out in just a sec." Charlotte took one last look in the mirror and quickly put her earrings on. When she walked out she saw him. Dressed in his formal dark blue uniform complete with the white hat, he looked incredibly handsome.

Graham took notice of Charlotte's entrance and took his hat off, "Wow, you look great." Charlotte smiled and a slight blush crept across her cheeks.

"Okay kids, you have fun." Sawyer ushered Graham and Charlotte out the door leaving them on the front porch.

"I didn't know you'd be wearing you're uniform." Charlotte patted Graham's chest and he smiled.

"Well it is a formal Coast Guard banquet. We're required too." He laughed and kissed her cheek, "I thought you loved the uniform?"

"I do." Charlotte flashed him the trade mark Scott smirk she'd inherited from her dad and brother, and raised her brow, "You ready?"

"Yep." Graham stuck his arm out and escorted her to his car. He opened the door for her and when he settled in they headed downtown. Right before they turned into the parking deck Graham cleared his throat, "So your dad. He's a nice guy?"

Charlotte laughed, "The nicest. He's big and tall but not as intimidating as you'd think, and my mom will probably hug you cause that's just how she is."

Graham sighed in relief. He was actually semi familiar with Nathan because he was a basketball fan, but he'd never thought that he'd actually meet him one day, let alone date his daughter. He wasn't really that nervous. Okay, maybe he was. But he shouldn't be. If Nathan and Haley Scott were anything like Charlotte he knew he'd get along with them just fine.

**OTHOTH**

Haley stepped out of the car and took Nathan's hand in hers as they walked into the civic center. She could feel the coolness of his palm against hers and she looked up to him, "You shouldn't be worried."

Nathan used his finger to pull at the collar of his shirt, "I'm not nervous."

Haley laughed, "Honey, I can feel it in your hand, and you just tugged on your shirt like you needed some air."

"I'm fine." Nathan looked sternly down at Haley and she tried to hide the smile that flashed across her face.

"What ever you say."

When they entered the ballroom there were tons of people scattered about the room. There were tables set up at one end of the room while a house band was set up at the other.

Haley spotted Charlotte who waved them over.

"Mom, Dad." Charlotte looked at her parents then turned to the man in uniform and smiled, "This is Graham." She glanced at her boyfriend then back to her parents, " Graham, this is my mom Haley, and my dad Nathan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Graham McFarland." He stuck out his hand but immediately took it back when he remembered what Charlotte said about her mom.

Haley took a step forward, and just as Charlotte has said, Haley hugged Graham. "It's so great to meet you. Charlotte's said nothing but wonderful things about you."

Graham smiled and then looked to Nathan. He stood up a little straighter and nodded, "Mr. Scott." Graham extended his arm and shook the older man's hand. "I uh, as a kid I was a big Bobcats fan so it's a real thrill to meet you sir."

Nathan smiled. At least Graham liked basketball. That was a plus. Nathan stuck out his hand and smiled, "Nice to meet you."

The four sat down a their respective table and Haley couldn't help but notice that Graham pulled the chair out for Charlotte. "So Graham, how was it exactly that you got into the Coast Guard?"

The young man cleared his throat, "I grew up on The Outer Banks and had been a lifeguard as a teenager. My mom always said that salt water ran through my veins so when it came time for college I couldn't think of a better place than the academy."

Nathan admired the guy. Graham made a living doing something he loved. In a sense they were a lot alike. Being in the ocean for Graham was like being on the basketball court for Nathan.

"So what is it you do exactly?" Nathan took a sip of his water and looked at the guy across from him.

"I majored in naval architecture and marine engineering, but I'm classified as a rescue swimmer. I also take patrols with the Diligence every once in a while."

Haley smiled, "You know, Nathan's got a boat. Maybe the two of you could go fishing or something."

Graham nodded, "Yeah, that'd be fun." Graham looked to the girl at his side, "Charlotte tells me you have a son, Jamie. Maybe the three of us could make it a guys trip."

Nathan nodded his head, a guys trip could be fun. But instead of three they could make it four. Jamie did have a little boy afterall. Just after Nathan nodded waiters began to place food in front of everyone. The group went on to discuss random other topics where Nathan and Haley learned a little more about the boy dating Charlotte. He was twenty six, just three years older than Charlotte, refurbished old wooden boats as a hobby, had one older sister and one younger brother, and like he'd said, was from The Outer Banks. Kill Devil Hills to be more specific. After all was said, the most important thing both Nathan and Haley realized was how hard this boy had fallen for their daughter.

**OTHOTH**

As the waiters cleared the food, and after any and all speeches were given, people made their way for the dance floor. Graham and Charlotte were among the majority leaving Nathan and Haley at their table.

"So?" Haley looked at her husband with a raised eye.

He shook his head, "You know I'm not good at dancing."

"No, not that. What do you think about Graham?"

"Oh. He seems like a good guy."

Haley smiled and nodded, "See you had nothing to be worried about. He's very intelligent, polite, funny, and even a North Carolina boy."

Nathan thought about it. Graham was a perfectly decent guy. He'd made something out of himself in the Coast Guard, and in Nathan's mind, found himself a pretty good girl. He took a deep breath and looked to Haley, "But the whole jumping out of helicopters thing is kind of worrisome."

Haley sighed, "I know, but we can't fault him for his job."

"You're right, it's just, what if something happened to him. Don't you see the way he looks at her, and how she looks at him. I don't want her to end up getting hurt."

Haley stood up and put her napkin down. She extended her hand, "Come here."

Nathan arched his brow and didn't move from his seat.

"Come on." Haley wiggled her hand out and he reluctantly took it. She led them to the sea of people on the dance floor.

"Haley..." Nathan began.

"Just dance with me." She wrapped one arm around his back while the other clutched his hand. She rested her cheek on his suit jacket then looked up to him, "You know what my dad said to my mom about me marrying you?"

Nathan smirked, "Some joke about teenage marriages?"

Haley smiled and shook her head, "No, that he was worried how things would end up. What might happen to me if we didn't work out. Nathan, it's the same thing you're doing."

"I didn't know that?" Nathan looked down to Haley.

Haley let out a small laugh and smiled, "Most dad's don't tell their son-in-laws their every worry." Haley ran her hand up and down Nathan's back, "But you know what. We turned out fine." She paused and then began again, "And I'm not saying Graham and Charlotte are meant to be or that they're not, it's just you've got to let her go sometime."

Nathan felt a sharp pain run through his chest at Haley's words. As much as he didn't want to hear it, it was true. They'd let Jamie go. He was already married, and had a family of his own. Nathan had seen how much it had affected Haley and now it was his turn. He glanced at his daughter who was dancing ten yards away. She looked happy and that should be the only thing that mattered. He took a deep breath and nodded to himself. It was the only thing that mattered.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Nathan coming to terms with Charlotte getting older. What's your take on Graham? And did you all catch those little bits that let you in on Jamie's grown up life? If you guys want a chapter based on Jamie's family concerning Nathan and Haley let me know. Oh and just in case some of you were wondering. The Diligence Dash is a real thing. I was actually in Wilmington when it took place last year. Cute boys, in uniform...some shirtless, equals adorable! Made the trip even better!**


	26. Hurricane Taylor

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 26: Hurricane Taylor**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to OTH. Some of the dialog will be familiar as it comes from the recent episode, and that belongs to Hero and Strauss. Not me. I just filled in the blanks.**

**A/N: Okay so after watching this latest episode I thought of some missing moments. Now, this is one of those chapters that directly correlates to the show so forget about Charlotte again. If you watched the latest episode you will be familiar with what is going on. I just extended the Nales scenes. So if you haven't seen the episode and don't want to spoil it for you then stop now, though there's not that much to spoil. Hopefully for those of you who wanted more Naley screen time this week can get your fill here. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley couldn't believe what was going on. Not only did her straight out of the asylum sister Taylor show up, but Taylor was with her other sister's ex husband. Newly divorced, ex-husband at that, and it just didn't sit well with her. Nathan and Jamie had taken off for a video game shoot leaving Haley alone with them. The villains in the story. Taylor and David.

Not only were they staying in her house, but they'd decided to throw a little dinner for everyone that night. After Taylor told her about the evening plans Haley needed to get out of the house. She was going to have to go over to see Quinn and ask her why in the world she agreed to dinner.

When she got into her car she pulled out her phone. She began to feverishly punch buttons letting Nathan know the plans. _Tonight will be HELL. Tay and David cooking dinner. Kill me now. _Pressing send she rubbed her aching head with her hand. She hadn't left for Clay's house yet and was still sitting in her car in the driveway shaking her head. Haley couldn't comprehend what was going on. Taylor was with David, and not as in travel buddies.

She felt her phone buzz and looked down. Staring at the screen she read Nathan's reply. _Can Taylor cook?_ Haley laughed as she read his message. At least he was trying to cheer her up with his words. Smiling she began typing her response, but before she did her phone buzzed again. _Hales it'll be ok. Gotta go shoot the vid. I love you._ Haley took a deep breath. Maybe he was right. Maybe everything was going to be okay. Maybe Taylor wasn't going to be up to her old tricks and they could all have a civilized dinner.

Fat chance.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Jamie were on their way home from the video game shoot about ten minutes away from home when Jamie spoke up, "Hey dad? Has Aunt Taylor always made Mom mad?"

Nathan widened his eyes and nodded, "Yeah. They just get under each others skin really easily.

"Why?"

"Um." Nathan certainly wasn't going to tell his seven year old son that he lost his virginity to his mom's older sister so he kept it G rated. "I think.... Well Aunt Taylor doesn't always do things that... well, she hurts your mom's feelings." It came out a bit more choppy than he intended but it's all he could come up with.

"Like what?"

Why did Jamie always have to ask so many questions? Nathan glanced in the rear view mirror and looked at Jamie. "She just says mean things sometimes and your mom's such a nice person that she doesn't really understand why Aunt Taylor does it."

"Oh."

Nathan sighed in relief. He was treading water on the subject and knew that if Jamie has asked another question he might spill all the inappropriate things that Taylor James has said and done.

Jamie sat in the back thinking about his family. His Aunt Taylor had always been fun to be around but there was something a little off about her. Like the time she came over for Christmas last year and gave Jamie a box of matches as a present. Or the time she brought over the sweat potato casserole and didn't tell anyone she'd put rum in it to spice it up; which became a problem since Haley's favorite Thanksgiving food was sweat potato casserole. Somehow she'd failed to notice the light aftertaste of the alcohol and by the end of the day Haley was a bit off her rocker.

Sure Taylor was fun to hang around sometimes but her maturity level was that of an adolescent trying to make trouble. The problem being; she wasn't in high school anymore.

Nathan pulled into the driveway and they both walked into the house. Jamie hopped up on the counter and Nathan tossed a drink to his son. They were discussing Jamie's friendship with Chuck when they heard the clatter of pots and pans.

"Hey...what's going on?" Nathan looked at his wife who had what looked like their entire Calphalon cookware set clutched against her chest.

Haley had a grim look on her face, "Well let's see Taylor try and cook dinner with no pots and pans." Laughing to herself she walked out of the kitchen to the closet down the hall.

Nathan looked at his son, "You and Chuck play upstairs tonight." He turned to go after Haley and saw that she was trying to hide everything. He crept behind her and placed his hands on her waist, "Hales, you gotta let it go. Taylor's just being Taylor."

Haley sighed at the feel of his touch and sound of his voice. She set down a pan and turned to face Nathan. "Well I can't get over the fact that she's being so awful. I mean where does she get off..." He started to laugh so Haley stopped what she was saying and turned her brow upwards, "What? Am I being that irrational?"

"No, I'm on your side, it's just I think you're outdoing yourself with hiding things. We're not little kids trying to hide our Halloween candy."

Haley rolled her eyes, "I know that, but this is Taylor we are talking about. Hurricane Taylor. Did you forget all the awful, awful things she's done."

"Haley, I realize that she upsets you but you can't let her get to you. You have to be mature."

She took a deep breath, "Well, what if I can't?"

Just as Nathan was about to speak they heard the front door open. They both turned toward the door and saw Taylor walk in with a tray. Nathan and Haley didn't say a word for fear she might see them and be able to find the cookware later. Silent, they just watched as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Jamie. Look what I got." Taylor showed her young nephew a platter of chocolatey goodness and smiled, "Brownies, and they're my own recipe." Jamie's eyes went wide and started to reach for a brownie.

Haley's face turned from curious to mortified. She twisted by Nathan and ran into the kitchen, "James Lucas Scott put that down right now!"

Jamie froze. His mom never called him by his full name unless she was really mad or being sentimental, and the scowl plastered across her face told him she was pissed.

"But Mom, Aunt Taylor told me I could eat..."

"I don't care." Haley stomped over toward her sister and son, and jerk snatched the patter away from both of them Walking over to the trash can she stepped on the button and the lid popped up. Staring long and hard at Taylor she dumped them in the trash. Turning towards her son, Haley smiled, "Jamie, I'll go out and get you...cupcakes later."

Taylor rolled her eyes, "Sorry Jamie, those would have been delicious. Ask your mom. Me and your Aunt Quinn used to make them for her when she was stressed out." She smirked at her little sister and smiled, "Too bad you thew them away Hay, you could have really used a pick me up."

Nathan had listened to the whole conversation and had no idea why Haley had gotten so mad about Taylor making browning. Couldn't it have been that she was trying to be nice?

Haley peeled her eyes and walked over to Taylor. Grabbing her by the arm she drug her into a spare bedroom and shut the door. "Listen Taylor. My son is seven years old. Seven years old! And if you think it's okay to give a child pot brownies then you have another thing coming."

Taylor raised her brow and smirked, "So you found out my secret ingredient? Did Quinny tell you?" Haley scrunched her forehead and didn't even respond. "I always knew little sis enjoyed them. You probably make 'em on a regular basis."

Haley folded her arms and shook her head. Sighing heavily Haley took a step closer, "Taylor I'm serious. Do not bring any sort of illegal anything into this house. "

"Well then, I guess I have to go clean out my room." Taylor turned and left Haley alone in the guest bedroom. Taylor smiled as she walked away. She hadn't put any marijuana in those brownies, she didn't even make them. She'd actually bought them at the grocery store and only played along to get under Haley's skin. It was after all what she did best.

**OTHOTH**

A few hours later Nathan walked into the kitchen and smelled something pretty good. He expected to see Taylor and David cooking away but found Haley instead. She had an oven mitt on her right hand and was taking out some sort of casserole. To Taylor's credit she did make the food but as soon as Haley offered to help, she left Haley on her own.

Nathan walked over toward her and smiled, "Smells good."

"Yeah well I wouldn't know. I'm only here to do Taylor's dirty work." Haley took off her mitt and threw it on the counter.

He took a step closer, "Thank you. Thank you for trying to be cordial."

Haley couldn't help but smile at his sincerity, "Only cause you asked me."

Nathan leaned down and kissed her softly. Haley wrapped her hands around his back and helped out their ginormous height difference by getting on her toes. But their sweet moment was cut short by an annoyance named Taylor James.

"Well, I was wondering what was going on in here." Taylor decided then that she would help out with the dinner she was throwing and grabbed the salad bowl. Looking Nathan up and down she smirked, "But I guess I can't blame you if you want to have a tryst in the kitchen." As she walked out of the room she stopped, "Don't forget, I have seen little Nathan Jr. before, so I know what your working with Hales." She paused and cocked her brow. "I'll give you both a minute or two, since we know that's how long Nathan lasts."

Nathan's jaw dropped, his pride had taken a hit. It wasn't true, it wasn't true at all. Taylor left the twosome in the kitchen and Haley looked up to her husband, "Are you sure I can't be mean to her?"

As much as he wanted to say yes, he knew he shouldn't. "Na, I think if we just make it through the night we'll be okay, but if you happen to maybe spill your drink on her I can't say that I won't be disappointed."

Haley laughed and both she and Nathan headed out towards the dinning room. They could do it. They could get over Taylor's inappropriate comments and actions. It was only dinner. Nothing to horrible.

**OTHOTH**

Dinner was not going so well and Nathan had decided to go upstairs to have a more mature conversation with the had just called Haley fat and if he hadn't said he couldn't take it anymore, Haley probably would have given Taylor the fat lip she threatened about. So instead of watching the two young women act like school-yard bullies he decided to go hang out with his son.

Haley remained in the dinning room but needed to talk to Nathan. She needed him to talk some sense into her former brother-in-law. When she made her way upstairs she stumbled upon the mature conversation her husband was having. Dancing, or what looked like dancing, Nathan and Jamie were next to the bed busting a move.

Haley cleared her throat, "When you're uh done with your mature conversation can I talk to you for a second?"

Nathan froze. He turned as saw Haley looking at him with a puzzling look. He slowly walked over to her wondering what was wrong now.

"Will you talk to David? Will you help him realize what he's doing is wrong? Please, please." Haley closed her eyes for a second hoping she could pout her way into getting her way.

With a heavy sigh Nathan responded, "Okay yes. I'll be right down. I'll be down in a sec."

"Okay thank you." Haley turned to go down the stairs while Nathan looked back to the boys. He told them that he had to go back downstairs and then reluctantly started for the stairs.

To his surprise Haley was waiting on him leaning against the wall. "Hey, sorry I just don't think I'm ready to go down there." She'd had enough and really couldn't take it anymore. Haley didn't want to fight with Taylor but it just seemed to be the natural thing to do.

Nathan rested one of his hands on the wall and shifted his weight, "It's gonna be okay."

Haley took a deep breath and looked up to Nathan. With her doe eyes glistening from a teary sheen she frowned, "Do you think I'm fat?"

"What? No!" He kissed her forehead and smiled, "I think you're beautiful."

"Really?" Haley's voice hitched a little and she was getting emotional.

Nathan nodded and kissed her sweetly, "Everyday." He didn't know why she'd gotten so self conscious. No he actually he did. It was Taylor.

Maybe Taylor wouldn't stay long, or maybe they'd fight just a little longer and then make up. Even if they were at each others throats they were sisters through it all. Sometimes siblings make you crazy, but in the end they're family.

**OTHOTH**

Family may be family but that didn't stop the James girls from ending up in the pool. Somehow push came to shove and a little spat outside on the patio ended up in the shallow end of the pool. Nathan, David, and Clay couldn't believe what they saw. They enjoyed themselves though. Watching their significant others flail around in the water was quite entertaining.

Eventually Nathan picked up the skimmer net that was normally used to get leaves and other things out of the water and broke up the girls.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it all of you." He tapped at Quinn and Taylor and shook his head. Haley felt the pole at her side and saw Nathan leaning over the pool with the net. "You all really need to cool it or someone is gonna get hurt."

Haley smiled at Nathan. He sounded so much like a dad. But then she remembered why she being scorned and looked at her sisters.

The three of them had stopped pulling each others hair and nobody was jumping on the others back to try and drown anyone anymore. Nathan set down the net and looked at Haley. Most of her make- up had come off but she still looked perfect. He tried not to check out the way her shirt clung to her curves because it just wasn't the right time.

He walked to the edge of the pool and offered Haley a hand, "Here."

Haley swam over to him and grabbed his hands. In one try he lifted her out of the water. The other two were left alone and they went over to the stairs. Neither Clay or David were willing to help out. They thought they might end up in the pool too.

Haley had her head down like a child who was about to be punished. But instead of yelling at her for acting like a child Nathan smiled, "I'll get y'all some towels." Nathan turned to walk away and Clay and David followed him inside.

**OTHOTH**

When Haley walked back inside Quinn and Taylor entered right behind her and Nathan knew she just wanted to go upstairs. He said his good nights and let Haley go up by herself. She wanted a minute alone anyways. Chuck's mom had come to get him and Nathan tucked Jamie in. Quinn and Clay had left and he didn't really care where Taylor and David went.

He walked into the bedroom and saw their bathroom light on. He stepped into the light and saw Haley changing clothes. She'd tied her robe and had walked over to the sink when she noticed Nathan.

"Are you mad?" She sheepishly asked when she saw him walk over to her.

Nathan shook his head and from behind her, wrapped his arms around her chest, "Nope."

Haley looked into the mirror and met Nathan with kind eyes. She was relieved that he wasn't upset with her.

"Well thanks for breaking us up. I think I swallowed about half the pool every time Taylor dunked me under."

He let out a laugh, "Are you okay?"

Haley turned so she was facing him and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm a little embarrassed with the way I acted but I'm okay?" Haley loved that he was concerned with her well being. With all her stress about Taylor she'd totally forgotten that he'd had an important video game shoot that day. "How did the shoot go. I forgot to ask earlier."

Nathan's eyes went wide, "Well I had to wear a full body spandex suit."

"Spandex?" Haley raised her brow trying to picture what that must have looked like.

"Yeah, it's was pretty awful." Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"Actually, I think I may have liked to see that." Haley smirked and shot a teasing look toward her husband.

"Oh no, it was embarrassing. The suit didn't hide anything at all."

Haley laughed and whispered in his ear, "Honey, you have _nothing_ to be embarrassed about."

She walked over to her side of the sink and started to get out her face cleanser. Nathan stood still smiling at Haley's remark. Hearing her say that made anything negative Taylor had said go away. He changed his clothes, brushed his teeth and headed to bed. Haley did her usual nightly routine leaving Nathan to read while he waited for her to finish.

That day had been a good day. It didn't matter that Taylor was in town, or that the James sister's fight became physical. Nathan had decided it was a good day. No crazy stalker chicks were after their money, Dan wasn't at their door begging for forgiveness, and they'd get to enjoy the night in the comfort of their own bed. It was a good day that would turn into a good night.

**OTHOTH**

**So a few short extensions of what could have happened inbetween the scenes we got. I know it was short, but there wasn't a whole lot else I could come up with. Please let me know what you thought!**


	27. PreWedding Jitters

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 26: Pre-Wedding Jitters**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still own nothing!!**

**A/N: Happy Monday everyone!! New episode tonight! Can I get a woot woot? Haha, kidding, well maybe not. Thanks so much for the reviews guys. I was starting to get discouraged a few days ago cause chapter 24 had a serious drop in reviews, but just know that all of your lovely words for last chapter really made me get in betters spirits!! Reviews = love. But about this chapter: as it hints in the title, this one has to do with a scenario before one of the many Tree Hill weddings. Read on to find out which one!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan rolled over and saw Haley lying sound asleep next to him. He smiled and ran his fingertip over her shoulder. She moved at his touch and then her eyes fluttered open.

Nathan smirked, "Morning."

Haley brushed a few hairs away from her face and smiled, "Morning." She propped her head up with her hand and stared hard at her husband. She thought about tomorrow and how they were going to be renewing their vows in front of friends and family.

"You want some breakfast?" Nathan started to get up but Haley stopped him.

She shook her head, "You wanna just lay here for a while?"

Nathan grinned and laid back down. He turned to her and intertwined his hand in hers, there was nothing in the world he'd rather do. "So you really want me to stay at Lucas' tonight?"

Haley smiled playfully, "Well I mean, you don't have to." She leaned over close to him, "But it might make things more fun for tomorrow night."

Nathan caught the tone in her voice and took a deep breath. "Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh." Haley playfully laughed.

Sighing Nathan placed a sweet kiss on her cheek, "I guess I'll do it."

Haley smiled and they laid there in the plush covers for a while. Both of them were going to be running errands, last minute to-do's that day, and wanted to spend as much time together as they possibly could.

Nathan had his arms around Haley and her back was to his chest. He could smell the faint scent of her shampoo and every time she breathed he could feel it. It was all he'd ever want to wake up to. All he'd ever need.

He wished that he could stay at home that night, but he also understood the idea of the bride and groom staying away from each other the day of their wedding. But they were already married. Not to mention Haley's little no sex pact they'd been upholding for the last week was starting to take it's toll. Nathan wanted nothing more than to spend the day in bed, but Haley on the other hand wanted things to be traditional. They'd been so spontaneous with their first wedding that she wanted to make it really memorable.

Haley started to move away from his embrace and got out of bed. Nathan turned over with a frown on his face, "Hey, where'd you go?"

"Sorry, but I've got important things to do, and if one of us didn't get up we would have stayed in that bed forever." Haley laughed and walked into the bathroom then closed the door.

Nathan sunk back in the pillows and let out a deep breath. She was right, they would have laid there for the rest of the day if she hadn't gotten up. And that would have been a very bad thing since he had an appointment at Snowden's Jewelers he didn't want to miss.

**OTHOTH**

Once Nathan and Haley were both dressed they heard someone come into the apartment.

"Nate? You ready?" Uncle Cooper's voice rang out and Nathan walked towards the living room of the cozy little one bedroom he shared with his soon to be wife again.

Nathan placed a finger over his mouth not wanting Cooper to spoil the surprise on accident, "Shh, Haley's in the other room I don't want her to know where we're going."

"And where are you going?" Haley came out of the bedroom and walked up behind Nathan.

Cooper intervened, "Oh I'm just taking Nathan to the spa to get a little groomed before the big day tomorrow. You know wax his eyebrows, maybe get a...what are those things called..a manicure?"

Haley's eyes went wide in shock. Had she heard him right. Nathan was going somewhere to get groomed.

Nathan couldn't believe what was coming out of his uncle's mouth. "I uh. We. I'm not. It's just..."

Haley started to laugh and looked up to her husband, "Just don't shave your head. I like your hair." She ran her hand over his dark locks and smiled.

"Well come on Nate. Don't wanna miss our appointment." Cooper headed for the door and motioned for his nephew to follow him. He saw that the two lovebirds weren't moving away from each other, "Come on man. You've got the rest of your life to be together." Cooper turned and walked out of the apartment.

"I don't know how long I'll be gone but I'll call you in a little while." Nathan glanced down at Haley and saw that she had a nervous look on her face. "Hey, it's only gonna be for a little while, and you heard what Coop said, we've got the rest of our lives."

Haley shook off the feeling and smiled back up to Nathan and sweetly whispered, "The rest of our lives."

Nathan smirked and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, "I'll see you later."

Haley watched him go and felt her stomach twists in knots. She tried to pass it off as nerves or excitement about the wedding but she knew it wasn't that.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan got into Cooper's car and looked sternly at his uncle, "Dude, you told her I was going to a spa! What the hell man?"

Cooper couldn't contain his laughter. He started the engine and looked over to Nathan, "I couldn't think of anything else. What? Did you want me to say, 'Well actually Haley we're going to get you a new ring'?"

Shaking his head, "No, but...but the spa?"

"Hey, I'm sorry Nate, it was the only think I could think off." Cooper turned the car and headed for South College Street.

Nathan sighed heavy, "Let's just get to the jewelers."

Cooper laughed and nodded, "Alright."

It only took a few minutes to get to the little shop and Nathan quickly got out of the car eager to shop for Haley's new ring.

When he walked in the door the placed smelled like money. He didn't know if that was possible, but everywhere he looked he saw elegant pieces of jewelery and then he was met by a friendly sales associate.

"Good morning sir. Can I help you with anything?"

Nathan nodded his head, "Yeah. I'm Nathan Scott. I called a few days ago about a wedding band."

The guy smiled, "That's right. Well, I'm Vincent, and I think you'll like what we've selected Mr. Scott." Vincent walked towards one of the glass cases and smiled, "We've picked out a few in your price range."

Nathan looked down and saw an array of gold and platinum rings before him. Twisting his own ring on his left finger he jostled with the decision about which one to get. Haley had never specified that she had a preference when they got their first ones so it was going to be a hard choice. If he got a platinum one then their rings wouldn't match anymore. But Nathan didn't care about matching, and he didn't think Haley would either.

As he studied all of the rings in front of him none of them jumped out at him. Vincent could tell that the young man didn't see something he absolutely loved so he pulled out another small black box.

"Now this is a little more expensive but I think you might like that it's not just a band. It's got diamonds set within it."

Vincent opened the box and revealed a beautiful platinum band. Nathan's eyes softened and he looked to Vincent. The sales clerk understood that Nathan wanted to take a closer look and nodded, "Sure take a look."

Nathan gently picked up the ring and slid it on his pinky. He looked at it for a moment and smiled. It was perfect. It was everything Haley deserved and he knew that she'd love it. But he was even more excited to see her reaction. "I'll take it."

**OTHOTH**

About twenty minutes after Nathan and Cooper left Haley walked out of the apartment and headed toward the blue Honda hatchback. She placed her purse in the passenger seat and started to drive. She needed to get to a CVS or Rite-Aid, some sort of pharmacy. But she also knew that she didn't need to go to one in Tree Hill, because if she saw someone there she knew or if someone saw her, then rumors would be swirling around school and town.

She decided that it was safe to drive to Elsmere and when she pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy she took a deep breath. She grabbed her purse and headed inside.

Walking in the store she felt like all eyes were on her. They weren't of course, but it sure did feel like it. Haley looked to the signs above each aisle and saw the one she was looking for. Aisle two.

As she turned in the aisle she saw an older woman in a blue vest stocking shelves. "Great", Haley muttered to herself.

The older woman turned to her and smiled, "Can I help you with anything hun?"

Haley shook her head, "Oh no ma'am. I was just...looking around."

The employee went back to stocking the shelves and Haley walked over to the far end of the aisle. She grabbed a box and looked at the directions. They all seemed so much alike, so why were there so many to choose from? While Haley was studying all the boxes intently she hadn't noticed the employee walk up next to her. Haley saw the woman reach for a red and blue box.

"This is one of our best sellers." The woman who looked to be around fifty smiled and handed the young girl the box, "It's a great thing. Kids I mean. I've got three of my own."

Haley didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. She hesitantly smiled at the woman and saw that her name tag said Olive. Haley didn't know the woman but her words had a calming effect. Haley clutched the small box in her hands and smiled. Kids had always been a part of her and Nathan's future but she never in a million years thought it would be sooner than later.

Instead of buying twenty test she just took the one and headed toward the register. Olive had gone back to stocking the shelves but before Haley walked away she turned to the woman, "Thank you."

Olive gave Haley a warm smile and nodded. This woman was a perfect stranger but her kind demeanor eased Haley's fears and anxiety. She was still worried about the results and how she would tell Nathan but she could breathe a little easier.

Haley James Scott was known as all sorts of things: Hales, Tutor Girl, Tutor Wife...and in a little while she'd find out if her next nick name would be Tutor Mom.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked out of Snowden's with a giant smile on his face. Cooper was on his cell phone when he saw Nathan come out of the store. He ended the call and looked at his nephew, "So what's it look like?"

Nathan was smiling ear to ear, "It's beautiful." Nathan reached in his pocket and pulled out the little black box. He opened it up and showed Cooper the ring.

Cooper nodded, "I think Haley's gonna really like it."

"Me too." Nathan closed the box and tucked it away in his pocket.

"Where to next?" Cooper opened his hands wondering where there next destination was.

"My buddy Mouth's house. I've got to give him me and Haley's first dance song."

Cooper winced, "Please don't tell me it's some cheesy 80's song. I don't think I'll ever regret anything more than having my wedding song be 'To Be With You'"

Nathan crinkled his brow, "But you got divorced, isn't it different now?"

"No man, a song is a song. I always think about that day when I hear it, so I hope you picked a good one."

Nathan smiled, "I think I did."

Nathan walked over to the passenger door and opened it up. Cooper got into the driver's seat and turned the key. As they drove toward Mouth's house Nathan started to think about the song he'd chosen. Gavin DeGraw's "More Than Anyone" was a perfect choice in his mind. Haley had narrowed it down to three and just like the ring, he just knew which one to pick. Nathan did love Haley more than anyone so why not dance to a song that said just that?

**OTHOTH**

Haley drove around for what seemed like hours. She was procrastinating, something she hardly ever did. Normally she was prepared for a test but this wasn't a history exam, or Calculus, or any academic test at all, it was a pregnancy test.

When she finally did get home she went straight into the bathroom. She read and re-read the directions. She grabbed a bottled water and drank some of it simultaneously turning on the sink trying to help spur the process. She didn't need to go to the bathroom and that was a key element in finding out.

Finally she felt her bladder telling her she needed to go and took a deep breath. Once she was finished she had to wait three minutes, and they were the longest three minutes of her life.

It was the defining moment. Haley just had to look at the stick and see if there were two pink lines or one. Nervous and scared Haley tentatively picked up the test, and then she saw them. Two pink lines. She was pregnant. Tears welled in her eyes and she didn't know if she was happy or sad. She desperately wanted children with Nathan but in high school? How was she going to tell him?

The apartment door opened and Haley heard a familiar voice, "Hey Tutor Wife? Knock, knock. I'm here with dinner and a surprise."

Haley took a deep breath. A surprise was right. She wiped any stray tears from her face and took a long hard look in the mirror. She was going to be a mom. She smiled at the thought and knew that this pregnancy was going to be a good thing. She'd have to go to the doctor later to confirm the results but for all intensive purposes, she was pregnant and happy about it.

"Hey Brooke." Haley stepped out of the bathroom and smiled at the cartons of Chinese food Brooke was getting out.

"So since the boys are out I figured we could have a girls night before the big day."

Haley walked over to Brooke and smiled, "Sounds great."

Brooke walked over to another sack and raised her brow, "And...look. I made these cute purses as wedding presents for the wedding party. Great right?"

Haley looked at the small silver purse and nodded, "Hey can I see that?"

Brooke nodded and handed Haley the bag, "Peyton should be here soon, I think she was picking up the bridesmaid dresses or something." Even if Brooke and Peyton were on awkward terms they'd decided to play nice for Haley's sake. It was her wedding, and they needed to support her and keep their drama to a minimum. Brooke went back toward the food and started getting out plates.

Haley quickly went into the bathroom and put the pregnancy test in her new purse. She then took it to the bedroom and hid it under a shirt just so Brooke wouldn't happen to stumble upon it.

When she returned to the kitchen Brooke smiled, "So whatcha been doing today?"

Haley shrugged, "Not much." Haley bit her lip. She wanted to tell Brooke that she thought she was pregnant but didn't.

"So are you getting nervous?" Brooke smiled

Haley smiled and shook her head, "No, not really. I mean we've done this before." It was true. Haley didn't have any reservations when it came to their second wedding but this new news she had was giving her something to be nervous about.

"True, but this time everyone will be there, well most everyone, and what if you forget your vows?"

Haley laughed, "Brooke!" She walked toward her friend and smiled, "That won't happen."

Brooke didn't really doubt that Nathan and Haley couldn't remember their vows but was just playing with Haley. "How do you know?"

Peyton came inside and had caught the tale end of their conversation, "Because their Naley Brooke, that's why."

Haley smiled at Peyton's words, but didn't understand why they'd been given the nickname of Naley. Sure it was their names put together but wasn't it just fine to call them by their individual names? For most people, they would have answered yes, but with Nathan and Haley they were a thousand times better together than they were apart, so why not have a cute nickname that combined their names.

**OTHOTH**

Cooper dropped Nathan off at Lucas' house when they were done running errands. Time had flown by and it was close to 5:00pm. He walked towards the side porch that led to Lucas' room and knocked on the door. He was holding an overnight bag that he really didn't need, but Haley had packed it for him. When he'd gone back to the apartment she wasn't home but she'd left a note and the duffel bag packed and ready to go. He was glad she'd done it though, he had a place to hide the ring.

"Come in." Nathan heard Lucas' voice through the door.

Nathan opened the door and set his bag down. He laughed when he noticed that Lucas was reading a book. "Why do you always read?"

Lucas scoffed, "Well sometimes it's actually entertaining. Not everything is a text book."

"I know like Sports Illustrated, that's not a text book."

Lucas set his book on the bed, "But it's not a novel either."

"You are you saying I should read Nicholas Sparks' stuff?" Nathan raised his eyebrows.

What? No! I'm just saying maybe you should broaden your horizon, and how do you even know about Nicholas Sparks?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't know, Haley really likes The Notebook or whatever."

Lucas laughed. He tried to imagine Nathan sitting through that movie. He could see it now; Nathan and Haley on the couch, a tissue box on the coffee table, Haley a blubbering mess, and a single tear rolling down Nathan's cheek. Yeah he probably cried.

Nathan was embarrassed that he'd ever mentioned it. Now Lucas probably thought he was a pansy. But he didn't mind it. Haley loved it and he always enjoyed a quite night on the couch watching a movie with Haley by his side. Nathan loved those nights and was pretty sure they'd be doing if for the next sixty plus years.

"So what did you have to do today anyway?" Lucas changed the subject and looked over to his brother.

"Just stuff."

Lucas could tell that Nathan was hiding something, "What kind of stuff."

"Stuff. It's no big deal." Nathan glanced down at his bag thinking about the ring he was hiding in there.

Lucas raised his brow, "Right. Okay, well what do you want to do for dinner? Pizza?"

"Whatever man, I don't really care." Nathan shrugged and Lucas took that as a 'sure' so he got up to order.

Nathan wandered around the room looking at all of Lucas' things. He'd been in his room before but never really took notice of what really filled it. As he passed the bed he saw a picture of Lucas and Haley. It was probably taken a few years back and they were both laughing. Haley was leaning into Lucas and she looked happy. He stared at the girl in the frame and smiled. He was one lucky guy to get to call her his wife.

**OTHOTH**

When Brooke and Peyton left Haley was exhausted. Nathan hadn't called yet but he was probably busy playing PlayStation with Lucas. It was funny to think about them hanging out when just a year or so ago they didn't even speak to each other.

Haley locked the front door and made her way back to the bedroom. She started to change into her pajamas but decided to wear something of Nathan's instead. As she laid down her mind kept racing through the scenarios of how and when she was going to tell him about the baby. What his reaction would be and how they'd get through it. For two hours she tossed and turned, thoughts about the subject racing through her mind.

It was just after 11:30 pm and she was dozing off when her cell phone rang. Smiling at the name that popped on the screen she answered, "Hi."

"Hey, I didn't wake you did I?" Nathan sweetly asked.

"No, no I couldn't sleep."

He laughed, "Me either. But your in our nice big bed while I'm lying on Lucas' bedroom floor."

Haley grimaced, even though the notion of them spending the night apart was romantic she hated that he had to sleep on the floor. "So did you have fun at the spa today?"

Nathan smiled. "Um....yeah." He didn't know anything about spas and didn't want to be asked a lot of questions cause he'd probably blow his cover. "Enough about me. How was your day?"

"It was fine I..." Haley heard a knocking on the door and stopped mid sentence. "Someone's knocking on the door."

"What?" Nathan's voice was full of concern.

"Someone is here." Haley got up off the bed.

"Grab the baseball bat. Maybe it's just Brooke. Did she leave anything over there?"

Haley was frantic, "No."

"Okay, okay, just stay calm."

"Nathan I am calm!" She basically screamed into the phone.

He couldn't help but laugh, she was not calm. "Hales, you'll be okay, just go see who it is, I'd bet it's Brooke or Peyton."

"Well if you don't hear me again for a while call nine one one." Haley walked out to the dark living room and heard the knocking again.

"Haley you'll be okay. Just relax." Nathan didn't want to be worried and have Haley know, so he tried to remain calm for her sake, but he had a pretty good idea as to who was at the door.

Haley took a deep breath before she opened the front door. When she turned the knob she shut her eyes. As she opened them back up her they widened and her mouth shot open when she saw who it was. "Nathan! What are you doing here?"

Nathan flashed her his trade mark Scott smirk, "I wanted to see you. I needed to see you." He looked at her and saw that she was in a par of his old sweatpants and a ratty Ravens t-shirt. No make-up, no nothing. She had her glasses on which was rare, but they didn't hide a thing. He could see straight through them into her big brown eyes. She was beautiful.

Haley grabbed him by the hand and led him into their apartment. "How? Why did you? You wanted to scare me didn't you?"

Nathan shrugged, "No, I just thought it would be fun to surprise you."

She raised her brow, "Well this kind of goes against the whole bride and groom spending the night apart."

"No it doesn't." Nathan looked at the clock on the oven then back to Haley, "We've still got a few minutes before midnight."

Haley's heart was beating fast and she got up on her tiptoes. Nathan met her halfway and their lips crashed onto each others. For a few minutes the happy twosome continued to kiss in the darkness of their living room.

Haley frowned when Nathan pulled away but he gave her a sweet smile, "Sorry Hales, I gotta go, I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Goodnight." Haley smiled at Nathan and kissed him on the cheek, "I love you."

Nathan closed his eyes at Haley's touch then kissed her softly on the forehead, "I love you too. See ya tomorrow Haley James Scott."

When Nathan turned and left Haley's hand instantly flew to her stomach. She knew that everything was going to be okay. She kept playing in her mind how tomorrow was going to be. No doubt one of the best days of her life. She loved that Nathan wanted to do it all over again. Get married all over again in front of family and friends. To let everyone know just how much he loved her, and how much she loved him. To prove that love knows no age and that always meant forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. What could have happened the night before their second wedding. I have piles and piles of school work to do this week but I'll try and update as soon as I can. Reviews always help the process!!**


	28. Keep Me Warm

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 28: Keep Me Warm**

**Disclaimer: Um, thanks to Mark and co. I get to write these little missing moments, so no, I don't own anything. It's all thanks to them.**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update but my Philosophy test kinda took precedent..don't hate me. But wow guys, thank you so much for the response last chapter, and a special thank you to Emma (and your friends). You have no idea how much your little review meant! It really made me smile. Each one of y'alls reviews makes me want to write, I know I say that a lot...but it's true!! Alright enough with that stuff...this one is more family oriented, hope you all enjoy it!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley looked out the small window and sighed. They were thirty thousand something feet up in the air and flying through white cotton ball like clouds. She looked to her right and saw that just across the aisle were her husband and son. Both of their eyes glued to the laptop screen in front of them. They were watching Hoosiers, one of their favorite sports movies. She loved they way they looked, how they both were in the same position, the same silly grin on their face, it was adorable.

As she turned to look back out into the blue wonders of the sky she felt a little nudge at her side. When she looked down she smiled at what she saw. Six year old Charlotte was nuzzled up into her side, eyes closed, sleeping peacefully. Haley gently ran her hand over Charlotte's shoulder and could tell that the little girl was slowly waking up. Haley kissed the top of the young girl's head and instead of opening her eyes Charlotte just leaned further into her mom. They had an early morning flight and for the last two hours Charlotte had been asleep.

Haley loved that feeling of comfort when either of her kids needed her like this. She didn't care if she was a human pillow, the idea that they still wanted her by their sides was more than enough.

A flight attendant rolled by with a cart and smiled, "Can I get you anything Ma'am?"

Haley nodded, "Yes, can I get a water?" She looked down to Charlotte then back to the flight attendant, "And do you have juice?"

"We do." She handed a bottle water to Haley, "Apple or orange?"

"Apple please." The attendant gave Haley the juice and then Haley pointed to Nathan and Jamie, "Um, the man will want a water and the boy will want a Sprite."

The flight attendant nodded and turned to give the guys their drinks.

Charlotte's lids fluttered open and Haley smiled when she saw her beautiful brown eyes. "Hi baby."

Charlotte sighed heavily and yawned, "Are we there yet?"

Haley laughed, and shook her head, "No but it won't be long." Haley let Charlotte situate herself then handed the small girl the juice box, "Here, you want this?" Taking the juice Charlotte smiled and leaned back into her mom. Haley twisted off the top of her water bottle and took a quick sip. She saw that Nathan and Jamie were taking off their headphones and turned to them, "Is it over?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He stretched a little bit and leaned back in the chair when he noticed that Charlotte was awake, "Hey Char, did you have a nice sleep"

"Uh huh, but when are we gonna get there?" Charlotte made a pouty face which made Nathan smile.

"Well be there soon. Why don't you come over here and sit with Jamie and you guys can play a game or something? That will be fun"

Charlotte's eyes lit up. She loved hanging out with her big brother. She idolized him. "Yeah!"

Jamie laughed at his sister's enthusiasm. She was always trying to get him to play with her at home, which he did, and he knew she loved it. He thought it was kind of neat to have a little sister that thought he was so cool. "We can play Connect Four."

The little girl smiled and jumped out of her seat. Nathan got up and switched seats with his daughter.

When he sat down he and Haley both watched as their kids immersed themselves in a game of Connect Four. Watching the two of them play made Haley's heart swell, she couldn't get enough of them.

She leaned over to Nathan, "I'm glad we did this."

Nathan smiled, "Me too." He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

For the remaining hour of the flight the kids kept busy playing with each other and Nathan and Haley talked enjoying each others company until the plane landed.

When the plane was rolling towards the gate the captain came over the loud speaker, "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Salt Lake City. It's eleven thirty a.m. Mountain time, the temperature is thirty three degree's, sunny with a chance of flurries later tonight. We all thank you for choosing to fly with Delta, and we hope you enjoy your stay in Salt Lake City."

Nathan smiled at Haley who returned the gesture. They were ready for their family vacation.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Haley had always wanted to do a family ski trip and with Nathan having a small break in his schedule they found a four day period they could get away. It was probably against the rules, but he wasn't missing any games or practices so there really wasn't a problem, just as long as he didn't hurt himself. Haley had rented them a cabin for the trip in Park City, just outside of Salt Lake City and they couldn't wait to see it.

After the car service took them to their place Jamie jumped out of the car eager to take in Utah. Jamie ran through the cool white blanket of snow that covered the ground. "Whoa, look at all this snow!"

Nathan laughed and got their bags. "Jamie before you get all excited, help me take the bags in."

Sighing heavily Jamie solemnly walked toward the car to help his dad. The family of four made their way inside and marveled at their rented cabin.

Jamie found the bedroom he would be sleeping in and Haley showed Charlotte her room. Once the kids were done looking at their rooms Jamie and Charlotte went into the living room while Nathan and Haley took a look at the master bedroom.

Haley put her purse on the bed and sat down. Nathan walked in and smirked, "That's a big bed."

Haley laughed and laid her back against the bed, "I know, and it feels really good."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. He walked over to Haley and laid down next to her. She turned toward him and looked into his perfect blue eyes. They laid there for a moment, just looking at each other perfectly still until Nathan leaned toward her and gently kissed her lips. Haley kissed him back and couldn't help but sigh when they parted.

When Nathan's face moved away from Haley's he saw that her expression had changed. She was concerned about something.

"What's wrong?" He scrunched his brow.

Haley turned her ear towards the door and looked back to Nathan, "Do you hear the kids? It got quiet all the sudden."

Nathan listened out for anything and shook his head, "I don't hear anything."

Haley shot up from the bed and walked out toward the living room. She started to panic because they weren't there and called out for them, "Jamie, Charlotte?"

Nathan walked out into the living room and frowned, "Why don't you check upstairs, I'm sure they're around."

Walking up the stairs Haley couldn't imagine where they were.

Nathan looked around the main floor and didn't see them but then heard a familiar voice coming from outside. He put his coat back on and walked out the door.

"Now!" Jamie yelled, and he and Charlotte started throwing snowballs at their dad.

Nathan felt a cold hard substance smack him on the chest. Then shortly after that another hit him on the leg. He looked in the direction they were coming from and saw them. Jamie and Charlotte were popping out from behind the trees throwing snowballs his way. He laughed and started to jog in their direction, "Oh you guys are gonna pay now!"

Charlotte screeched and started to run, but running in the snow was much harder than she thought. Her legs were too small to pick her feet up out of the snow completely so she was hardly making progress. Nathan picked Charlotte up and whispered in her ear which caused her to laugh. They walked towards Jamie and Nathan raised his eyebrows. Jamie had a pretty good idea as to what his dad had in mind.

Haley had heard the commotion and headed outside. She zipped up her jacket and walked out the front door. She looked around and didn't see a thing. No Jamie, no Charlotte, no Nathan. She took a deep breath and walked a little further from the door, surely Big Foot wasn't real and he didn't take her family away.

Then it hit her. Literally. Right on the stomach. She looked down totally unaware of what had just happened. That was until she heard Charlotte laugh. She turned her head in the direction of her daughter and saw them all, ready to aim and fire. Nathan had a huge smirk on his face tossing a snowball up and down and their two precious children looked like they were about to bombard her.

"Whoa, wait a second? Don't hit me." She threw her hands up in defense then pointed at Nathan, "Your dad's a much bigger target!"

Both Charlotte and Jamie turned and sneered at their father. They cocked the arms back and started pummeling Nathan.

"What is this? I thought we were gonna gang up on your mom?" Nathan ducked just missing a snowball.

Haley watched Charlotte and Jamie and wanted to join in on the fun. She balled up some snow in her hands and made her way over to her family. Nathan was laughing and throwing snowballs back at the kids when he noticed Haley walked towards him.

He raised his brow and opened his arms letting her know she got a free shot at him. She did her own little wind up and let it rip. Nathan watched as it crashed onto the tree next to him. Apparently Haley didn't have good aim.

He smirked then took off towards her in a full sprint. Haley didn't know what to make of the situation so she tried to run away. Jamie and Charlotte were running after Nathan, laughing while stomping through the snow.

When Nathan caught Haley he reached for her and playfully grabbed at her waist but caused her to trip. Both of them crashed on the cool snowy ground. Nathan was on the bottom and Haley was sprawled out over his stomach. Jamie ran up to his parents and dove onto Haley.

Nathan and Haley both let out "umphs" when the extra weight was added but laughed when they heard Charlotte.

"I'm coming too."The little girl leaped on her brother making a tower of Scotts.

Jamie was laughing and Nathan looked up to Haley and smiled. She moved her body so she could face him and kissed him quickly. Nathan smiled as Haley ran her hand over his cheek, it was a distinctive gesture she had done over the years and he loved it. They'd been in Utah for only about an hour and he already knew that this was going to be a great trip.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Nathan, Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte headed to the slopes. They got fitted with ski suits and sized up for skis. Nathan had been skiing before when he was younger and wanted to give snowboarding a go prompting Jamie to want to do the same. Nathan had snowboarded years ago but it had been some time since he hit the slopes. So before they all took to the mountain they had to do one thing first. Ski school.

They made their way to a building near the ski lift and entered the door. A guy greeted them and asked for their names then nodded when he saw that they had a ten o'clock class.

"Why do we have to do this again?" Nathan looked to Haley.

She rolled her eyes, "Because, I've never done this before and it's not like your a pro, you'll benefit from it too."

Nathan was about to say something but a young guy in his mid twenties about five years younger than Nathan and Haley walked out.

"Scott family?"

Haley nodded, "That's us."

"Hey I'm Oliver, I'll be your ski instructor." The guy approached the young family and stuck out his hand.

"Nathan." Nathan extended his hand and shook Oliver's hand. Haley introduced herself and the kids, and then Oliver showed them outside.

He put Nathan and Jamie on one side of the ski school course and Haley and Charlotte on another. "Okay so have any of you skied before?"

A very excited Charlotte nodded, "Daddy has!"

Oliver turned to Nathan and smiled approvingly.

"Well it was a long time ago, and now I wanted to to try the snowboard." Nathan looked down at the black board he was standing on.

"That's great. I'm gonna get Neil out here so he can help you guys while I focus on the girls." Oliver turned to Haley and Charlotte and smiled, "Who's ready to learn how to stop? It's the most important lesson when it comes to skiing."

Nathan watched as Oliver walked toward Charlotte and Haley and regretted picking up the snowboard. As he and Jamie waited for the other guy to come out he noticed that Oliver made sure Charlotte and Haley's skis were on tight enough; but what got him was that this Oliver guy had his hands on Haley's legs, and it didn't sit well with Nathan. Now it wasn't like he was groping her or anything, he was was hardly above the calf but Nathan wasn't too fond of it. The other instructor, Neil, came out and flashed him a quirky grin.

"Alright guys, I'm Neil. You both ready to conquer the mountain?"

Jamie nodded, "Yeah!"

Neil began to show the basics and had them do a balance exercise before they even did anything. Jamie already seemed like a pro but Nathan wasn't as lucky. For some reason his mind just wasn't in it and he couldn't concentrate on which foot to lean on or how to distribute his weight right when turning.

A couple falls later Nathan sighed, snowboarding was not easy.

"Dad, I thought you were gonna be good." Jamie looked to his dad and arched his brow.

Nathan widened his eyes and shook his head, "I did too." Nathan turned his head when he heard Charlotte call out his name.

"Daddy look!" Charlotte was gliding down the 'hardly a hill' slope in perfect position.

He smiled, she looked like a natural, "You're doing great Char!" He watched her go the 15 yards or so to the bottom and laughed when he saw Haley take her position at the top. His wife had never been the athletic type but maybe she'd surprise him.

Haley pushed off with her poles and gently glided down the little hill. She met Charlotte at the bottom and they both celebrated their success. Jamie took his turn at the top and rode down the hill with perfection. Nathan his family all wave at him to come down and he took a deep breath, "Here goes nothing."

Nathan leaned forwards and started to slowly go down the slope. When he had about 20 yards to go he felt himself hit a speed patch of sorts and his relaxing glide down turned into more of a dash down the hill. Nearing the bottom Nathan tried to cut to the sides to slow himself down but it didn't work. Racing towards the orange fence at the bottom he quickly twisted his feet so his board was horizontal and finally started slowing down. Impending doom dealt with: not quite. Just as Nathan skidded to a stop he felt himself jerk forward and soon his face met the cold surface of the white ground.

Haley tried to get over to him as quickly as possible and bent down, "Are you okay?"

He was laying face first down in the snow and slowly lifted his head. He cleared his throat and groaned, "Yeah."

Jamie tried not to laugh, but there were very few things he ever saw his dad fail at and snowboarding was one of them. It didn't help that his dad totally bit it in the process.

Neil and Oliver had come down to make sure things were alright. Neil smiled, "What happened man? I thought you had it? You were doing really good."

Nathan rolled over and sighed, "Yeah I don't know, it was like I hit an imaginary rock and I just ate it."

Oliver walked over to Nathan and offered him a hand, "Don't worry about it, it happens to everyone. Even professional athletes." When Nathan got to his feet Oliver looked over to the girls, "Well ladies, you did very well. You think you're ready for the bunny slopes?"

Haley went wide eyed and looked at the mountain in front of them, "I don't know." She looked down to Charlotte. Her little girl was only six and she didn't want her to get hurt.

Oliver walked a little closer and put his on her shoulder, "Come on Hales, it will be okay. You and Charlotte are ready for it."

Nathan's eyes went directly in the direction of his wife. Had Oliver just called Haley Hales? No? Yes? Yes he did. Something about hearing it come out of this strangers mouth made his blood boil. That was name reserved for friends and family and though he seemed like a nice enough guy Oliver didn't fit in either of those categories. Nathan tried to shake it off, he couldn't be that mad, but then he heard Oliver speak up again.

"Right Char? I think you and your mom are gonna take that mountain down." Oliver walked over to Charlotte and playfully rubbed on the top of her hat.

Nathan didn't believe what he was hearing. This loser ski instructor was using _his _nicknames for _his_ girls and if Oliver didn't stop there was going to be a problem. But realizing he was getting worked over nothing Nathan cut his eyes at Oliver then started to unbuckled his boots, "I think I'm going to get some hot chocolate, anyone want some?"

Haley furrowed her brow, "But Nathan we're in the middle of our lesson. Don't you want to have a little more time practicing?"

Nathan quickly brushed by her and shook his head, "Nope. Jame, Charlotte do you want some?"

"Can I go with you Daddy?" Charlotte batted her big brown eyes his way and there was no way he could say no, it was just up to her mom.

Nathan looked over to Haley and she nodded. Even if Charlotte wanted to ski, Haley knew that she'd rather get to spend time with her dad. With him being away half the year Charlotte missed him and loved every opportunity to hang out with her father.

Charlotte took off her skis and walked inside the ski school hand in hand with her dad. Instead of stopping at the counter to get hot chocolate Nathan went for the door.

Charlotte looked back confused, "Where are we going?"

Nathan looked down at the little girl and smirked, "It's a surprise."

Most children loved the word surprise and Charlotte was no exception. She smiled up at Nathan and tightened her grip on her dad's hand. When they got to their destination Charlotte's eyes widened.

"Are we gonna ride?"

Nathan nodded, "Yep." He smiled down at his daughter as they waited to ride on the ski lift.

In most cases you were supposed to have skis on but he figured the operators would let them ride up and down, and he was right. They got on the lift and Nathan placed a protective hand around Charlotte's side. The little girl leaned into him and that was all he needed. He'd gotten mad earlier that some stranger called her Char, a name he'd given her, a name that was distinctly Nathan's; but the feeling he had with his daughter at his side made it all disappear. As they they rode up the wires he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. He realized then that no matter what she was always going to be _his_ little girl.

**OTHOTH**

That night for dinner they went into town and picked out a family friendly restaurant. Charlotte's eyes were getting heavy during dinner so instead of checking out the quaint little town they made they way back to the cabin when they were done eating.

Charlotte was falling asleep on the car ride back and when they got to the cabin Nathan picked her up and took her to her room. He tucked the little girl in and walked into the living room and laughed.

"What?" Haley turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

Nathan leaned on one of the wooden beams and folded his arms, "Operation?" He looked down a the floor and saw that his wife and son were battling it out trying to get the Adam's apple out.

Jamie squinted his eyes and stuck out his tongue overcome with concentration, "Shh, you're messing with my mojo."

Haley laughed and glanced back up to Nathan and mouthed the words mojo. She crinkled her forehead and shook her head laughing. Operation was an old school game but when Jamie found it in his room he had brought it out. Apparently the owners of the cabin were big on games because they had a bunches of them. Thankfully Jamie was more interested in Operation than Monopoly because that game would take them forever to finish.

The sudden sound of the buzzer when off and Jamie groaned, "Man! I was this close." He used his fingers to illustrate just how close he was and shrugged, "Your turn mom."

Haley bit her lip, peeled her eyes and leaned over the game. Nathan couldn't help but notice that her shirt moved up her back a little over exposing those two numbers just above her waistband. She carefully maneuvered the tweezers through the slot and miraculously pulled out the apple without a sound. She raised it in the air and smiled, "Game."

Jamie groaned, he thought for sure that he was gonna win. He started to get up and sat on the couch. Nathan sat down next to him and smiled, "Still want to be a doctor?"

"Nah, I don't think I've got the hands for it, but it might be cool to be like a pilot, or firefighter, or police officer." Jame shrugged, he was only thirteen, and had a while to figure out what he wanted to do but it was something he thought about.

Haley heard Jamie and she instantly felt worried. If he were a pilot what if his plane went down, and firefighters ran into burning buildings, _burning_ buildings, and police officers were shot at. None of those occupations sat well with Haley, "Jamie what about like an accountant or bank teller? Those are good jobs."

Nathan and Jamie both turned their heads and scrunched their faces in disgust.

"Mom, I don't want to sit in a cubicle and crunch numbers all day." Jamie shook his head and laughed, "I mean flying would be awesome, and both firefighters and police officers help people and I think I'd like that."

At his words Haley's emotions changed from worried to emotional. Jamie wanted to help people, even if he was growing older and changing into his own person Jamie Scott was just like his mom. Haley's eyes had a slight glossy sheen and she looked at Nathan and he met her with a warm smile.

Jamie sighed heavily and stretched, "I think I'm going to bed, I'm a little worn out from snowboarding all day." He got up and smiled at both his parents, "Thanks for bringing us out here, to Utah I mean. I'm having a really good time and I know Charlotte is too."

"Night Jamie." Haley said as she smiled at her oldest.

Nathan looked to his son proud of what a good boy he was, "See you in the morning Jame."

"Night." Jamie turned and headed for his room leaving his mom and dad in the living room.

Haley picked up the game and set it on the table and folded up the blanket she was sitting on. Nathan got up and started to turn off any of the lights that didn't need to be on and then heard the back porch door open.

He figured it must have been Haley so he followed her out grabbing his coat. She was leaning on the railing looking out into the cool darkness.

"Hales?" Nathan walked over to her and stood next to her.

Haley turned to Nathan and looked up to him, "I can't believe how fast he's growing up."

Nathan sighed, "I know." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, "But you know what? He's gonna be great, no matter what he does. He's got that mentality of always seeing the good in things and wanting to help people. He gets that from you."

Haley smiled and faced her husband, and placed her hand on his cheek softly. They both shared a look that neither could describe. Love, pride, joy, they didn't know but while the twosome stood outside Nathan felt something cold land on his forehead.

He wiped away the coldness and looked towards the sky and smirked, "It's snowing."

Haley looked up nodded, "It's snowing."

Flakes began to fall a little faster and Nathan couldn't contain himself. He instantly leaned down and captured Haley in a kiss. She wasn't expecting it but gladly kissed him back. It was like they were teenagers again.

Nathan smirked, "Just like kissing you in the rain." He ran a hand through her hair and smiled, "Isn't it kind of the same, I mean snow is just frozen rain right?"

"Technically frozen rain would be ha..." He cut her off before she could finish when his lips silences hers. He always loved that she was so smart, it was quite a turn on.

When they parted that time Nathan grabbed her hand and led her inside. It was pretty chilly outside and he knew that if they were going to finish what they started he want to be inside.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Haley were lying in bed wrapped up in each others arms when Nathan groaned.

"What? What did I do?" Haley looked at to him worried she did something.

He laughed and shook his head, "You didn't do anything. I'm just really sore." Haley started to blush but he continued, "From falling so much today. I didn't think I'd be that bad."

Haley leaned into his chest and laughed, "Maybe if you'd been a little more studious at ski school things would have turned out better."

Nathan shook his head, "I know, but that guy, he just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't handle it very well, sorry." Nathan sighed, "And he had his hands all over you legs."

Haley laughed, "Honey he was just making sure my straps were on good so I was safe. I would hardly say he was all over my legs. Ankles maybe, but no higher than that, and Neil was doing the same thing to do you. He made sure you were strapped on the board alright."

He hadn't thought about that. Maybe he had just made something small into something big. He tended to so that sometimes. But it wasn't only the not as inappropriate as he thought touching, but something else, "And he called you Hales, and Charlotte Char, and those are _my_ names."

Haley looked up to him and could see he it hurt his feelings, "And they always will be." Haley kissed him quickly on the lips, "Always and forever."

Haley laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. A part of her loved that he got jealous of anyone that came within 10 feet of her, but she also loved the fact that he did it with Charlotte too. He was right, Char was his name for their daughter. He'd been the one who said it first and only Jamie said it sometimes, and he was an exception. Hales had always been a nickname of hers but only certain people had the distinction of calling her that. So when someone random said it, it always irked Nathan for some reason.

Haley moved her arm across his torso and gently kissed his chest, "I love you Nathan Scott."

"I love you too Hales." He squeezed her tighter into him and kissed the top of her head.

That time when she heard Hales she felt a a sudden tingling feeling fire through her nerves. As soon as it came out of his mouth she knew she never loved they way it sounded more than the way he said it. So natural, so perfect, just right.

As she laid on Nathan's chest she thought about the day and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. That's what it all came down to. He loved his family more than anything else in the world and if he had a tendency to get protective over them that was okay. That was perfectly fine.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you all liked it! So I'm creeping towards another milestone and if you guys get me there expect a new chapter tomorrow. I'll try and write it today when I have some free time or maybe in the morning tomorrow, but either way just know that I'll try and update as soon as possible!! So review please, let me know what you think, good, bad, I'll take any comments or criticism. **


	29. Lesson Learned

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 29: Lesson Learned**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Wow guys I can't believe it, over 500 reviews before even hitting chapter 30. You guys all rock, and I can't thank you enough for letting me know what you all think. So, as I had said, I'm updating next day to give you a bit of a reward. Last chapter jealous Nathan made an appearance, but this time someone else is getting jealous. Wonder who? Read on to find out.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley opened the door to the quaint little house she shared with her husband, brother-in-law, and 18 month old son. She had just come back from her 8:00am public speaking class, and as she set her bag down she heard the pitter-patter of little feet.

"Mama!" Jamie waddled over to Haley and raised his arms, "Up."

Haley picked up her son and smiled, "Hey baby." She pressed a sweet kiss to his head and walked toward the kitchen.

Nathan was rinsing a bowl out in the sink and turned when Haley walked in, "Hey, how was class?"

Adjusting Jamie on the other hip she smiled, "Good, we didn't do too much." Haley looked to Jamie and smiled, public speaking had nothing on that little guy, he was her world and if she could she'd skip all of her classes to spend time with him she would.

Nathan wiped off his hands and leaned against the counter, "Well I gave him some cereal and part of banana for breakfast."

"Nana!" Jamie raised one of his arms in the air and showed off a few of his teeth when he smiled.

Both Nathan and Haley laughed at their son's enthusiasm. Haley set Jamie down and he started to play with the toy basketball on the floor. Haley walked over to Nathan and smiled, "So he ate well?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, I think he'll be fine for a while."

Haley looked up to Nathan and brown met blue. He was such a perfect husband, and a wonderful father. "You're kind of great at this dad thing."

"Well you're kind of great at this mom thing." Nathan grinned and wrapped his arms around his wife.

Haley smiled, stood up on her tip-toes, and kissed Nathan. It was a good thing Lucas was in class because if he had been there he would have had to leave the room. Things were getting better though, Lucas was slowly but surely getting over it.

"I gotta go, I don't want to be late." Nathan looked over to the clock on the oven, "And do you want to meet me at the library around eleven forty five so we can trade off and maybe pick up some lunch before your one o'clock class?"

Haley scrunched her brow, "Why eleven forty five? Doesn't your class end at eleven?"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna go over the reading I missed because of that away game, and Blake has the notes so I can get caught up."

Haley looked up to Nalthan, "Wait, for World Lit?" He nodded and she spoke up again, "You know I can help you with that. I'm am gonna be teaching literature." She gave him a playful smile.

Nathan didn't want to make her feel bad, but he knew Haley hadn't read the particular story, and it would just be better to get the notes from someone in his actual class. "I know, but Blake has my professors notes. You know I'd rather hear about it from you but..."

Haley got it, even if it hurt her feelings a little bit she understood the logistics. "I know, that's fine. We'll meet you at the library at eleven forty five."

Nathan kissed her forehead and smiled, "I'll see ya later." He grabbed his backpack and looked back to Jamie, "Bye Jamie, be good for you're mom."

Jamie turned his head and stuck out his right hand, opening it and closing it, "Bye bye."

Haley watched her son wave goodbye to his father, it was the hardest part of her day. Jamie always took it well though, he'd only got upset when he was really young and now that he was a year and a half, he seemed to understand why they had to leave better.

She walked over to her bag and started taking out her books replacing them with her next classes. As she tucked away her own World Literature textbook she had a ping of jealously run through her. Tutoring was her thing, it was the whole reason she and Nathan were even together so the idea of someone else give him help didn't sit right with her.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan's class dismissed he waited up for Blake so they could walk to the library. Nathan was leaning on the wall waiting when he felt his pocket vibrate. He flipped open his phone and saw a picture message of Jamie from Haley. Apparently he had somehow crawled into the dryer and fallen asleep. Nathan laughed out loud when he read the text, _That can't be comfortable, and NOT safe, I'm buying locks ASAP._

Nathan replied back, _At least he'll smell like dryer sheets, haha._

Blake came out of the classroom, "Ready?"

"Yeah." Nathan nodded and they turned to walk toward the library. He felt his phone buzz again and looked at it. _True, see ya in a little while. _Nathan smiled and shook his head then turned to Blake, "Have you ever heard of eighteen month olds taking naps in dryers?"

Blake looked over to Nathan, "No, but my aunt drank bleach when she was a baby."

Nathan grimaced, "Ugh."

"Yeah, but she turned out alright, super bright and very pasty." Blake laughed and smiled, "I'm kidding, sort of. I mean technically she's fine, and she is really smart and has very white skin."

Nathan laughed, "Well I just got a text from Haley with a picture of Jamie in the dryer."

Blake's expression turned concerned, "Oh God, was it on?"

"No, no it was off."

"I was about to say." Blake laughed it off.

The two of them started laughing and when they reached the library he and Blake found a table and they got out their books. Sitting across from Blake, Nathan experienced a bit of deja vu. He'd done this before, been tutored, but with a totally different person. Blake was nice but it felt strange not having Haley across the table from him, and he kind of missed it.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had gotten Jamie buckled in the stroller and when she was headed out the door she saw Lucas.

"Hey Hales, where are you off too?"

"Oh hey, we were just going to meet Nathan for lunch." Haley looked down to Jamie and smiled.

Lucas kneeled down and looked at his young nephew, "Well my afternoon class got canceled so if you wanna leave him here with me you can." Lucas smiled, "What do you say J. Luke? Wanna hang out with me?"

Jamie smiled wide signaling to Haley that it was fine if she left Jamie with Lucas. They did love spending time together. Haley thought it over, on one hand she didn't want to just leave Jamie with Lucas because it was convenient, but at the same time she really would love to spend time with Nathan.

"Are you sure?" Haley lifted her eyes from Jamie to Lucas.

"Yeah, yeah, you and Nathan go have lunch together, we'll be fine here. Right Jamie?" Lucas smirked at the little boy.

Haley smiled when she saw Jamie reach out for Lucas, "Okay." Lucas wheeled the stroller back towards the house and Haley called back to him, "Thanks Luke."

Lucas smiled and nodded. He knew that Nathan and Haley hardly got to spend anytime alone together. It would be nice for them to have lunch together, just the two of them.

Haley started walking towards the library thankful that Lucas was around. She didn't know what they'd would do without him. He really should get some award or something for everything he'd done.

**OTHOTH**

When Haley walked into the library she figured that Nathan was still working with Blake and headed up to the second floor. As she looked around she stopped when she saw him. Some girl was leaning over him pointing at his book. Haley's eyes went wide and she took a deep breath.

She walked over to Nathan and cleared her throat, "Ugh-um."

Nathan looked up shocked, "Haley!? Wha, What time is it?"

"Eleven forty five." Haley coughed out.

"Really? Sorry, we must have lost track of time. Uh, Blake this is my wife Haley." Nathan looked back to the girl who had just been leaning over her husband.

Blake smiled at Haley, "Hey, I've heard so much about you, and you have the most adorable son ever."

Haley gave Blake a half smile, "Thank you." Never in a million years had she thought that Blake was girl. So not only was Nathan getting tutored in a subject she was quite good at, he was being tutored by some other girl.

"You know, I think I've seen you at basketball games." Blake looked Haley over.

"Are you a basketball fan?" Haley raised her eyebrow.

Blake nodded, "Yeah, I played in high school and I love going to the games."

Nathan cut in, "I didn't know you played in high school."

"There's a lot about me you don't know." Blake flirtatiously shot back.

Haley peeled her eyes, wondering if she was hearing things right. This girl was flirting with her husband. Not only that but Haley couldn't help but feel like she was being replaced by some better version of herself. Not only did Blake tutor Nathan but she was also a big basketball fan.

Haley looked over at Nathan, "I've got class in an hour so if you want to get lunch we should probably go now." It came out a little meaner than she had intended.

Nathan caught the tone in Haley's voice and turned to her, "Yeah, that's fine." He turned to Blake, "How bout we meet up again tomorrow and finish going over the last half?"

"Sure" Blake nodded and gathered up her stuff.

"So where do you want to go eat?" Nathan packed up his stuff and before he knew it Haley turned to walk away.

"I don't care." She managed to mumble out.

Nathan scrunched his forehead together and didn't really understand why Haley was acting like she was. Once he caught up to her she kept her eyes forward and didn't speak a single word to him.

Nathan didn't know where they were headed but just followed Haley's lead. Eventually he realized they were going to the local diner on campus. He stepped in front of Haley and opened the door for her but her demeanor didn't change.

When they sat down Nathan ordered their usual sandwich and salad, and watched as Haley played with her straw.

"Hales what is wrong?"

Haley cut her eyes toward him, "What's wrong? Nathan, that girl was all over you."

He laughed, "Blake?"

"Yeah, Blake." Haley rolled her eyes

"Haley she was just helping me." Nathan looked over to Haley sincerely.

His blue eyes didn't comfort her this time, "So her flirting was just extra?"

He tried not to laugh, "That's just the way she is, kind of like Brooke. And she's dating one of the guys on the team. That's how I knew to ask her for help."

With that Haley felt a little better, but not good enough to stifle her jealousy.

The waitress came over and placed their food down. Haley had gotten a simple caesar salad and Nathan got a club sandwich. Normally Haley always got at least a bite so he offered her some.

"Here you want some."

She stuck a forkful of leafy greens in her mouth and shook her head no.

"You sure?"

Haley took a sip of her water, "Positive."

Nathan felt a huge wave of guilt pass through him when he heard Haley speak. There were few occasions when she had gotten really mad about something and this was one of them. But he didn't really know why. He had no interest in Blake and she really was only helping him catch up from the days he missed.

He decided to change the subject, "So where's Jamie?"

"With Lucas." Haley chewed her food then spoke up again, "He said he would keep him so we could have lunch together, alone."

Nathan smiled, Lucas really was a great brother. If only the tension between Nathan and Haley was a nice as Lucas.

"So how did Jamie end up in the dryer?" Nathan smiled at Haley who's mood seemed to change just a little at the mention of their son.

She laughed, "I don't know, I put a load in the washing machine, then put up the dishes, and suddenly I realized Jamie wasn't around. Naturally I start to freak out..."

Nathan laughed, "Naturally."

She squinted her eyes and smiled, "...so I ran around the house looking for him and then found him. In the dryer."

"I can't believe that he did that." Nathan took a bite of his sandwich and shook his head.

"I know, it scared me to death. What if the door had shut." Haley looked worried and ran her hand over her brow, "I'm seriously buying locks as soon as I get out of my next class."

Nathan watched her take a bite of her salad and smiled at her. Something about her being all maternal was very sexy.

Haley saw the way he was looking at her and she could feel a slight blush spread on her cheeks; but then she remembered her ill fated encounter with Blake. Instead of reciprocating Nathan's feelings, that not so familiar ping of jealousy hit her. She sipped her water and tried to think about the situation. Yeah, she was still upset about that.

She took a last sip of her water and got up, "I gotta head on, my class starts soon. I'll see you back at home."

Nathan stood up expecting a kiss goodbye but he got nothing. No kiss, no hug, no 'I love you'. He watched her walk away and knew that she must have been really mad about Blake but he couldn't wrap his head around why.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked into the living room of the house and saw Lucas and Jamie watching the screen. Jamie didn't even notice his father walk in.

"Baby Eisenstein huh? Nathan looked at the screen then to her brother.

Lucas scrunched his face, "What? It's kind of mesmerizing." Nathan and Lucas both watched Jamie and he bounced with the music. "See."

Nathan laughed and the two guys walked into the kitchen.

"So how was lunch." Lucas got a bottled water and turned to Nathan.

"Bad."

Lucas raised a brow, "Bad? What do you mean bad, did you get bad food?

"I wish." Nathan sighed, "Haley's mad at me."

"What? Why?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't know man. She came and met me at the library and I was studying with Blake and I think she thought Blake was flirting with me or something."

Lucas shook his head, "Please tell me Blake is a girl."

Nathan laughed, "Yeah, and that's the thing. I think Haley was upset that Blake was a girl."

"Did you not tell her that Blake was a she?"

Nathan shook his head, "No, I didn't think it mattered."

"And what were you two doing there?"

Nathan scowled at Lucas, how could he ask him that, it wasn't like he was sneaking around. "She was just tutoring me in World Lit to help me catch up."

Lucas took another sip out of his water bottle and patted Nathan on the shoulder, "Exactly."

Lucas walked out of the kitchen leaving Nathan alone with own thoughts. He played the day over in his head and then it hit him. He knew exactly why Haley had gotten upset. He shook his head and muttered a single word, "Shit."

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was waiting for Haley to get home. He checked his phone and it was 2:33pm. Her class got out at 2pm so she should be home. Then he remembered that she was stopping by the store first. Lucas had taken Jamie to the park at Nathan's request so he could apologize to Haley. When he heard the door open he stood up.

"Hey I'm home." Haley called out as she walked in the door. She had a bag from the local hardware store in one hand and placed her backpack down.

Nathan walked over to her and was twisting the wedding band on his left finger. "Hey."

Haley looked up and saw Nathan in front of her, "Hi." She gave him a small smile.

"I'm an idiot." Nathan spoke directly to her.

"What?" Haley set the hardware bag on the floor.

"I'm and idiot, I'm sorry. I just realized that when you saw me today at the library that...Blake was kinda sorta doing what you do. Tutoring me."

Haley hadn't said anything so he continued.

"And at the time I didn't think anything of it. But that's our thing, tutoring."

Haley sighed and walked over to him.

"Haley, I never meant for you to feel like you were being replaced or anything; or to make you jealous or upset, it was just that Blake has the notes."

"I think I may have overreacted a little though."

Nathan shook his head, "No, I don't think so. I think if I saw you tutoring some other jock I'd lose my mind."

Haley laughed, "Really."

"Hell yes. Don't you remember what happened at that New Year's party? And you weren't even tutoring him."

Haley smiled. She did remember that night. She took a step closer to Nathan and looked at him concerned, "But why didn't you tell me Blake was a girl?"

Nathan shook his head, "I don't know, I didn't mean to keep it from you, it just never crossed my mind." He looked down like he was in trouble but then back to Haley, "But speaking of Blake, I've got a question for you."

Haley raised her eyebrows, "What's that?"

"Will you tutor me in World Lit Haley James?" Nathan smirked at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I hope you say yes, because I called that other one and said that I didn't need her. The only one I need is standing right in front of me."

Haley took a deep breath and smiled at her husband. She ran her hands over his shoulders and pulled him down into a kiss.

"So is that a yes?"

Haley smirked, "Yes." She kissed him again, "Where's Jamie?"

Nathan kissed her jaw and then down to her neck, "Out with Lucas."

Nathan pulled away and looked at Haley. He could read her better than any book he'd ever picked up and smiled, "There at the park, so we have a while." Haley couldn't hide her blush well because as soon as Nathan saw it he laughed and kissed her passionately.

As they made their way to the bedroom Nathan thought back to how he'd said that the only tutor he'd ever need was right in front of him. It was true. It was stupid now that he thought about it, to ever get someone else. Because the truth was, nobody would ever be as good as Haley. She was all he would ever need.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Some of y'all had asked for jealous Haley so I hope this was something along the lines of what you had wanted. If not, let me know, send me a scenario you want and I'll see what I can do. Again, I can't say how very excited I am that this story has gotten the feedback it has. All of your reviews really make my day better. So with that said, let me know what you thought of this one and I'll try and post the next chapter soon. Valentines Day is coming up soon so expect a chapter about that soon! Review please.**


	30. What's a Boy to Do?

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 30: What's a Boy to Do?**

**Disclaimer: Insert comment about how I don't own anything here. **

**A/N: Quick update, so I'll pat myself on the shoulder. But whoa guys, chapter 30 is upon us!! 30 chapters!! That is just crazy to me. So thank you all for the reviews last chapter. I know most of you are jealous Nathan lovers but I had to try a little role reversal. Oh and how many of you caught on to the dryer reference? On the real show, Haley tells Peyton that Jamie used to take naps in the dryer when they were talking about baby proofing the house, and I thought it might be funny to bring it up in a little moment. But anyways, this chapter jumps ahead to the future. It has a lot to do with Jamie and his relationship, but I tried to put as much Naley in there as I could.**

**OTHOTH**

It was a random Friday afternoon and Jamie was on his way home to Tree Hill. He was close to turning twenty three, about to graduate from college, had a wonderful girlfriend, but really needed some advice.

For the last week he had been thinking about a certain question. How to do it, when to do it, and nothing was coming to him, so he thought that his dad would be able to help.

After making the trip down from Chapel Hill to Tree Hill Jamie pulled into his mom and dad's driveway and took a deep breath. He got out of the car and walked into the house.

"Hello? Mom? Dad? Charlotte? Anyone home?" Jamie closed the door behind him and walked into the living room.

Nobody seemed to be home but then he heard someone come downstairs, "Jamie?" Nathan walked down to the bottom step, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Dad. I uh..." He looked around then back to his dad, "Is Mom here?"

Nathan shook his head, "No she's at the studio do you need her?"

"No, actually I wanted to talk to you."

Nathan raised his brow, "Oh yeah, what's up?"

Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He couldn't help but smile when he looked at it.

Nathan pointed at it and smirked, "Is that..."

"Yeah. I'm gonna ask her to marry me." Jamie's smile stretched from ear to ear. He looked like a little kid who had just been told that he was going to Disney World.

Nathan walked over to his son and reached for the box. The ring had a simple white gold band with a classic three stone cut, and looked to be about 2 carats. Nathan couldn't help but wonder how much it had cost. But Jamie was always very careful with his money, and if he was going to splurge on something it might as well be an engagement ring. He looked to his son, "Wow Jamie, it's beautiful." He smiled and tilted his head studying the ring, "I think you're mom's gonna be jealous."

Jamie laughed at what his father had just said but he was more concerned with how his girlfriend would like it, "So you think she'll like it?"

"Liza's gonna love it." Nathan handed his son the ring back, "So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in Chapel Hill?"

Jamie hesitated a little before speaking again, "Actually I need some advice." He paused and looked to his father, "How do I do this?" Jamie had the black box in his hand and was fumbling with it.

Nathan walked over closer to Jamie, put a hand on his shoulder, and led him over to the couch, "Just go with your gut."

Jamie thought about it but that answer didn't seem enough, "But how did you know?"

Nathan smiled, "I don't know, it just kind of hits you. And when you're next to the girl your going to spend the rest of your life with you just kind of figure it out. Things just fall into place."

Jamie sighed, "Were you not nervous when you asked mom?"

Shrugging Nathan shook his head, "No, not really. We were lying in bed and it just came out."

Jamie had heard the story a million times. Both stories. "But should I do something elaborate or simple? Do I go all out, or just roll over in bed and ask her then?"

Nathan let out a small laugh, he'd never seen his son so worked up about anything his life. "Jamie you don't have to over think it. I promise you'll know what to do when it happens. It might come to you in five minutes or in a month. Don't rush it, but don't wait around either. Liza's a great girl, and I'm sure she'll love whatever you do."

Letting out a sigh of relief Jamie turned to his dad, "Thanks. I needed that."

Nathan patted Jamie on the shoulder, "I'm proud of you, and I can't wait to hear what you're mom says."

"Actually." Jamie winced, "Can we keep this between us for a little while? I think I want to surprise her."

Nathan's eyes went wide. Keeping a secret of that magnitude was going to be hard, but he'd do the best he could. "Yeah, sure. I'll try."

Jamie smiled and nodded. He looked at the ring and then heard the front door open, then slam shut.

"I hate life!" Charlotte screamed as she walked in the door. She had no idea that her brother and father were sitting in the living room. She immediately headed into the kitchen and grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food. It was when she had a mouthful of ice-cream that she noticed Jamie and her dad.

"Jamie! Hey!" Charlotte set down the ice-cream and ran over to the couch. She threw her arms over her brother and smiled, "You just made my day better."

Jamie's forehead crinkled and he spoke, "Yeah what was all that about when you came in?"

Charlotte sunk back into the pillows and sighed, "My boyfriend broke up with me."

Nathan instantly felt bad for his daughter. He didn't know that much about the guy she'd been dating, he'd only met him once but he seemed nice. But hearing that he dumped his daughter made him want to give him a good firm talking to.

"It's just not fair." Charlotte looked at her brother, "I mean you and Liza are like practically married and my boyfriend just dumped me."

Nathan smirked when he heard Charlotte say the part about Jamie practically being married. She didn't know it yet, but she was speaking words so very close to the truth.

"That guy is probably an ass. Don't worry about it Charlotte." Jamie tried to give his baby sister a few encouraging words, "There's someone out there for you."

Charlotte was taking in Jamie's words. She was only sixteen. She still had plenty of time to find Mr. Right. They couldn't all be like their parents and find it in high school.

Jamie was right though. There was someone out there for her. She'd meet him when she was out of college and a couple years later they'd tie the knot.

"Where's mom?" Charlotte looked to her dad.

"At the studio."

Charlotte started to get up, "I'm gonna go pay her a visit. Hey Jame, are you gonna stay for dinner?"

Jamie shook his head, "Nah, I've got something I need to do." He put his hand over the ring in his pocket and smiled, "But I'll probably be back soon."

He got up and hugged Charlotte before she left. Jamie turned to his dad and smiled, "Thanks for giving me some advice."

Nathan nodded and laughed, "You know you could have done this over the phone instead of making a trip out of it."

"I know but it was something I thought needed to be talked about in person." Jamie stuck out his hand and Nathan gladly shook it.

Smiling at his son Nathan smirked, "I'll see you soon."

Jamie had that same Scott smirk curling out of the corner of his mouth. His father had said everything he needed to hear. Now he had to get back to Chapel Hill. He had a very important question to ask Miss Liza Bennet.

**OTHOTH**

When Haley got home she saw that Nathan was working out next to the pool. She could have watched him for a while but needed to talk to him. Apparently he was keeping something from her.

"How many is that?" She playfully asked as she walked over to him.

He lifted the bar once more and rested it back in its place, "Like ten, I just started."

Haley walked over closer to him and sat down in a chair, "So, were you going to tell me?"

Nathan felt a lump form in his throat. She couldn't possibly know already. "About what?"

"Jamie! He drove all the way down here and you didn't even call me or anything."

A tsunami of relief rushed over his body and he sighed, "Oh, well he was only here for a little while and had to get back to Chapel Hill."

Haley scrunched her eyebrows, "What was so important he couldn't just call?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't know, maybe he just wanted to drive down here?" He was fading with excuses and hoped she didn't have anymore questions.

"I just wish he would have told me he was coming. I hate that I missed him. Did he say when he'll be home again?" Haley rested her arm on the side of the chair, and her head on her hand.

"No, but I have a feeling it might be pretty soon."

Haley smiled. She missed her boy. He wasn't exactly a boy anymore but that didn't matter. He was off away with his own life about to graduate from college and she missed having him home.

Nathan wanted to change the subject, "So where's Charlotte? She said she was going to see you at the studio."

Haley's eyes widened, "Oh she's still there. Peyton and I put her on the drums to beat out some of her anger." She let out a small laugh, "I didn't want her throwing things around the house, or banging on my piano and bust it up."

Nathan smiled at Haley, "Yeah, she was kind of upset when she came home. Went straight for the ice cream."

Haley grimaced, "I think she'll be okay though. She was only dating whatever his name was for a few weeks."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, hopefully."

"I wonder if she got into the cookie dough too?" Haley thought out loud.

"Cookie dough?" Nathan arched his brow.

"Yeah, that was my thing."

"Really"

Haley nodded, "Uh-huh. I went through so much of that stuff at the beginning of our senior year."

Nathan looked down. He wasn't exactly proud of some of the things he had said to her right when she got back from the tour.

"But I haven't had to crack open that stuff for pity food in quite a while." She got up from her chair and and sat next to him on his workout bench. "Can you believe that was all nearly twenty five years ago."

He shook his head, "That long ago?"

Haley leaned into him and nodded, "Yep."

Nathan wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Doesn't seem like that long."

"I know, and since Charlotte's sixteen..."

"Don't..." He winced, "Don't say it."

Haley laughed, "What, don't want your daughter to follow in our footsteps."

Nathan shook his head, "Not particularly."

Haley smirked and looked into his blue eyes. They had changed a bit over time. Sometimes they looked a little more blue-green and some days they looked a cool blue-gray. It just depended on what he wore. Taking her thoughts away from her husband's eyes she thought about what would happen if Charlotte came to them and told them she wanted to get married. It blew her mind. Haley couldn't even believe that her kids were old enough to get married.

Nathan ran one of his hands down her arm, "What are you thinking about?"

"Our kids." She smiled up at him.

He returned the smile. He thought about both their children, "They're kind of great right?"

Haley turned to face him and nodded. She didn't need to say anything. They way she looked nearly made Nathan's heart beat right of his chest. He leaned over to her and placed a sweet kiss on her lips and he could feel her smile.

Haley was starting to say something when they heard the front door slam.

They both looked to each other and spoke in unison, "Charlotte's home."

**OTHOTH**

It had nearly been a week since Charlotte's heartbreak and Jamie's trip to ask for his father's advice, and still no call from Jamie. Nathan had been surprised they hadn't gotten a call a day or so after he had talked to his son, but the call did come, on the following Thursday night. Haley was playing the piano when she heard the phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom!" Jamie sounded rather excited.

Haley smiled at the sound of her son's voice, "Hey Jamie, what's going on?"

"Not much, but I was wondering if maybe Liza and I could come for dinner tomorrow. We're going down to Savannah Saturday and I thought we might stop by."

"Sure, sounds great. Do you want anything in particular to eat?"

Jamie didn't care really what they ate. He would be more concerned about telling his family the big news. "No I don't care. What ever you want to do will be fine."

"Oh okay. Well then I guess we'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Alright, I gotta run, but I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Mom."

"Bye." Haley hung up the phone and set it down on the receiver.

Nathan walked in and saw that Haley had a weird look on her face, "You okay?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Jamie just called and said he and Liza were coming over to dinner tomorrow night."

Nathan instantly knew why his son had called to arrange dinner plans, "Really?"

"Yeah, they're going to Savannah on Saturday and thought they might stop by here first."

Nathan had to turn his face away from Haley so she didn't wonder why he looked so happy.

"I'm curious why the sudden trip down here though?" Haley raised her brow. Nathan laughed and Haley looked at him funny, "What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

Haley was way to smart to not even have a clue as to why Jamie and Liza would be coming by tomorrow. Not to mention Jamie had said they were going to Liza's hometown too. But it was probably better that way; for her not to know. It would make tomorrow even more fun seeing her reaction.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie pulled into the driveway of his parents house and looked to the girl next to him. He couldn't believe that she was going to be his future wife. As he turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition he looked over to her.

She was beaming. He had asked her a few days ago and he could have sworn that every time he looked her way she had her eyes glued to her finger.

"Liza?" He had to say her name just to get her attention.

She turned to him and smiled, "Yeah?"

"We're here."

Liza looked outside and recognized the Spanish style home she'd been to many times before. Jamie stuck his hand out and she placed hers in his. He ran his thumb over her fingers and he too found himself staring at the ring. They both looked to each other at the same time and he leaned over and kissed her.

"Ready?"

Liza smiled and nodded, "Now I am."

They both got out of the car and headed for the front door. She had her right hand over her left hiding any evidence that they were engaged.

Nathan opened the door and smiled at his son.

"Hey Dad."

"Hi Mr. Scott." Liza was always very polite when she went to see Jamie's parents.

Nathan looked to his soon to be daughter-in-law and smiled, "Hi Liza."

Haley walked to the door and slid past Nathan to hug Jamie. "Hey Jamie." Haley wrapped her arms around her son then turned to his girlfriend and hugged her, "Liza it's great to see you."

"You too Mrs. Scott." Liza looked to Jamie as soon as she said it and they both smiled at each other. Mrs. Scott. It had a nice ring to it. Liza could feel the butterflies in her stomach and tried to contain her excitement.

The four walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and chairs.

"I told Charlotte you would be here soon, so she should be down in a second." Haley took a seat next to Jamie on the couch.

"Are they here?" A voice echoed down the stairs.

Jamie laughed when he heard Charlotte, "Yeah, we're here."

A rumble of footsteps came from the stairs and Charlotte joined them in the living room. "Hey guys."

Jamie and Liza both smiled then Jamie cleared his throat. "So Liza and I have some news."

"Oh my God are you pregnant?" Charlotte's eyes went wide with anticipation.

Haley gasped and turned to her daughter, "Charlotte!"

The sixteen year old raised her shoulder, "What? Sorry."

"No, no, that's not it." Liza's voice was shaky but she laughed it off. She rubbed her right hand over her left eagerly anticipating the big reveal.

Jamie laughed and looked at his family. "Actually, we're getting married."

"What?!!" Haley looked to Jamie then over to Liza.

Liza held up her left hand and nodded, "He asked me to marry him."

Haley's eyes were teary and she happily smiled and got up to exam Liza's ring.

"No way!" Charlotte jumped off the side of the oversized chair she had been sharing with her dad and went over to Liza.

"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful." Haley held Liza's finger up to her face and shook her head in amazement.

Charlotte studied the ring, "You did good Jame."

Liza nodded, "It's perfect."

Haley turned to look at to Jamie and smiled, "My son's getting married." She moved back over to the couch and hugged Jamie then right back over to Liza.

Nathan watched as a silent bystander and let the girls do all their squealing. He turned to Jamie and stood up. Jamie stood up and Nathan hugged his son, "Congratulations." Jamie smiled and looked over to the girls. Nathan would be sure to say his congratulations to Liza but he'd let the girls rant and rave for a little while longer. He smiled watching them "ooh and ah,"Nathan knew that Liza was going to be a perfect addition to the family.

**OTHOTH**

After the initial shock and excitement wore off everyone made their way to the dinning room. The food was ready and when they all sat down Charlotte couldn't help but ask.

"So how did you do it Jamie? How'd you propose?" She raised her eyebrows and smirked.

Jamie looked at Liza and laughed, "It's kind of funny actually. It was yesterday afternoon..."

As he began to tell the story Liza remembered it vividly in her head.

"_Ready to head back?" Liza was jogging in place and looked over at Jamie._

_They had been running around campus for the last forty-five minutes and Jamie had no problem heading back to the apartment. "Yeah sure."_

_She turned around and Jamie was just a few steps behind watching her run. He couldn't help but smile, she was an athlete, a college soccer player, and if it was possible, she rain with grace. As they made their way back to the apartment Jamie found himself thinking of ideas on how to pop the question. It had been almost a week since he'd asked his dad for advice. And since Jamie wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings he failed to noticed the loose gravel a few feet away._

_Liza heard a thud then Jamie groan. She rushed back over to him and knelt down, "What happened?" She looked him over worried he might have hurt himself._

"_I'm fine, I'm fine." Jamie slowly sat up._

"_Oh God, look at your elbow." Liza gently took his arm in her hands._

_Jamie didn't even realize that he had hurt himself. "I'm okay." He got to his feet and laughed, "I really busted didn't I?"_

_Liza smiled and nodded her head, "Yeah, what happened?"_

"_I don't know, I guess my mind was somewhere else."_

_She widened her eyes, "Yeah, well whatever it was, it must have been important."_

_Jamie looked straight into her eyes, "It was." For a moment his mouth went dry and the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't say anything._

"_Let's get you home."_

_Both of them turned and walked the short distance back to the apartment. As soon as they got inside, Liza went to the hall bathroom to get the first aid kit. She was studying to become a nurse after all, it was a natural instinct._

_Jamie however didn't care so much about his cut. He walked into the bedroom and went to the bedside table drawer; he needed to get something._

"_Where did you go?" Liza walked out of the bathroom and looked around for Jamie._

_He came out of the bedroom and smiled, "Sorry I had to get someth..."_

_Liza interrupted him, "You're gonna get a scar if you don't clean that up." She waved the first aid kit and pointed to his wound. She pulled him into the kitchen and he sat on a stool while Liza tended to his cut. She was effortless in her movements. Rinsing his arm off with peroxide, applying Neosporin, and adhering the band-aid had Jamie smiling._

_When she was done Jamie got off the stool and stood next to her. He sweetly kissed her, "Thank you."_

_She smiled and looked at his newly bandaged arm, "You don't know what you'd do without me."_

_Jamie looked at her, "Marry me?" It just came out of his mouth. _

_The thing was, Jamie didn't know what he would do without her so he just asked her right then, right there. He took a step back and reached into his pocket._

_Liza's eyes were wide and didn't know if she had heard him correctly, but when she saw him get on one knee she was pretty sure what was going on._

_On one knee, Jamie looked up to his girlfriend, "Liza I love you. I've loved you since that day we first met. We were both lost looking for that dumb building, and you've helped me find my way ever since." He took a deep breath and opened the little black box. "Elizabeth Bennet will you marry me?"_

_Liza had tears in her eyes and couldn't believe it was happening. She always knew that Jamie was it for her, and that hopefully one day he'd ask her the question he was asking now. "Yes." She put her hands on her face and wiped away a tear. Holding back the emotion in her voice she nodded, "Yes. I'll marry you."_

_Jamie's smile was overtaking his face and he was pretty sure that somewhere throughout the exchange he too had shed a tear. He took the ring and slid it on her finger. Jamie took both of her hands in his and was about to speak but Liza kissed him. _

_When they parted he wrapped his arms around her, "I love you."_

_She looked back to him and smiled, "I love you too." She took a deep breath and looked down at her engagement ring. "It's beautiful Jamie."_

_He glanced down at the ring, "So you like it?"_

"_I love it." She was absolutely stunned in the best possible way as she looked from the ring to Jamie. "We've got to call our parents. Ah, their going to be so excited!"_

_Liza hurried over to her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Both of the fathers already knew. Jamie had asked Mr. Bennet permission and then his own dad for advice. Jamie knew that Liza wasn't going to be able to hide it from her mom but he wanted to surprise his mom and tell his family in person. He watched Liza eagerly listen to the ringing line awaiting an answer. Jamie smiled to himself. Things felt right, and as he watched the girl he'd loved for the last three years he found it amazing that he was going to marry her._

"You tripped?" Charlotte started to laughed taking Liza out of her trance.

"Yep." Jamie nodded and held out his elbow. "But it turned out to be great."

Haley perked up, "I have to call Brooke and Peyton, and..." She started to scoot her chair back but Nathan shook his head.

"Hales, why don't we wait and do that later. I think we all know that if you call Brooke now, she'll want to come over."

Charlotte laughed, "Yeah." She shook her head thinking about the craziness that was her aunt Brooke. She turned to Liza, "I sure hope you haven't picked out your dress yet, cause Aunt Brooke is totally going to want to make it."

Liza smiled, "I hoped she would."

Haley couldn't wait to tell Brooke the good news, she was going to freak. Brooke had been the first to say that Jamie and Liza would end up getting married. "Now Liza, I know you and your mom will do most of the planning but if you need anything I'm always here." Haley knew that one day she'd hopefully get to help plan Charlotte's wedding, but she couldn't help but offer.

"Thank you Mrs. Scott."

Haley looked at Jamie and Liza, and then looked over to Nathan. The young couple reminded her a lot of herself and Nathan. Sure Liza and Jamie were younger, and weren't exactly the same, but she could tell that they would last.

Nathan's eyes locked with Haley's and without speaking any words they had a whole conversation. They were both excited, and happy. Proud that their son had found the girl for him.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked out of the bathroom and saw Haley come into their bedroom. She shut the double doors and laughed, "You know Jamie is sleeping in his old room and Liza's staying in a guest bedroom? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

Nathan raised his brow, "This coming from the girl who was petrified when she thought that Jamie may have snuck down to Liza's room the first time he brought her here?" Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"That was different." Haley cut her eyes toward him. "They're engaged now, and they already live together back at school so..."

Nathan interrupted, "Well every other time they've ever stayed here they've always stayed in separate bedrooms. So I don't think it's really that strange."

Haley walked over to her side of the bed and pulled down the covers. She was considering Nathan's explanation and he had a point. People were creatures of habit, so maybe it was just because it was what Jamie and Liza had always done. "I guess you're right."

As She slid into the cool crisp sheets Nathan smiled, "I think I know why you think its weird."

She turned to her husband, "Why."

"Cause it was never a big deal with us." Nathan turned over to face Haley, "I mean we kind of skipped all of the stuff in between dating and marriage. I never had to stay at your parent's house, and I was emancipated so you didn't have to stay at my parent's."

Haley smiled thinking back on their younger years.

Nathan continued,"We weren't even together that long and..."

Haley finished his thought, "And then you proposed."

He nodded, "And then I proposed." Nathan smiled and scooted a little closer to Haley.

She gently placed her hand on his cheek and ran her thumb just under his eye. "And I've been at your side ever since." Haley's warm eyes softened and she kissed him sweetly.

Nathan wrapped a protective arm around her side and felt her lay her head on his chest. It was his favorite part of the night. The moment just before they both fell asleep when they'd move close to each other and await an impending dream world. He smiled when he thought about what Haley had said, sure they'd been through their share of ups and downs but through it all she was always by his side. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. It's like 50/50 when it comes to my readers and what they like. Half of you really like future moments, while others don't, so I'm just trying to please everyone. I know some of you aren't fans of the future chapters but they are quite fun for me to write since they are more of "my" creation. Does that make sense? In the present and past ones I feel like I just elaborate on things we missed, but with the future ones I get to dive into characters I've created and explore new things. But just remember, I always try and make it as Naley centered as possible. Jamie, Liza, Charlotte and any others will never be as important as Nathan and Haley.**

**And if some of you were hoping if I would do an extension or little moment from the latest episode...I'm not. Only because there are multiple already posted on here and they are all great. I would highly recommend cyke93's With Arms Outstretched. It's great. Really, go check it out!**

**Lastly, if you were one of the ones who may have been disappointed that this one wasn't quite so Naley as the others...have no fear! The next one is lot's of Naley, I mean it's Valentine's Day for Pete's sake. I haven't written it yet, but I know what I want to happen so I'll be working on it the rest of the week. Hopefully I'll get to update before or on V-Day, so keep an eye out.**

**Reviews always inspire me to write, so send me some love (tis' the season)... or hate, and let me know what you think!**


	31. Be My Valentine

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 31: Be My Valentine**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, no surprise.**

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day people! Thank you all very much for the reviews last chapter, didn't quite expect that number to be so high! But moving right along...why doesn't OTH do holidays? I mean really. A Valentine's day would be adorable. Right? Right? Yes! So since the wonderful world of Tree Hill seems to skip out on such cuteness I will try and give you a little here. The title says it all! Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

For the majority of husbands a simple box of chocolates, flowers, and maybe a nice piece of jewelry were common Valentine's day presents, but for Nathan, he wanted to do something a little different. Sure' he'd get her something along those lines of that but he and Haley had been married almost seven years and after experiencing ups and downs throughout their marriage Nathan wanted to do something special. Instead of spending bookoodles of money he went for a gift from the heart. Something that was uniquely Nathan and Haley.

It was Sunday, February 12th about 2am, and Nathan was tracking his shipment online. Sitting on the living room couch, he had quietly left the bedroom, taken Haley's laptop, and made his way downstairs. He had just clicked on 'track my package' when he heard footsteps. Nathan turned and looked up to find Haley walking over. He quickly minimized the screen and turned to his wife.

"Hey what are you doing up?" Nathan gave Haley a slight smile.

Haley sat down next to Nathan and leaned toward him. "I woke up and when I reached out over to you're side of the bed you weren't there."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, I was just wondering where you'd gone off to." Haley glanced at the laptop screen and laughed, "Legos dot com"

Nathan turned his head to the screen, "I.. No, I wasn't.... Jamie must have had it up."

Haley just laughed and playfully teased him, "Sure. You probably do this a lot, sneak on the computer and play Lego computer games."

He shook his head, "This isn't..."

"Hey." Haley brushed her knuckles along his jaw, "It's fine, I kind of always thought under all those layers you were a video game geek."

With that Nathan's cut his eyes at his wife, "I'm not a geek. The only games I play are sports games unless I play with Jamie." His toned had changed, he wanted to make sure Haley knew that he was no dork.

She raised her brow and smiled, "You're totally a geek."

Nathan stared at Haley and looked at her sternly, "Take it back."

"You're a geek." She couldn't hide the smile that washed over her face each time she said it.

"Haley." Nathan warned. "Take it back."

She shook her head and smiled, "You're a..." Haley instantly felt his hands at her waist and she knew things were going to get ugly. "Nathan stop! Don't do that."

"I'm sorry what did you say?" Nathan laughed and started to tickle Haley's sides.

"Stop. Please!" Haley tried to muffle her laughter since their five year old son was asleep upstairs.

Nathan smirked, "I don't know Hales? You still think I'm a geek?"

Haley knew that the right answer was no, but a part of her enjoyed what was going on.

So with Haley's silence Nathan took it as a yes. He grabbed her by the thighs and pulled her close so he had a better angle at getting to her most ticklish spots. He ran his hands over her stomach and through the thin material of the tank top felt her stomach flutter.

He smirked and placed his hands firmly along her hip bones. Nathan leaned over to her face and raised his eyebrows waiting for a reply.

Haley found the whole situation childish and immature, but fun and sexy too. Who said 'take it back' and tickled someone when they didn't get there way? She couldn't think of anyone but staring at Nathan and realizing that he had gotten so peeved by the comment made it interesting.

"What's it gonna be Haley?"

She looked into his deep blue eyes and she could have sworn that she felt all of her nerves fire at once. Instead of answering his question she pulled him down in a feverish kiss.

When they parted Nathan smirked, "I'm not a geek."

Haley smiled as she shook her head, "Not in the slightest." She blushed as he looked at her.

"But you are." Nathan laughed as he glanced at Haley.

"Nathan! That's not fair. I can't help it if I'm naturally smart." Haley defended herself.

"And you know what?" One side of Nathan's mouth curled into a smile.

Haley shook her head, "What?"

"I fell in love with you because you were smart." He kissed her just below her jaw, "And kind." He moved to her cheek, "And didn't take any of my crap." He pulled back and looked at her and smiled, "Because you were a geek."

"You know you loved it." Haley playfully batted her eyelashes.

He nodded, "You're right, and I still do. I love you Haley James Scott, and I always will."

Haley hardly could contain herself. She let out a soft sigh and kissed him again. "I love you too."

Nathan was so preoccupied with kissing his wife he'd forgotten all about what he was doing on the computer in the first place. It would just have to wait till the next day. He was much to busy with Haley.

**OTHOTH**

When the dark indigo morning sky changed into the beginnings of the day Nathan slowly opened his eyes. He looked over to Haley and saw that she was peacefully sleeping. It had only been 6 or so hours since their geek conversation, still February 12th. He noticed the pattern of her breath and knew that he would never love any other person as much as he loved the girl lying next to him. She was perfect in every sense. Even with her hair a mess, no make-up, a tank top, and flannel pajama bottoms she was beautiful.

It was while he watched her sleep that he remembered he hadn't gotten to check the shipping status of his package the night before.

He quietly slid out of bed and walked downstairs then headed straight for the laptop. Once it was up and running he entered in the shipping number and saw that the approximate arrival date was tomrrow, Monday February 13th. That was cutting it pretty close, the 13th. What if it didn't come in time? He didn't really have a back-up, and even if the package did come, it wasn't like he knew for sure that what he wanted would be in there.

Nathan sighed heavily and under his breath muttered, "Come on Frito-Lay, please please just ship this in time."

He exited the web page and turned off the computer. Nathan walked into the kitchen and started the pot of coffee. He knew that Haley would be grateful when she came down. Bored and not wanting to watch TV or anything he decided to go back upstairs.

Once he got to the doorway he smiled. Haley had moved over so she was practically diagonal on their bed. He stepped over to the bed and laid down next to her. If that was all he got to do in life, watch her, he'd be okay. There was something so mesmerizing about that girl that got him every time. He placed a sweet kiss on her cheek and she began to stir.

Haley opened her eyes just enough to see Nathan, "Hi."

"Morning." He leaned on one of his arms and looked at her, "I turned the coffee pot on, so it should be ready in a little while."

She sighed, "Thank you." Haley rolled back to her normal position and sat up against the pillows. "So what are you're plans for the day?"

Nathan shrugged, "Nothing." He could go to the river court or the gym seeing as he was in the beginning stages of his comeback, but spending the day with Haley and Jamie sounded better.

"Well since it's cold outside you think Jamie would like to go bowling?" She turned to question Nathan.

"Yeah that'll be fun."

Just as Nathan said it Jamie came running it and jumped on their bed.

"Hey little man." Haley watched as her son slowly climbed over the covers and situated himself between his parents.

"Morning Mama, morning Daddy."

Nathan ruffled his son's hair and smiled, "Hey bud, what do you think about going bowling today?"

"Really?"

Haley nodded, "Yep."

Jamie smiled, "Sweet."

Haley looked at her son and husband, "So what do we want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" Jamie sat up and nodded.

Nathan laughed hat his son's enthusiasm, "Pancakes are good with me."

"Then pancakes it is." Haley threw the covers off her legs and got up. "Jame you wanna help?"

The little boy shot off of the bed so quickly they didn't even hear his response.

Haley laughed and followed Jamie out of the bedroom. Nathan laid his head in the pillows smiling. He had it good. He had a wonderful family and there was nothing more he could ask for. Well that was a lie, he wished that his damn package would just get there already.

**OTHOTH**

The following day Nathan picked up Jamie from school and sped home trying to make sure he was there when the package came. It wasn't like it was anything too extravagant, but he was going to have to sift though things to find what he was looking for.

When the father and son walked inside Jamie got out a juice box and cookies.

Nathan eyed his son curiously, "Does your mom or Nanny Deb let you have cookies after school?"

"Yes." Jamie said casually. He looked back over to his father and saw that Nathan was starring at him. "No, but I've been really good today. I even got a gold star at school."

It was a helpless situation. There was no possible way Nathan could deny Jamie the cookies. One look at those baby blue eyes and Nathan caved.

"Okay, but just a couple."

Jamie smiled and walked over to the couch. "Dad will you watch a movie with me?"

Nathan turned to his son. It was raining outside so the chances of them playing basketball outside were shot and he didn't really want to leave the house knowing his shipment would be there soon.

"Sure, what do you wanna watch?" Nathan walked over to the DVD collection and started looking for a movie.

Jamie perked up, "How about Shrek 2?"

Nathan reached for the movie and pulled it out, "Sounds good to me." He laughed as he took it out and put it in the DVD player. Nathan really did enjoy Shrek 2.

While they watched, periodically Nathan would turn his head to the door thinking he may have heard a knock or the doorbell. It wasn't until 32 minutes into the movie that he heard the actual sound. He quickly rose to his feet and walked to the door.

There stood a man dressed in a brown uniform with a giant box sitting on a dolly. Nathan signed the form and told the guy that he could wheel the package into the kitchen.

When Jamie saw the package his eyes went wide, "Whoa, what is that? That's a huge box."

Nathan smiled and nodded, "Well actually it's a bunch of little boxes just inside of one big one."

"Is that for Mama?" Jamie curiously looked up his father.

He nodded, "Yeah."

Nathan thanked the delivery guy and turned to Jamie. "How about we play a game?" Nathan started to open the package and smiled when he saw the smaller red and blue boxes. He took one out and showed Jamie. "It's kind of like a treasure hunt. I need you to help me find something."

The little boy nodded listening to his father's instructions.

"Inside these boxes there are prizes, and I need you to help find me a bracelet." Nathan opened the first box and tore open the white envelope.

It wasn't a bracelet, or anything of any real substance. Instead it was a piece of paper that you slip over a pencil. Nathan frowned and turned to his son, "Well hopefully there will be something like a bracelet in one of these boxes."

Jamie grabbed a box and saw a little boy and a dog on the cover. He didn't know why his father ordered so many of the small little boxes and looked to his dad, "What are these?"

Nathan let out a small laugh, "Cracker Jacks. Breakfast of champions."

The little boy crinkled his forehead. Breakfast? Who ate caramel popcorn and peanuts for breakfast? Jamie shook his head in disbelief but continued to pull out the prize. He turned to his dad and stuck out his hand, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Nathan had already gone through a handful of Cracker Jack boxes but his son had managed to find what he was looking for in one fail swoop.

It wasn't perfect, not exactly the same but it was good enough. Nathan knew that Haley had lost her original amongst the shuffle of life. They had moved a few times, and one day he stopped seeing it around, so he had the idea of replacing it. Sure he probably could have gone on eBay and found one but it was exciting going through the boxes searching for a replacement.

Jamie handed his dad the new bracelet and Nathan smiled. He couldn't wait to see what Haley was going to say when he gave it to her tomorrow night.

**OTHOTH**

Valentine's day morning didn't quite exist in the Scott household; at least this morning it didn't. Nathan had left before either Haley or Jamie were awake to get in a morning workout at the river court leaving the other two Scotts at home.

Haley woke up and frowned when she realized Nathan was already up and apparently gone. She got out of bed wondering if she had anything special waiting for her when she got downstairs. Jumping in the shower ideas spun around her head as she thought about what Nathan was going to get her and how he might react to her gift.

After getting dressed she walked into the kitchen and was a little disappointed that there were no flowers or chocolates or anything left out for her, but then she saw a note. Picking up the small piece of paper she read Nathan's scrawl. _Hales, left early for a morning workout, I'll be home before you head off for work._ Instead of dwelling on the fact that her husband was MIA Haley got out a bag with Jamie's Valentine's day gifts and set them next to his seat at the bar.

A few minutes latter while Haley flipped over a pancake she heard little feet come into the kitchen. Jamie hopped up on a chair and smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day Mama!" Jamie held out a little card in his hands.

Haley turned to her young son, "Happy Valentine's Day baby." She smiled as she took the card from his hands.

"Open it." Jamie looked wide eyed towards his mom.

Using her thumb to tear open the envelope Haley looked over the hand drawn card. On the front the there was a picture of what she assumed was her family. A stick figure man, woman, and child. Inside it read _Happy Vallentine's Day. I love you. Jamie._ Haley smiled as she read the card. Even though he had spelled Valentine's wrong it was precious. When she looked back to Jamie he had a huge grin on his face and was obviously proud of his card.

"Thank you Jamie, I love it." Haley walked over to the fridge and used magnets to hang it up.

Jamie turned to his little pile of red and reached out for a small little box of chocolates in a heart shaped box. Tearing open the plastic Jamie curiously eyed each chocolate wondering which one was which. Instead of looking at them he popped one in his mouth.

"Jamie don't eat those now." Haley crinkled her forehead, "I'm just about to give you your real food."

The little boy didn't seem to mind having chocolate for breakfast. Pancakes may have been more traditional but he couldn't resist. Jamie looked up to his mom with a smear of chocolatey goodness on his cheek and held out a piece of candy. "Breakfast of champions." He smiled after quoting his father then tossed a candy in his mouth.

Haley had to do a double take, because for a moment she was back in time. Nathan had said that on the first day she tutored him and now hearing it come from her son had her experiencing deja-vu. Jamie had Nathan's eye's, that Scott smirk, and looked more and more like him everyday, and now he sounded just like him.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Jamie, "Where'd you hear that Jamie?"

"Daddy."

Haley smiled, of course it had come from Nathan. But where was Nathan? She glanced at the clock and saw that it was close to 7:20am. If he didn't get home soon, she'd be dropping off Jamie and wouldn't get to see Nathan till that night.

After both she and Jamie ate a good, hearty breakfast, Haley helped Jamie get dressed and decided that she'd just have to take Jamie to school. Secretly she hoped that Nathan would pull up as they were leaving, but that didn't happen. His note had said that he would be home before they left so she couldn't help but worry about him, it was just her nature.

Jamie nearly jumped out of the car when Haley pulled up to his school but he knew better than to run off. He waited patiently for his mom and when he felt her hand grasp on t his they started walking. Ever since the Nanny Carrie debacle, Haley had been a big fan of walking Jamie to and from class.

Haley stopped when she got to Ms. Lauren's room and bent down to Jamie, "Bye Jamie, have a good day."

"Bye Mama." Jamie smiled and then ran into the classroom.

She watched him go towards his desk and headed back to her car. She pulled out her phone but there was no message or no missed call, nothing. She couldn't help but frown at the absence of her husband on any and all levels.

**OTHOTH**

The first half of the day wasn't too bad. Haley had managed to keep the kids in order while discussing Romantic poetry and the illusions that come from 18th century love letters. It was Valentine's Day after all, it was appropriate.

When the fourth period bell rang she dismissed her students and walked to the teacher's lounge. Her lunch was in there and she needed to get it out of the fridge. Left over pasta, nothing fancy. After she heated it up she walked back to her room and stopped.

"What are you doing here?" Haley's mouth was open and she couldn't hide the smile that was forming.

"I didn't get to see you this morning so I thought I'd stop by."

Haley walked toward Nathan and saw that he was holding a brown paper bag and a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers in a clear vase. She instantly reached for the flowers, "They're beautiful Nathan."

"Happy Valentine's Day Haley." He took a step closer to her and lifted the bag on her desk. "I thought I'd bring you some lunch too. No leftovers."

"You didn't have to do that." Haley was still taking in the fact that Nathan was in her classroom, armed with flowers and lunch, and couldn't get over it.

He playfully smiled, "I wanted to."

She let out a small laugh and walked over to him and kissed him square on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too Haley." He smiled kindly and opened up the bag, "Since it's so cold outside I decided to get soup from that new place on Water Street." He set down the containers and grinned, "Chicken noodle...extra noodle."

Under her breath Haley nodded, "Extra noddle." She looked up to Nathan with warm eyes. He was quite possibly world's greatest husband.

When they had their food Nathan turned to Haley, "I'm sorry I didn't make it home before you left this morning. I really meant too. I just lost track of time."

"It's okay, I got Jamie off to school and he opened his presents. He really enjoyed eating some of his chocolate for breakfast. He said it was..." She looked upwards trying to drag it out, "He said it was the breakfast of champions."

Nathan laughed, "Using all my old lines huh? We're gonna have to watch out for that. He'll be a lady killer."

Haley shook her head and laughed as well, "It's not like it was a pick up line."

"No but it helped me get you." Nathan raised his brow and smiled.

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Maybe so."

Haley thought back on the past; it was true. That first day she tutored him by the docks was the beginning of it all. When he slipped that toy bracelet over her arm was when everything changed. She didn't take it off for the first few weeks he'd given it to her but after 7 years of marriage she didn't wear it anymore, she couldn't.

Nathan sat his soup down and cleared his throat, "So tonight? Brooke's taking Jamie right?"

"Yeah," She nodded, "I never thought I'd be so happy Brooke is single." Haley laughed, "But she did say that she would be spending Valentine's Day with her favorite guy so I don't feel too bad that she's got him, she always loves spending time with Jamie."

He nodded. It wasn't like Jamie was a burden or anything like that, but it was going to be nice to have the house to themselves for the night. Normally if they didn't have a babysitter it would be a pretty uneventful night, maybe a movie and popcorn on the couch, and Nathan loved that, he did. But with their young son out of the house it made things much more fun.

For the next twenty minutes the young couple enjoyed their lunch. They laughed and talked about anything and everything. Soon enough Haley looked up to the clock and realized that her 5th period class would be walking in within minutes.

"Nathan thank you for doing this, for the flowers, and for lunch; but I've got a class in like three minutes."

He nodded. Nathan started to put away some of the trash and when all was cleared away he turned to his wife, "I'll see you tonight."

Haley smiled and walked toward him. She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him once more, "I'll see you tonight."

Nathan turned to walk out of the class and Haley went back to her desk. She sat down and studied the flowers sitting on the corner of her desk. She hadn't seen it before, but there was a little white card. She took it off and read it. _I love you_. That was it. Three little words that made her head spin. Three little words that changed her life all those years ago. She leaned back into her chair and smiled, "I love you too."

**OTHOTH**

It was close to 5:30pm when Haley got home. She'd been working with the school newspaper staff after school and didn't realize that she'd been there so long. As she drove home she didn't know what the plans were, if Nathan was taking her out, if they were staying in. A part of her really wanted to stay in after working all day but if he took her out it wouldn't be too bad.

When she opened up the front door she instantly knew what the plans were. The smell of garlic and other spices filled her nose. They were staying in and she couldn't be more happy about it.

"Nathan?" Haley called out as she set her purse down. "I'm home." She walked into the kitchen and saw that he was standing over a pan of new potatoes. She ran her hand over his shoulder, "Hi."

He turned to her and smiled, "Hey."

"It smells so good." Haley breathed in deeply through her nose.

Nathan nodded, "It should be ready in about thirty minutes. The lamb chops are about to go on the grill."

She looked around and took in what Nathan had done. He was cooking her dinner and it made her heart swell. Lamb, asparagus, new potatoes, a salad, everything looked great. "I think I'm gonna go change, and I'll meet you back down here."

Haley walked up the stairs. She couldn't wait to get out of her skirt and blouse. On any other day she might change into a t-shirt or jeans but that didn't seem very romantic or appropriate for Valentine's day. Instead she opted for a simple dress. Nothing too fancy, but something fun and flirty and comfortable.

After she had changed she walked in front of the mirror and looked at herself. Sometimes it amazed her that she was only twenty three. Not that she looked much older but that she had a beautiful five year old son, a wonderful husband, and a job she loved. For most people at twenty three they were still finding out who they were. But not Haley James Scott, she had all she ever wanted and more.

She turned to leave the bathroom and grabbed the card that was hidden in her bedside table drawer. It was her Valentine's Day present to Nathan. She hoped he liked it. He was always so hard to shop for but with him being back into basketball she figured why not.

Walking down the stairs she saw another bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter. She immediately went up to them and smiled. Nathan walked in from outside and she turned toward him. "Nathan, you got me more flowers."

Nathan set down the plate of lamb and smiled, "I thought you might like them." He noticed that she had changed and found himself staring at her, "You look beautiful."

A slight blush crept across Haley's cheek, "Thanks."

She looked around the room and sighed. He'd done so much for her. He'd gotten her flowers for her classroom, he took her lunch, he made dinner, and had even more flowers at the house. She looked down at the card in her hand and smiled, "Well here."

He took the card and slid his finger under the envelope.

"Be careful I don't want you to rip them." Haley grimaced as she watched him tear into her gift.

He pulled out the card and opened it. Two tickets of some sort were staring Nathan in the face. He picked up the tickets and smiled."You got me two tickets to a Bobcats game!"

"I thought it might be a little inspiring to take in a game while you're working on your comeback."

Nathan nodded and looked at the tickets once more. They were perfect, and he was so gratefull that she was so supportive in his dream.

Haley spoke up again, "Maybe you and Lucas could take a guy's trip like you did when we were in high school..."

He shook his head and took a step closer to her then laughed, "If I take anybody it's going to be you."

Secretly she'd wanted that but didn't want to make him take her if he didn't want to.

"Haley, you've stuck through everything with me and you are the only person I want at my side."

She sighed and lifted herself on her tiptoes like she'd done thousands of times and kissed him, "Happy Valentine's Day."

He smiled and then walked over to couch and grabbed the rectangular box. "This is for you."

Haley crinkled her forehead, "Nathan you've done more than enough."

He shook his head and handed her the box, "Here."

She cautiously unwrapped the box and was puzzled when she the red and blue box with a little boy on it, "Nathan...?"

"I know that it isn't the original but..."

Haley pulled out the bracelet and smiled at the small bracelet in her hands. It wasn't the same, but it was the thought that counted. "How did you find this?"

He laughed, "Well I ordered about fifty boxes and hoped that I'd find something like your old one."

"Jamie actually helped." She hadn't put it on and Nathan looked at her strangely, "Was it dumb?"

"No, not at all, it's just I was thinking about the old one."

"I know you lost the other one but I thought you might like a new one, even if it is just a plastic charm bracelet."

Haley's eyes softened and she grabbed his hand, "Come here." Before she led them up the stairs and into their bedroom she reached for a pair of scissors.

"What are we doing in here, and why do you have scissors?" Nathan sat down on the bed and she smiled.

"I love you for doing all that, ordering all those boxes and looking for a new bracelet..." She pulled out the new bracelet and scissors then cut it.

"Haley!"

She let out a laugh then turned to her jewelry box and pulled out the top layer. Underneath other bracelets and necklaces was a small colorful plastic bracelet. She took it in her hand and turned to Nathan, "But I didn't lose my old one."

She walked over to him, the old bracelet in one had, and the freshly cut new one in the other.

"I thought you lost it?" His wrinkles in his forehead crinkled in confusion.

She shook her head, "No it's just that the elastic is shot." She held up the stretched out old one, "But look this is perfect. I can restring it with the new one's band."

Nathan watched as she carefully slid the charms and beads off and used the new piece of elastic as a new band. She tied the ends together and handed him the bracelet.

He looked at it and smiled, "So you didn't lose it."

"Nope, and it was way to important to throw away even after I couldn't wear it."

She stuck out her wrist and Nathan happily slid the doctored bracelet on.

She smiled, "Well aren't you gonna say it?"

Nathan laughed and looked Haley in the eye, "Don't say I never gave you anything

She ran his hand across his cheek and smiled, "I love it, thank you so much."

"Happy Valentine's Day Hales." He leaned over and kissed her softly. Haley couldn't help herself and kissed him back. They fell back on the bed and Nathan laughed, "Haley, dinner is close to being done."

"It can wait." She laughed and kissed him again.

Nathan didn't have a problem skipping out on dinner, and he never would have thought that Haley would ever wear that old Cracker Jack bracelet again. Sometimes things got old, or broken, or lost in the chaos of life, but not that. That Cracker Jack bracelet had endured wear and tear but it still remained a piece of their history, and it always would be. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**Oh the bracelet. I couldn't resist guys. I seriously hope that thing makes a comeback before the show is over. How about some rain, the tattoo, or maybe throw in an 'always and forever'! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this. If there was something else you had in mind feel free to let me know and I'll add it to my list. The more the reviews, the better for you guys!! Hint, hint!**


	32. It's Not Just a Number

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 32: It's Not Just a Number**

**Disclaimer: Same ole' story. I don't anything. Thanks to Mark and co. for creating these characters that I can write these missing moments for.**

**A/N: Thank you all for your kind words in your reviews. They always nudge me to write! I can't believe I found time to crank out a chapter, I mean between my World Lit essay, Political Science test, and the Olympics I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to update till like Sunday. But you guys deserve a new chapter! So here we go. A missing moment from the college years. Hope you all enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley cautiously pulled onto Andrew Jackson highway and knew that they'd be crossing over that all familiar bridge in a few miles. As she steadily got into the right lane she glanced at the passenger seat. Nathan's forehead was resting on the widow and his heavy breathing was the tell-tale sign that he was deep in sleep. She smiled at the sight. There was something about seeing a 19 year old guy napping in the car that made her grin. As she moved her eyes away from her husband she looked at her young son through the review mirror. Their nearly 6 month old boy was asleep as well. Perfectly comfortable, Jamie was snuggled up in his car seat.

When the blue Honda hatch back crossed over the Cape Fear River Haley got goosebumps. They were home. She could see the river walk, the Henrietta III, the Diligence tied up in front of the river boat, and across from that, the battleship and the river court. They were home and she loved the feeling.

Even though they'd only been off at school for a few months it was nice to come back. Tree Hill High had called to let them know that they were retiring Nathan's jersey, and said they'd be honored if he made the trip back home for the ceremony. Of course Nathan and Haley accepted the invitation.

Nathan had to clear it with Whitey to make sure he could miss a few practices but Whitey understood. He was actually going out of town as well, leaving Lucas in charge of the team. And it was Lucas who seemed to be Mr. Dependable when it came to any and all kinds of situations. He'd generously given Haley his key to his mom's house so they could stay their for the weekend. With Karen off roaming the globe with Lily and Andy, it made perfect sense to let Nathan and Haley use to house while they were in town.

Haley pulled up to the little yellow house and turned off the engine. She leaned over towards Nathan and ran her hand over his shoulder, "Nathan we're here." She waited a moment and saw him start to stir.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw that they were in front of Lucas' house. He turned his body and saw Haley looking at him, "I guess we're here huh?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah."

They both looked to the backseat and saw that Jamie was still fast asleep. Haley turned back to Nathan, "Do you wanna get the bags and stuff while I take him in?"

Nathan nodded and got out of the car careful not to slam the door. Haley did the same and started to unbuckled Jamie's car seat. Once she got it out, she picked it up and headed for the house. When she pushed the door open she smiled as she walked into the home. It was the same as it always had been. She carefully walked into Luke's bedroom and set Jamie on the bed. He was still asleep and Haley couldn't believe it. That boy could sleep though anything.

That was until a loud ruckus came from the living room.

"Shit." Nathan muttered out. He had managed to drop Jamie's diaper bag which caused bottles and formula and diapers to go everywhere.

Haley saw that her son was waking up and took the sleeping baby in her arms. She walked out to the living room and saw Nathan on his hands and knees picking up an array of items.

"What happened?" She tried not to laugh but it was pretty funny watching Nathan crawl around the floor.

"Go ahead, laugh it up." His head was down and he didn't even look up at Haley.

Haley took a breath, "I'm sorry, it's just...how did this happen?"

"I don't know, I think it slipped off my shoulder, then all of the sudden everything went flying in all directions." It was then that he looked up and saw that Haley had Jamie resting on her shoulder. "Sorry did I wake him up?"

She nodded, "But it's okay, it was about time for him to wake up anyway."

Nathan stood up and walked over to Haley and Jamie. He put his hand on Jamie's back and moved it in small soothing circles. "So what do you wanna do now?" Nathan looked at Haley and raised his brow.

Haley smiled, "I think I've got an idea."

Nathan didn't have a clue as to where she wanted to go but wherever Haley went Nathan followed.

**OTHOTH**

It was early November and the trees at the river court were colors of fall. Leaves of burnt oranges and reds were scattered on the ground and tree branches. Nathan loved this place. It had started off as Lucas' spot but quickly grew into a safe haven they both could share.

Nathan parked the car and looked over at Haley. There was a basketball sitting on the floorboard next to her feet and she picked it up.

"Here you might want this." She passed Nathan the ball and tilted her head, "Go on, I'll get Jamie." Nathan nodded appreciatively and headed for the court. Haley turned to her son and smiled, "You ready to watch Daddy play Jamie?"

The little boy was far to young to talk but he waved his arms in the air and Haley took it as a yes. She walked to the trunk and pulled out the stroller. Once she transferred Jamie from the car to stroller she wheeled him over to the court.

She stopped the stroller next to the picnic table and took a seat looking out at Nathan. She really enjoyed watching him play. He had this way about him when he was on the court and Haley knew that she'd never get enough. She heard the clank of the metal net and then Nathan walked over.

He grinned at Haley, "Gotta get my two guard." Nathan reached for Jamie's stroller handle and pushed him onto the cement court.

"Be careful." Haley straightened up.

Nathan looked back and laughed, "Hales, he'll be fine."

She sighed and leaned back on her arms. He was right, everything would be fine but she couldn't help but worry.

With one hand Nathan dribbled the ball and with the other he pushed Jamie. "Scott's coming down the lane, looks like he's going for a lay up..." Nathan lifted off the ground and banked the ball off the backboard, "Oh and he scores. Jamie Scott wins it for the Ravens!"

Nathan wheeled his son in a circle trying to emulate some sort of victory dance. Haley could hear Jamie laugh and it made her smile. Watching Nathan play with their son was one of her favorite things to do.

"Wanna go again Jame?" Nathan looked down at his young son and without an answer headed for the goal again.

"Five seconds left. Jamie's headed for the post, but oh no he's double teamed." Nathan wheeled the stroller to the top of the key, "He breaks for the key and gets a pass from his dad." Nathan tossed the ball up then caught it and continued, "He's wide open, a basket to tie, but a three to win." Squaring his shoulders to the goal Nathan jumped and shot the ball with perfect form, "And it's good!" He wheeled the little boy towards the basket cheering.

Haley couldn't help but take part in the activities and cheered from the sidelines. Nathan looked over and their eyes met. It was just like they were in high school again.

Nathan laughed and leaned down to Jamie, "Be careful about those cheerleaders, they'll get you every time." He smiled then looked back to his son, "Or tutors, and definitely if their both, you'll be a goner for sure." Nathan smirked and glanced over at Haley, "Hales come here."

Haley raised her brow and shrugged, "Me?"

Nathan laughed, "Yes you."

She slowly walked over to her family and shoved her hands in her pockets.

"You'll be needing those." He nodded toward her hands, "Can't shoot with your hands in your pockets."

"Nathan, you know I'm not any good." She crinkled her forehead and frowned.

"I know, but Jamie will help."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Fine, pass me the ball."

Nathan smirked and wheeled Jamie over to Haley then stood behind her. He put his hands on her hips and leaned down to her ear, "Square yourself to the basket." Nathan ran his hands up her sides and rested them on her shoulders, "Make sure your shoulders are straight. "He started to run his hand back down to her hips but she wiggled away.

Blushing, Haley turned to her husband, "Nathan, I thought you said Jamie was going to help."

If he thought she was going to be able to concentrate with his hands roaming over her he was crazy.

He laughed and reached out for her, "He is, just be patient."

Haley walked back to her previous position and looked firmly at the goal in front of her. Nathan got Jamie out of the stroller and switched Haley the ball for their son.

"And how is this supposed to help." She curiously asked Nathan.

"Well just imagine that you're going to shoot Jamie into the basket."

"What? No!" Haley held Jamie tightly against her chest and shook her head. There was no possible way she was going to act like their six month old was an orange rubber ball.

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "I said imagine. Don't actually do it."

She let out a small laugh, "Oh."

"Okay let's start over. Just _imagine_ that Jamie is the ball. You don't want to hold him too tight or too loose right."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, but..."

Nathan laughed at Haley's impatience, "It's how you should hold the basketball. You don't want to squeeze it too tight, but if you aren't careful and hold it too loosely that won't work either."

He was actually making sense. Haley understood what he was saying. It was a good analogy.

"Okay now trade back with me." Nathan took Jamie from Haley's grasp and handed her the ball. He instructed her to bend her knees and poke her butt out just a little bit.

Haley turned to him when she was confident her pose what right.

"No you need to stick you butt out further."

She scowled and shook her head, "I thought you were trying to help me."

"I am, I'm being serious. Just a extend your lower half a little but more." Haley did as she was told but Nathan shook his head, "Not that much." Readjusting her pose he still shook his head, "No, back a little further." Haley was focused on listening to Nathan's instructions he kept calling out. "Back a little. Oh no wait, forward."

He watched as Haley kept moving back and forth and he started to laugh. She had no idea that he was just getting her to do those moves for his own enjoyment.

Nathan let out a laugh and Haley turned to Nathan, "What?"

Nathan had Jamie in his arms and was trying not to laugh too hard. He didn't want to accidentally give his son shaken baby syndrome.

It was as if the air cleared and suddenly Haley realized what was going on. "Oh my God, you weren't trying to help me at all!" She peeled her eyes in Nathan's direction. "You just wanted to watch me make a fool of myself!"

"I..it..Ha...." Nathan couldn't get in a single word because laughter consumed his body.

Haley walked up close to him, "You are so lucky you are holding our son right now."

"Don't take it so hard Hales, it was all in good fun." Nathan looked at Jamie and smiled, "Right Jamie?" Nathan smirked and glanced back Haley, "You loved it."

Haley watched Nathan bounce Jamie and any prior feelings of disdain she had vanished. She shook her head, "No...but I love you."

Nathan's lips curled into a smile.

Haley reached for Jamie and laid him against her shoulder, "Did you even think about actually helping me?"

"Hales..." He took a step closer to her and shook her head, "There is not a chance in hel...heck that I can help you with your game."

"Oh, well thanks." She laughed and shook her head, "I guess we should head back then. We've got to be at the school at six."

Nathan nodded and as he and Haley walked back to the car he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. Even if she wasn't going to win an Olympic medal in any sport he didn't care. He loved her for who she was and that was all that mattered.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had put on a simple brown dress and was putting on some mascara when she saw Nathan walk into the room from the shower. Haley watched Nathan through the mirror as he rummaged around his bag.

"It's hanging up." She turned to him, "Your shirt and Sport Coat, they're hanging up."

Nathan moved over to his clothes and started to change. Haley took one last look in the mirror and smiled. She looked pretty good. Stepping over to the pack n' play she watched Jamie as he lay on his back, gnawing on a plastic block. Suddenly Haley felt strong arms wrap around her frame and felt Nathan's cheek on her head.

"You about ready?"

Haley turned and saw that the blue shirt he wore brought out the color of his eyes. "Yeah, I guess."

Nathan bent down and picked up Jamie and the little boy rested his head against Nathan's broad shoulder. He stood there for a moment just holding Jamie and then put him in the car seat. He carried Jamie to the car and Haley got in the passenger seat.

It was just a short drive to the school. As Nathan pulled into the parking lot Haley caught a glimpse of the blue painted rock with the number 23 in white. It was a little surreal, her husband was getting his jersey retired at their high school.

Nathan reached out for Haley's hand and kissed the top of if, "Thanks for coming."

"Of course." She didn't know why he was thanking her but smiled anyway, "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

A soft gurgle from the backseat gained both their attention and Nathan proceeded to get the stroller while Haley unbuckled their son. When they had Jamie situated they made their way into the gym.

Haley could remember what it was like at Ravens basketball games; before she was ever a cheerleader, when she was just the girl in the stands looking on at the boy who'd stolen her heart. Now she was locked arm in arm with that boy, pushing a smaller light haired version of him into the gymnasium. She couldn't help but notice that as they walked past the cheerleaders that most of them were gawking at Nathan. Instead of feeling jealous Haley felt a surge of pride rush through her. Nathan was most definitely someone to gawk at but those girls had no idea just how good of a man he was.

A guy who looked to be about 31 or so approached Nathan with a big smile, "Nathan Scott, it's great to meet you, I'm John Phillips, the varsity basketball coach."

Nathan smiled at the coach and extended his hand, "Hey, nice to meet you." He looked over at Haley and Jamie, "And this is my wife Haley, and our son Jamie."

Haley shook the man's hand then Coach Phillips knelt down to the little boy and stuck out a finger. "Nice to meet you Jamie."

Immediately Haley's eyes grew soft. That was one of the most adorable things she'd ever seen.

When the coach returned to his upright position he smiled at the young family, "Well we've got about 5 minutes of warm-ups left then we're going open the game with the presentation."

"Alright, great." Nathan nodded and watched the coach run towards the team.

Haley turned to her husband, "He seems nice."

"Yeah." The truth was no coach could compare to Whitey Durham. A part of Nathan felt sorry for the high-schoolers who'd never get the chance to play for his all time favorite coach.

Nathan and Haley watched the warm-up and kept to small talk while they waited. When the scoreboard hit the one minute mark Nathan and Haley turned when they heard a familiar voice.

"Well well. How's it feel being back on the home court? Sure makes me feel like I'm getting old."

They both turned around and Haley smiled, "Whitey! Hey, how are you."

"Oh I'm fine, just about to present an award to some former high school star."

Nathan smirked, "Why didn't you say you were gonna be here."

"Wanted to keep the suspense up I guess, keep it a surprise." Whitey's grin widened and he looked down at Jamie. "I think your boy has gotten bigger since I last saw him."

Haley laughed, "You saw him two days ago."

"I know, but little Scott is gonna be as tall as his dad in a matter of weeks."

Nathan hoped so, "Maybe one day."

The buzzer sounded off and Whitey looked to Nathan, "That's our cue."

The older man walked toward center court and left Nathan with Haley and Jamie. Haley let out a small sigh, smiled, and took Nathan's hand, "I'm proud of you." She looked down to her son, "_We_, are so proud of you."

Nathan kissed her forehead, "Thank you." Before he turned he squeezed her hand then walked to center court.

Principle Turner came over the sound system and addressed the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, before we start tonight's game we have a special ceremony honoring former Raven Nathan Scott." The crowd cheered and clapped and Haley could feel chills run through her body. There was no doubt she was proud of her husband.

Principle Turner continued, "And to say a few words beforehand please help me welcome Tree Hill's all time winning-est coach, Whitey Durham.

Whitey shook Principle Turner's hand and raised the mic up to his mouth, "Evening ladies and gentlemen, I'm very happy and proud to present Nathan Scott with an award of excellence." Whitey looked over to Nathan and smiled, "This young man is not only Tree Hill's leading scorer but his drive and determination exceed any athlete I've ever coached. And due to his outstanding achievements Tree Hill High retires his jersey tonight."

On the right hand side of the gymnasium wall there were two jersey's. Three once hung, but now only two. One belonging to Nathan Scott and the other, Whitey Durham. Both had remarkable accomplishments and would forever be ingrained in Tree Hill history.

Nathan walked up to Whitey and the two hugged. Whitey handed Nathan his plaque that commemorated the event and he raised it in the air. The older man then gave Nathan the mic.

"Thank you." He paused to let the applause ware down then spoke up, "I'd like to thank Whitey for everything he did and has done to help make me the player I am today. I don't think this would have happened without his help." Nathan ran his eyes over the crowd and they landed on Haley, "To my wife and son, thank you for being with me as I continue to play the game that's meant so much to me. You two are behind my drive and determination, and I love you both."

As soon as he said that multiple "Awws" echoed through the gym from nearly every girl or woman.

"It means so much that my jersey hang next to a man I truly respect and I thank you for the honor."

An applause broke out and Nathan raised a hand. He was genuinely grateful for the recognition but seeing his jersey hang wasn't half as good as the look he received from Haley when he glanced her way. Her beautiful brown eyes and a glossy sheen and he could see her cradle their son in her arms. They were the two best things in his life, and always would be.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie had fallen asleep in the car and Nathan carried him into the little yellow home. Karen still had Lily's crib up in Lucas's room so Nathan gently placed him down and pulled a soft blue blanket up to Jamie's chest. He made his way to Karen's room and saw Haley taking off her ear rings.

"Hey Nathan will you unzip me please?" She turned her back to him hoping he would comply.

He walked over and slowly slid the zipper down the seam. When he reached the bottom he saw the same two numbers that hung on the gym wall permanently marked on Haley's skin. He ran his finger over the digits and felt Haley shudder at the touch.

She turned around and raised and eyebrow at him. She casually slipped the straps off her shoulders and let her dress glide down to the floor. Seeing as Haley was standing in front of him with only a couple articles of clothing on Nathan felt extremely over dressed, so he quickly shed his Sport Coat. Haley laughed at his eagerness and grabbed his tie pulling him over to the bed. She untied the fabric around his neck and started on his shirt buttons. Nathan was fast in meeting her and he pulled his belt through the loops.

As Haley had her hands underneath his shirt she felt his lips crash onto hers. They both fell back onto the bed and he started to kissed her neck.

Haley cocked her head back giving him better access and then realized that they were in Karen's bedroom.

"Wait, wait." Haley laughed, "Nathan we can't do this, not here." Nathan didn't take his mouth away from her skin so she continued. "Really this is weird. I mean this is not our bedroom and..."

Nathan lifted his head up and smirked, "I know, it's kind of like a hotel."

"What no, really this is just..." She started to move out from under him.

"Ha..Haley?" Nathan felt that Haley was moving away from him and didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this here. Not in Karen's bed. I don't think I could ever look at her the same."

Nathan shrugged, "So we'll wash the sheets." He leaned towards her and kissed her again.

"No, I'm serious." Haley shook her head. "You shouldn't have started this."

"Me?" Nathan laughed at Haley's accusation.

Haley glanced at Nathan's bare chested body and nodded. "Yes you."

"You started it, not me." He scoffed.

Haley frowned, "Me? You were the one who kissed me first."

"Oh and you asking me to unzip you wasn't like an open invitation? And then you taking your dress off the way you did?" Nathan raised and eyebrow at Haley.

She shook her head, "I just...well it just came off. I didn't start this."

Haley knew that she had purposely slipped her dress off the way she did but didn't that didn't start things. In Nathan's eyes it did, but to Haley it was the moment she felt his hands on her tattoo. Their silly little banter went back and forth and both of them had gotten off the bed, both standing in their underwear, both totally convinced the other had started it. Haley reached for one of Nathan's t-shirts and pulled it over her head. Nathan knew that he should probably just take the blame.

"Hales, look I'm sorry. It's not like you make it easy for me." He watched her sit down on the bed so he took a seat next to her, "Maybe I did start it, but it's that damn number."

She couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not kidding. You have no idea the rush I get every time I see it."

Haley realized that his tone was serious and heartfelt.

He looked at her and couldn't help but smirk, "That number looks so much better on you than it ever did me."

"I think you underestimate yourself Nathan Scott." Haley smirked and looked her husband up and down. If it didn't weird her out so bad she would have loved to jump on him right then and there but it could wait. It wasn't like they were deprived of a sex life or anything.

Regaining her train of thought, Haley pushed herself towards the back of the bed and got underneath the covers. Nathan followed suit and laid next to her then opened his arm. She smiled and gently laid her head on his chest. It was the best possible way to go to sleep.

Nathan had been running his fingertips over her arm for a few minutes and Haley spoke up, "I won't be able to go to sleep if you keep doing that."

"Oh sorry." To be honest Nathan didn't even realize he was doing anything but stopped moving his hand over her arm. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were closed.

"Hales?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Nathan placed a sweet kiss on her forehead and then Haley looked up to him.

She propped herself up with her arm and pulled his face to hers. Capturing him in a quick kiss she smiled, "I love you too."

Haley rested her head back on his chest but then rolled over. Her back was to him and then he saw it again, those two digits that made up his favorite number. Haley's shirt, well his shirt, had moved up her back exposing her tattoo. And again Nathan found it hard to stay unaffected by them. He turned and wrapped his arm securely around Haley and smiled when he felt her arm lay on his. This was how it was supposed to be, how it would always be; the two of them tangled in bed. It wouldn't matter where they were in the world cause they'd always be together.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you all liked it. Again I'm creeping toward another big number (600) woot woot, and y'all know the drill. I'll try and update ASAP when and if I pass that mark. I can't thank you enough for your kind words and it still baffles me that I've gotten such wonderful feedback from you all. So let me know what you want to see next, what you don't want to see, a random chapter idea, or just some comments on this last chapter. It is all very much appreciated! **


	33. Busted

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 33: Busted**

**Disclaimer: Mark and co own it all. I wish I was at least related to him.**

**A/N: Holy crap-ola! Over 600 reviews...like really. You guys are frieking amazing!! Thanks so much for the reviews guys. They seriously make my day every time I read one. So as promised I give you all a new chapter. This chapter is set in the future. Some of you requested this a while ago and I thought it was a good time to write it. Hope you all like it.**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan's left arm was starting to go numb. He and Haley were lounging on the couch and Haley was halfway asleep on his shoulder. He didn't want to move because she looked so comfortable but Nathan was sure he was going to have circulation problems if he didn't. They had just finished a movie and were waiting up for Jamie. It was nearly 11:30pm and Jamie was supposed to be home by 12:00am. Nathan looked down at Haley and saw that she squirmed a little.

"Hales, why don't you go to bed?" Nathan brushed a stray hair away from her face.

Haley's forehead scrunched and she shook her head, "I can stay up."

Nathan let out a laugh, "Haley, you're falling asleep as we speak, I'll wait up for him."

He started to move but Haley protested, "Nathan, I'm fine, really. You're kind of comfortable anyway."

"Haley, Jamie is a responsible kid, he'll make his curfew, go on upstairs."

"But..." Haley tried to defend herself causing Nathan to laugh.

He shook his head, "It won't be long. I'll be up in like thirty minutes." He kissed her forehead and that simple gesture did it.

"Fine." Haley slowly got up and headed for the stairs. As she walked up to the second floor she past Jamie's empty room and then stuck her head in Charlotte's. Through the darkness Haley saw her 10 year old daughter's body rise and fall. Content with at least one of her children's whereabouts she made her way over to her room.

She slowly got into the bed and pulled the warm covers over her body. Hopefully Nathan would be up soon because she loved having him home. He had been home for good for about a month. After a 10 year stint in the NBA Nathan retried, and now she never had to sleep another day without her husband by her side. No more 'gone half the year' stuff, he was home for good and she loved it.

As Haley lie upstairs drifting in and out of sleep Nathan flipped through the channels and stopped when he landed on Sports Center. Before he realized it the top ten plays were on which meant the program was nearly over. And that meant it was close to 12:00am, Jamie should be coming home any minute.

When the show ended and the infomercials started playing Nathan worried where Jamie might be. His son was 17, driving, and out with friends. Nathan knew that Jamie was responsible but Jamie knew better than to be late. He'd never been late before. Both Nathan and Haley probably didn't even need to stay up and wait for him but it had become a parental instinct. Now Nathan was sorry that he had to sit and wait. It was miserable for a father to have to worry where his son might be, or if there was going to be a knock on the door from the cops.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie's eye's were bloodshot, and the music playing in the car was making his head spin. He'd never been a heavy drinker but this night was an exception. For reasons unknown he'd decided to be a little adventurous at the beach party. Normally he was Mr. Responsible and often found himself carting people home but this time it was him who was being taken home.

"Man, you are so wasted." Chuck looked over at Jamie and laughed.

Jamie realized that he was in Chuck's passenger seat and slowly sat up, "What?"

"I said...you are _so_ wasted." Chuck widened his eyes and turned up the music.

The rhythm of the music went along with the pounding in Jamie's head and he winced, "What time is it."

Chuck glanced at the clock on the dash, "Close to two"

"Oh God" Jamie blinked a few times, "Oh God, you gotta take me home. I'm so late!"

Chuck had it covered, "Relax man, that's where we're going."

Jamie felt like he was going to throw up. He didn't know if it was from the alcohol running through his system or the fact that he was going to have some serious explaining to do.

"Whoa, Whoa. Do not puke in my car man." Chuck looked sternly at Jamie.

"I won't."

Jamie felt the car turn and knew that he was on his street. Dreading what was about to come his way, he took a few deep breaths as Chuck pulled into the driveway.

"You think you can make it inside on your own?" Chuck knew that Jamie was drunk and was offering help if he needed it.

Jamie shook his head, "Nah, I think I'm okay." Before he opened the door Jamie turned back to Chuck, "Where's my car by the way?"

"It's still at the beach, but I got your keys, here." Chuck handed Jamie his keys.

"Thanks Chuck."

"No problem."

Jamie watched Chuck's red taillights disappear into the darkness then slowly made his way toward the door. Jamie got out his key but found that the front door was unlocked. He stumbled into the foyer and noticed that there were no lights on. "Dammit." He murmured as he clipped his shoulder on an arched doorway. Jamie placed his hand over his face and shook his head. He was going to be paying for his fun tomorrow.

Before Jamie headed up the stairs he heard something.

"James." Nathan was calm and collected, but sounded strict and stern. He hardly ever called Jamie James unless his son was in trouble.

"Shit." Jamie whipped his head around not realizing anyone was downstairs. "Dad? Dad what are you doing up?"

Nathan rose to his feet and walked to his son, "I could ask you the same question."

Jamie reached out for the railing of the stairs and looked down, "I uh, well.... My..."

"Listen to me. You are two hours late. Two hours late! Do you know what was going through my mind while I waited for you?" Nathan had raised his voice but wasn't yet yelling.

"I..." Jamie didn't have anything to say.

Nathan ran his hand over his face, "Jamie I thought something was really wrong. You didn't call, you didn't text...none of that. For all I knew you were lying in some ditch." It came out much harsher than Nathan had imagined.

"Dad..." Jamie tried to explain himself but Nathan continued.

"And you're drunk too! Just tell me you didn't drive home." Nathan was going to be extremely upset if Jame had driven in his condition.

Jamie shook his head, "Chuck gave me a ride."

"At least you did that right. Jamie, I thought you were more responsible than this. Just be glad that your mom is asleep. If she was still up, she would have had the entire Tree Hill police force looking for you." Nathan was staring at Jamie shaking his head in disappointment.

"You're being a hypocrite." Jamie spat out.

"Excuse me?"

The teenager didn't want to slur his words so he took a minute to gather his thoughts, "You did the exact same thing when you were my age and you know it."

"I know, but _my_ parents didn't give a damn. But _I_ do, your mom does too."

The father and son where about to be engulfed in a full blown shouting match. Jamie squinted his eyes and started to say something.

Nathan threw up his hands, "I don't want to hear it. Go to your room, we'll talk about this in the morning. I don't want to keep arguing and wake up your mom and sister."

Jamie cautiously walked up the stairs. It was dark and his head was all over the place. He wish he could have taken everything back, but he knew he couldn't. He'd let down his parents, worst of all his dad.

**OTHOTH**

It was 2:17am and Nathan finally slid under the covers. He couldn't believe that one, Jamie missed his curfew, and two, he came home drunk. Nathan rolled over but couldn't go to sleep. Haley was awake but he didn't know that. She turned over to face him.

"Is he okay?"

Startled that Haley was up Nathan looked to her, "He's fine, but he's drunk and was two hours late."

Haley sat up, "I know I heard."

"You heard us?" Nathan blinked through the blackness and his vision was adjusting.

"Yeah."

Nathan turned to Haley, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to yell but..."

Haley rested her hand on his cheek, "It's okay, but Nathan you should have come to get me when he didn't come home."

"You just would have been worried all night. Believe me you wouldn't have wanted the scenarios running through your head that ran through mine."

"Baby I'm sorry, but he's home now. That's all that matters."

Nathan raised his brow and shook his head, "How are you not mad?"

Haley laughed, "Oh I'm mad. But I'll wait to talk to him in the morning."

"How do you do it? How can you be so calm about this." Nathan propped his head up with his hand and looked at Haley.

"Takes practice. He's going to feel pretty bad in the morning and there's no use in getting worked up now."

Nathan was amazed by Haley. Her grace, her patience. She was such a good mom. She knew how to handle everything perfectly.

He leaned down and kissed her, "I love you."

"I love you too." Haley laid her head on his chest and felt his arm wrap around her.

Nathan fell asleep almost instantly but Haley didn't. Every time she closed her eyes she was flooded with images of what could have happened, what might have happened if Jamie hadn't gotten home safe. It wasn't like she was trying to think of the worst possible scenario but as a mom there was always "what if". Listening to Nathan breathe Haley felt a wet tear roll off her cheek. The single thought of losing Jamie was heartbreaking enough, at least he was home.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning when Charlotte woke up she walked downstairs and saw that her parents were already in the kitchen.

Nathan saw Charlotte at the bottom of the stairs,"Morning Char."

"Morning Daddy." The little girl climbed up into the chair at the bar and looked at her mom, "Morning Mama."

"Morning baby." Haley took a sip of her coffee and smiled at Charlotte.

"Can I have Wheaties? I think they'll make me play super good in my soccer game today."

Haley nodded, "Sure." As Haley poured the cereal she looked back up to her daughter, "Hey Charlotte? Will you be upset if I skip out on your game today?"

The little girl frowned, "Um, I guess not. But why?"

Haley looked at Nathan then back to Charlotte, "Well your brother is in a little bit of trouble and I want to stay home with him."

Charlotte raised her brow and looked to both her parents, "What did he do?"

Nathan cleared his throat, "He stayed out a little too late last night."

"Oh." Charlotte seemed happy enough with that answer and continued to eat her cereal. The three awake Scotts talked about Charlotte's impending rec. league soccer game and when she was done with breakfast she ran upstairs to put her uniform on. When Charlotte had successfully done that she walked into the room next to hers.

Before entering she peeked in the room she could see that Jamie was sprawled out asleep on his bed. She tiptoed into his room and quietly walked closer to him. As she neared the edge of his bed Charlotte leaned down eye level to her brother. He was totally zonked out.

Charlotte stuck out her index finger and pressed it against his forehead to see if he was even alive. Jamie didn't stir a bit. Charlotte was still curious and used her thumb to raise Jamie's eye lid. It was that move that woke him up.

Groaning, Jamie slowly opened his eyes, "Charlotte what are you doing in here?"

"Mom and Dad said you were in trouble."

Jamie rolled over and put a pillow over his head, "Thanks Captain Obvious."

Charlotte scrunched her face and held her nose, "Ew Jamie you need to brush your teeth."

Haley walked into the room and folded her arms, "Charlotte stop messing with your brother." She had a plate in her hands and set it down on the dresser.

"Sorry." The little girl looked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Charlotte?" Nathan called out.

"In here."

Nathan stuck his head in Jamie's room and waved at Charlotte, "Come on we gotta get going."

Jamie looked up at the sound of his father's voice. The two blue eyed souls locked eyes and suddenly last night came flooding back to Jamie. He wanted to say something but nothing was coming out.

Charlotte walked toward her father but was stopped by her mom. Haley kissed Charlotte's forehead and smiled, "Go be great."

"I'll try." Charlotte turned to her brother and waved, "Bye Jamie."

"Bye Charlotte."

Haley watched as Nathan and Charlotte left and then turned to Jamie, "How are you feeling."

Jamie started to sit up but his head felt like 100 pounds. "Look Mom I know your mad."

"No I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. Jamie you know better than this. Coming home two hours late, and drunk?"

Jamie leaned further back into his pillows, "I'm sorry."

Haley sat on the end of Jamie's bed, "Honey I know you are, but do you have any idea how worried your father was?"

"He kind of blew things out of proportion." Jamie tried to defend himself.

"No he didn't." Haley put her hand on Jamie's leg and looked to him, "Jamie, I don't think you realize that when a child doesn't come home, doesn't call, doesn't do anything to let the parents know where they are we automatically think the worst. I would have been a wreck if I hadn't fallen asleep."

Jamie managed to let out half a laugh, "That's exactly what Dad said."

"It's only because we care. Because we love you."

The teenage boy ran his hands over his face and sighed, "I know."

Haley looked back to Jamie and raised her brow, "Did I ever tell you the story of when you were a baby and your dad took care of you when you were sick?"

"No."

"Well we were in college and you were young, maybe six months and you had a fever. Your dad was up most of the night taking care of you and he never even told me you were sick. I found out later." She glanced up at Jamie and continued, "He just wanted you to be okay and he didn't want me worrying about you. And he stayed up all night making sure you were alright. That's why he was so upset with you last night. He just wants you to be safe. For you to be okay"

Jamie cut in, "And for you not to worry."

Haley smiled and nodded, "Yeah, something like that." She sighed, "So I know you might think he's really angry with you but he's not, he just cares too much to see you put yourself in that kind of situation, and so do I."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Jamie knew that his father had been one of those party boys when he was in high school until his mom had come along. It was reasonable for Nathan to want Jamie to be a better adolescent than he had been.

"It better not. Your grounded for a month. You won't have your car and I'm sure I'll find some household chores I'll need help with."

Jamie couldn't help but grunt. He would have to get Chuck to give in a ride to school every morning, and he wouldn't be able to go out...anywhere. He was starting to realize just how much his parents cared.

Haley took a deep breath and walked over to the dresser, "I brought you up some toast, water, and Advil. Eat a little, then take a shower. Maybe then you'll feel better and you can help me mop later."

Taking the glass of water he gave his mom a small smile, "Looking forward to it." He popped the medicine in his mouth and swallowed.

Haley walked out of Jamie's room and headed downstairs. She was going to let him sleep it off for a little while, and then she was going to hit him up with the Swiffer duster, maybe some Windex, and the vacuum cleaner.

**OTHOTH**

It was close to 6:30 in the evening when Charlotte busted through the front door.

"We won!"

Haley walked toward Charlotte from the kitchen and held her arms up, "You did? That's great!"

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah, I didn't score but we still won."

Nathan walked inside and went into the kitchen. He had a grocery bag in his hands and set it on the table. "So, I got the flower in the white package since you didn't specify which one you wanted. I hope that's okay?"

Haley took the package and smiled. She took a step closer to him and lifted up on her tip-toes to kiss him, "This is perfect thank you."

"Your welcome." Nathan nodded and looked around, "Where's..."

"Outside." Haley knew that Nathan was wondering where Jamie was. "Hey listen..." She ran her hand over Nathan's arm and looked up to him, "He knows that your upset with him. I already grounded him for a month, and took his car keys away."

Charlotte was still in the kitchen and her eyes went wide, "Whoa, you grounded him for a month?"

Haley realized that Charlotte was still there and grimaced, "Yes, and you will be too if you don't get over here and help me make dinner." She was only teasing but Charlotte bounced over towards Haley. She loved cooking with her mom.

Nathan smiled, "I'm gonna go talk to him."

Walking outside Nathan saw Jamie sweeping the front walkway. He must have come from around back because Nathan didn't see him when he and Charlotte drove up. Jamie had his back to his dad and was making pretty good progress running the broom side to side.

Nathan cleared his throat and Jamie turned around.

Gripping the broom nervously Jamie spoke, "Hey."

"Hey." Nathan said it in almost the exact same tone as Jamie.

"Dad I'm really sorry about last night. I don't know what got into me. I should have known better than to drink and miss my curfew." Jamie looked embarrassed and disappointed in himself.

Nathan leaned against the side of the house listening to his son speak.

Jamie was still holding on to the broom white knuckled looking towards his dad. "I was being stubborn when I started to argue with you and it didn't cross my mind that you were worried about where I was. I think...I was just mad at myself for letting you guys down."

Nathan didn't want to say that everything was okay but the apology was very much appreciated, "I needed to hear that. I needed to know that you understood why I was so upset."

Jamie nodded his head, "I do believe me, and I am still feeling the repercussions from it all." That was a true statement. Physically he still felt a little hung over, just slightly, and he also had to deal with his new restrictions . "I guess you and Mom worked out my punishment?" It was a rhetorical question seeing as Jamie held his arms open displaying the broom. "I'm the new cleaning lady."

Laughing at his son's last statement Nathan nodded, "Yeah." Nathan took a deep breath and looked at his son, "Jamie, just be responsible, be the guy I know you are. Don't get caught up in the small things. Your better than that."

"I will." Jamie nodded his head and went back to sweeping. Before Nathan walked back inside Jamie looked up, "Thanks Dad."

Nathan nodded and walked into the house relived. The conversation went fine. He didn't get upset again. Jamie knew that what he did was unacceptable and took full responsibility.

As Nathan made his way to the kitchen he saw Haley standing by the stove and Charlotte next to her. A part of him wanted Charlotte to stay young for forever. He never wanted her to grow out of her innocence, but he knew it would happen eventually. He breathed heavily through his nose and smiled, "Smells good in here."

Charlotte turned around and flashed the trademark Scott smirk, "It's cause I'm helping."

"Must be." Nathan walked over to his girls, "Your Mom's not so good at the whole cooking thing.

Haley's mouth shot open and she glared at him, "What? I'm a really good cook."

"I know Hales I was just kidding." He flashed Haley the same smirk Charlotte had given him and kissed Haley's cheek, "I love your food."

"I do too Mom." Charlotte smiled up at her mother and Haley nodded.

Nathan helped with anything else the girls needed and soon enough dinner was almost done. When the timer went off Haley knew that everything was ready.

After dinner Jamie had volunteered to do the dishes and then wanted to head off to bed. He was exhausted. After the night before, and cleaning house all day he was exhausted. He smelled of Pine-Sol and Pledge and wanted to take a shower, then go to bed.

A couple hours later Charlotte fell asleep while she and Nathan watched Man vs. Wild. Her dad carried her up to her room and tucked her in bed. Just like he always did to Haley, Nathan kissed Charlotte's forehead before turning out the light.

He walked into his bedroom and saw that the bathroom light was on. Haley was washing her face and Nathan stepped next to her in front of his sink. He ran his hand over his chin and could feel the slight stubble that would be much more prevalent in the morning.

"Thinking about growing out a beard?" Haley wiped her face dry and looked at Nathan.

He shook his head, "Nah, just wondering which part of my beard will turn gray first. I mean I've got a few gray hairs now so what will it be? My chin? Mustache? Sideburns?" He raised his brow wondering what might turn first.

Haley turned to him and ran her hand over her cheek, "I don't know, but it won't matter."

Nathan sighed, "I know, but I think me worrying last night may have caused some of it to turn prematurely." He looked into the mirror and ran his hands through his hair,"I've already got random gray hairs."

"Nathan, I've told you before, I don't care if you got bald. I'll still love you."

He looked down at her and smiled, "Bald? Really?"

She laughed and nodded. They were only thirty five, and Nathan still had a full head of hair. There wasn't any inclination that he'd lose his hair and even if a few random grays popped up Haley liked them.

"So...how did it go when you talked with Jamie?" She glanced up at him.

Nathan shrugged, "Fine, I think he realized that he made a mistake and won't do it again."

Haley smiled. Nathan really was a good father. He was only looking out for their son, for her, and for Charlotte. He just wanted them all to be safe.

She ran her hand over his cheek again, "How'd you get to be so good at this?"

"Takes practice..." He smiled at her after he quoting what Haley said earlier, "And teamwork." Nathan pulled Haley close and smiled, "It's not just me Hales, it's you too."

They had this parenting thing down. For 19 years they'd been a team. They even had a nickname coined back in high school. Naley. They were in it together for the long haul, and always would be.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. So Jamie's not the perfect child after all. Nobody is. Even with his faults though, it's hard not to like him. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. There seems to be a trend that on chapters I "reward" you my review count plummets. I still want to know what you guys think, so press that little button and please send me some feedback! Who knows, maybe I'll update again tomorrow? Thanks.**


	34. The Distance Between Us

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 34: The Distance Between Us**

**Disclaimer: I own...nothing.**

**A/N: So again my reviewers are just awesome. Like you really are. To those of you I can't respond back to, just know that I seriously read everything you all say. Literally. I always add chapter ideas that my reviewers suggest, happily take all questions and concerns to heart, and seriously love you all. And I mean it. This chapter like last is a future one, but the kids are younger, Nathan's still in the NBA, and the premise...distance. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Find out.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was sitting at the piano in the studio playing a simple melody. Her fingers glided across the black and white keys and the soft music echoed through the room. For some reason whenever Nathan was away she found it really easy to compose a song or two. Maybe it had to do with the angst and longing she felt for her husband as he traveled city to city playing the game he loved. Even though he had been in the NBA for 2 ½ years, dealing with him being gone 6 months of the year was still hard.

As she hummed the chorus of a new song Haley heard someone walk into the studio.

"Mama!"

Haley looked up and smiled. Little three year old Charlotte Scott ran over to her mom.

"Hi Baby." Haley scooped her daughter up and sat her on the bench.

"Well hey to you too Tutor-Mom." Brooke raised her brow and set her bag on the desk.

The other woman looked over at her friend, "Hey Brooke, sorry."

The raspy voiced brunette smiled and sat down next to Haley. "That's okay, getting to spend the day with the littlest Scott makes up for it."

The little girl with massive brown eyes looked up to Brooke, "Me?"

"Yes you, silly." Brooke tapped Charlotte's nose and laughed.

Haley watched the interaction between Brooke and Charlotte and smiled. Brooke was wonderful with both of her kids and she loved that they had such a great "aunt" in Brooke. It didn't matter if she wasn't biologically related, she had been there for all the Scotts whenever they needed it.

Charlotte turned to her mom, "Can I go dwaw?"

"Sure." Haley helped Charlotte off the bench and watched her go over to the desk.

Brooke could tell that Haley was acting a little off so she bumped her with her hip, "What's going on Haley?"

Haley sighed and turned to Brooke, "Same old thing. Nathan's off playing and it's just hard."

"You know that it'll get easier..." Brooke knew a thing or two about long distant love. She and Julian had to figure out the same kind of thing whenever he went on a movie shoot. "It always does."

"I know. It's just, there are these moments where I wish I could roll over at night and feel him next to me, or know that he's just in the other room."

Brooke reached out for Haley's arm, "He's always with you, Haley. Have you seen your son lately? That boy looks like Nathan spit him out. I mean yeah Jamie's got lighter hair, but holy cow he is a mini Nathan. And Charlotte, she's got quite the Scott smirk going on." Brooke moved her hand and placed it on top of Haley's, "I know it must be hard with him being gone but everything will work out fine."

Haley glanced over at Charlotte and nodded. Brooke was right. Nathan really was never too far away. One look at either Jamie and Charlotte and all she saw was him. She turned back to Brooke and kindly smiled, "Thanks Brooke."

"Anytime Tutor-Mom."

Looking at her watch Haley started to get up, "Well, I gotta go get Jamie from school. Thanks for watching Charlotte Brooke."

Brooke waved her hand in the air, "Oh you know I love it. Besides, Charlotte's on her way to being one of my C over B models. Right Charlotte?"

The little girl looked up and smiled, "Wight."

Haley didn't know how she felt about Charlotte modeling. She kind of wanted her kids to stay out of the lime light when they got older. Unless it was Charlotte's dream to parade up and down runways, Haley had always envisioned Charlotte as a do good-er. Hopefully teach or something like that when she got older. But the little girl was only three so they had a while for all of that to fall into place.

"Come on Charlotte, we gotta go get your brother." Haley stuck out her hand and waited for Charlotte to grab onto it before they headed out. Brooke joined the mother-daughter duo and they all walked out to the parking lot.

They said their goodbyes and Haley helped Charlotte get into her car seat. After she was sure she was safely buckled in, Haley got in and headed towards the elementary school.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie saw the Range Rover pull up to the curb and he hurried to the car. When he opened the door he was met with a shrill scream.

"Jamie!" Charlotte's eyes went wide and a huge smile was spread across her face.

"Hey Charlotte." Jamie climbed into the backseat and set his backpack down.

"Hey Jame. How was school today?" Haley turned to the back seat and arched her brow.

The young fourth grader smiled, "It was so cool. We got to make an electrical circuit with a battery and like connect wires to power a light bulb."

Haley was impressed, "That sounds fun."

"Yeah it was." Jamie smiled and nodded.

When Haley pulled out of the carpool lane her phone started to ring. Picked up her phone she smiled when she saw who it was. "Hey you."

"What are you wearing?" Nathan's voice was husky and serious.

Haley's face suddenly turned beet red. "Nathan, I...um,...we can't, I..." Her sudden embarrassment was too much and she could hardly speak in sentences.

Nathan spoke up before she regained her normal thought process, "What? Hales? It's a pre-game ritual. I've got a little while before I go to the arena."

Haley was sure that her face was radiating heat and that her blush was the deepest shade of red possible. It wasn't like the kids had overheard but it was still very awkward. Sighing, she regained her composure, "I'm with the kids. In the car. On the way to the grocery store." Her short choppy sentences got directly to the point.

"Oh." Nathan laughed, "Sorry."

"Is that Dad?" Jamie questioned who his mom was talking to.

"Daddy?" Charlotte followed her older brother's lead and wanted to know if her dad was on the phone.

Haley nodded and spoke into the phone. "I think there are two very eager children who want to talk to you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, hold on." Haley passed Jamie the phone.

"Dad?"

"Hey Jamie."

The 10 year old boy loved talking to his dad and thought it was so cool that he was a superstar NBA player, "Dad, how many points you think you'll score tonight? Twenty?"

"Maybe." He shook his head, "You know it's not all about the points, Jame."

Jamie nodded, "I know, I know. You gotta get your team the ball. It's not good to be a ball hog."

"Right." Nathan didn't want to spend the whole conversation on basketball so he changed the subject, "What did you do in school today?"

"It was so awesome. We connected wires from a battery, and made an electric current, and it lit up a light bulb." Jamie was wide eyed and proud as he told his father about his day.

To be honest, that was all over Nathan's head. He didn't know anything about electrical currents but he loved how excited Jamie sounded. "That's cool bud."

"Yeah it was."

"Hey, is Charlotte next to you?"

Jamie looked over to his little sister and nodded, "Yep."

"Will you hand her the phone?" Jamie answered with a quick yes but before he handed off the phone Nathan spoke once more to his son, "Take care of your mom and Charlotte while I'm gone Jamie."

"I will." Jamie really liked how his dad counted on him to make sure things were okay at home. Even though he was only ten, when Nathan was away he was the man of the house. "I love you Dad. Play well."

"Thanks Jamie, I love you too."

Jamie handed Charlotte the phone and the little girl put it up to her ear, "Daddy?"

"Hey Char." Nathan was always excited to talk to his youngest. Since he was gone a lot he felt like he was missing watching her grow up so he cherished any and all time with her. "What did you do today?"

The little girl brought her finger up to her chin and thought about it, "I played with Aunt Bwooke today."

"You did?"

"Uh-huh, we played dwess up."

"I bet that was fun." Nathan couldn't see it but Charlotte was nodding. "Did you get ice-cream? You're Aunt Brooke loves to give you kids ice-cream."

"Yep, chocowate."

"Yum, I love chocolate." Nathan found himself grinning at his daughter's mispronunciation of a few words. Her voice and those words; it was adorable. "I love you Charlotte."

"I wove you too Daddy."

Haley glanced back in the rear view mirror when she heard that. It brought a smile to her face.

The little girl still had the phone to her ear and her father spoke once more. "Will you give the phone back to Mom?"

They little girl did as her father asked and held the phone out for her mom. When Haley put it up to her ear she didn't know that Charlotte had accidentally pressed the end call button.

"Nathan?" When he didn't respond she spoke again, "Nathan? Hello?" Haley looked at the phone and saw that the call had ended. That was a shame. She had some words of encouragement before the game. Maybe not the ones she normally would say, but still, she had wanted to talk to him. She placed her phone in the cup holder and sighed. Hopefully he would call back.

**OTHOTH**

When the family of three pulled into the Piggly Wiggly parking lot they all made their way into the store. Haley picked up Charlotte and set her in the cart so she could ride around and Jamie took hold of the reigns. He maneuvered the cart around the produce section and made race car noises which caused Charlotte to laugh.

"Jamie." Haley warned, she didn't want him to send Charlotte crashing into the displays of fruits and vegetables.

Jamie slowed the cart down and pushed it along side his mom. "What's for dinner anyways?"

Haley turned to her son and smiled, "Well since it's pizza Friday I thought that we might make our own." She picked out a giant bell pepper and put it into a bag. "They have these pre-made pizza crust and we can put our own toppings on them."

"That will be cool."

She nodded, "Yeah I thought so."

"I want cheese." Charlotte turned to her mom and doted her big brown eyes.

Haley smiled, "I know and Jamie will want pepperoni." She turned to her son and he nodded.

Haley walked toward the aisle where tomato sauce was and Jamie rolled the cart behind her. When they had successfully picked out the toppings they all wanted for their pizzas, Haley picked up a few other things and they headed toward the check out lanes. While they waited Jamie picked up a magazine.

"Hey Mom look." He held the magazine out and Haley turned.

For a second she had a rush of panic run over her body thinking maybe Nathan was on the cover of some tabloid but then she saw that Jamie was holding a Sports Illustrated.

He pointed to Nathan and read the headline, "Stand out point guard, Nathan Scott leads Bobcats to Southeast Division Title." Jamie smiled and looked up to his mom, "Can we get it?"

Haley laughed. Jamie always wanted to get any magazine, or articlerelated to his dad and basketball. Haley was sure that Jamie's top dresser drawer was full of them. She nodded her head, "Sure."

"Sweet." Jamie plopped the magazine on the checkout counter.

When Haley payed for their groceries Jamie helped her carry them out to the car and they drove home. It was close to four and she was hoping Nathan would call back before he had to run through warm-ups. Right around 5 she got a text from him that read _I'll call you after the game Love you. _Haley was disappointed that he hadn't called but she was happy that she heard from him.

30 minutes before the game was supposed to start Haley got Jamie and Charlotte into the kitchen. Charlotte sat on the counter top and sprinkled cheese over her mini Pizza and Jamie used the pepperoni to make the number 12 on his. When the oven was preheated Haley slid the pizzas in and looked over to her son.

"Hey Jamie why don't you put it on the game. It should be starting soon."

Jamie hopped out of his chair and walked over to grab the remote. He flipped to ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX SPORTS, and any other channel that might be showing the game. "Mom I can't find it."

Haley looked down at her watch, "Really?"

"Yeah, it's not on."

Charlotte was still sitting on the counter eating a few pieces of mozzarella cheese not really sure what her mom and brother were talking about.

Haley walked over to Jamie and reached for the remote, "That's weird. Maybe another game is running over schedule."

"Maybe." Jamie shrugged.

Haley crinkled her forehead and turned it to ESPN, thinking maybe the game would eventually come on. It was weird, they always got to watch Nathan play if they didn't go to the home games or travel with him while he was on the road, because the games were always televised. So, it was disappointing that they couldn't find the game on any station.

When the pizzas were done Haley, Charlotte, and Jamie sat at the dinning room table. The conversation was quiet for a while. Jamie really wanted to watch his dad play and Haley didn't know why they couldn't see the game. Maybe she would call the cable company? But before she did that she had an idea.

"Hey why don't we do movie night tonight since we can't seem to find the game?"

Charlotte smiled brightly, "My turn."

Jamie turned his head and looked at his sister. It was her turn to pick out the movie and he wondered what kids movie they'd watch. He didn't mind some of the Disney Princess movies, but he'd never say that out loud. Chuck would make fun of him for years if he knew that Jamie watched Snow White or Sleeping Beauty on occasion. Maybe he'd be lucky and she'd want to watch _Beethoven_ or _Toy Story_, or _Shrek_, those weren't girlie. But if he knew his sister, she'd pick out her favorite.

Haley smiled at Charlotte's enthusiasm. Even if they couldn't watch Nathan's game they would still watch something as a family. Haley cleared the tabled when they were all done and asked Jamie to get the DVD from the shelf and meet them upstairs. By that time it had gotten semi late and instead of all cramming on a couch, or fighting over the oversized chair Haley thought they could all watch it in her bedroom. That way if Charlotte feel asleep she wouldn't have to carry her upstairs, just across the hall.

**OTHOTH**

Driving along the downtown streets Nathan was surprised at how quiet everything seemed. There weren't too many people out. No loud night life, but then again this was Tree Hill, not some huge metropolitan city. No doubt, it was another scene in Charlotte. By some stroke of luck, Nathan's game had been canceled and the only place he wanted to be was home.

He passed the familiar landmarks and smiled when he turned onto their street. He hadn't called Haley to let her know that he was coming home, but he figured she'd like the surprise.

Nathan pulled into their driveway and parked next to Haley's car.

When he got upstairs Nathan walked towards the kids rooms. After sticking his head in both their rooms he found it odd they they weren't in them. Turning, Nathan made his way into the master bedroom. There they were. All three of them.

Haley was in the middle, Charlotte on her left, and Jamie on her right. They were all asleep.

Nathan figured that when they couldn't find the game on they'd made it family movie night instead. If he'd remembered correctly it was Charlotte's turn to pick. The television emitted a soft glow and Nathan could see that Charlotte's favorite movie was in fact the film of choice. He smiled when he saw the he main menu screen of Beauty and the Beast.

He quietly walked towards the bed and picked up Jamie. Careful not to wake him up, Nathan went into Jamie's room and slipped him under the covers, and then went back for Charlotte. She was in a more troublesome position. She was snuggled up close to Haley which was going to make it hard for him not to wake either of them. Nathan scooped up Charlotte successfully managed to not wake either up. He took Charlotte into her room and did the same as he did with Jamie. When he was sure she was perfectly comfortable in her own bed, Nathan walked back to the master bedroom.

Quickly stripping off his pants and shirt, Nathan crawled into bed and pulled Haley close. She felt his warm arms and turned over to him. When their eyes locked he leaned down and kissed her.

When they parted Haley smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to come home."

"But what about...why aren't you in Charlotte? You have a game tomorrow."

Nathan shook his head. "There was a power outage at the arena and the game was canceled. Tomorrow's too"

Haley suddenly realized that must have been the reason they couldn't find the game on TV. There was no game. "So that's why it wasn't on TV?"

"Yeah."

Haley sighed and wrapped her arms around his body, "I missed you."

He gently kissed her forehead, "I missed you too." Nathan felt Haley's arms roam over his body as she pulled herself closer to him. Their faces were inches apart. Nathan kissed her forehead and looked at the TV, "So it was Charlotte's pick huh?"

Nodding Haley smiled, "But you know it's my favorite Disney movie too."

"I know, cause Belle reminds you of yourself."

Haley couldn't deny it. There were certainly multiple similarities between the character and Haley. Belle's nose was always stuck in a book, she was kind and generous, and she brought out the best in people even when they didn't know they could be good. Belle was beautiful. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and could even carry a tune. She was simply a cartoon version of Haley.

And to be cliché, if Haley was Belle then Nathan was most certainly the Beast. Even though Nathan was a completely different person from when he and Haley first started dating, back then he had been quite the ass. Nathan had a wall that he'd always put up and just as Belle did to the Beast, Haley tore it down.

Nathan could tell Haley was thinking about their similarities and he got up.

"Where are you going." Haley sat up, wondering why Nathan suddenly got out of bed.

He turned back to her, "I'm just turning off the TV, if we keep it on, the menu screen will be burned into the picture." Nathan pressed the power button and walked towards the bedroom door.

For a moment Haley thought he was leaving but when he closed the door she heard the faint clicking of the lock.

Nathan raised his eyebrows and crawled back on the bed, "And I thought maybe..."

Haley pulled him down and kissed him feverishly. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Nathan and Haley woke up to the twisting sound of the door knob. Someone was trying to get in the room.

"Mom?" Jamie couldn't get into his parent's room because the door was locked but was wondering about breakfast. "Mom, hello? Are you gonna make breakfast?"

It wasn't even that late, but Jamie always seemed to be an early riser. Haley opened her eyes and when she turned over she saw two blue eyes staring back at her.

"I'll let him in." Nathan leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Morning, by the way."

"Morning." Haley smiled and watched Nathan moved the covers off and walk over to the door.

When Nathan opened the door their son was in shock.

"Dad!"

"Hey Jamie."

The boy wrapped his arms around his father and with a huge grin on his face looked up, "When did you get here?"

Nathan laughed, "Last night."

Jamie scrunched his eyebrows, "Really."

"Yeah, how do you think you got to your bed last night. Think Mom carried you in there?"

"You did it?" Jamie looked back up to his father with wondering eyes.

Nodding Nathan smiled, "Uh-huh."

Jamie loved that his father was home but was curious as to why. "What about your game today?"

"Canceled. The arena doesn't have any power." Nathan smiled thinking about the free time he was given due to technical glitches.

"Like the lights don't work?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, so last night's game and today's will be rescheduled."

"Man, if I had enough batteries I bet I could get them all working." Jamie was sure that his fourth grade experiment would have been a solution to the problem.

Haley laughed at Jamie's statement. It was cute that he thought of a way to help, but the truth was, she didn't want Nathan anywhere but home.

Nathan smiled remembering what Jamie had told him about what he learned at school, "I don't know bud, you would need a ton of batteries to light the Time Warner Cable Arena."

Jamie moved away from his dad and took a seat on the bed thinking about it.

Haley sat up and pulled Jamie over to her, "So what are you thinking about for breakfast."

Jamie laid his head down next to his mom and shrugged, "I don't know, what do you want?"

Nathan sat back down on the bed, "Um, waffles?"

"I can do that." Haley smiled and looked at Jamie, "Sound good to you?"

Before Jamie could answer they all heard the pitter-patter of little feet. Charlotte walked into the room carrying a stuffed floppy eared dog. Her eyes went wide when she saw not only her mom and brother, but her dad as well.

"Daddy!"

Haley watched adoringly as Charlotte jumped on the bed and crawled over to Nathan.

"Hey Char." Nathan wrapped his arms around the little girl and kissed the top of her head.

Jamie looked at his younger sister and raised his brow, "You want waffles Charlotte?"

She nodded and snuggled into Nathan.

For a little while the family of four stayed in bed. Nathan and Haley on either ends, Charlotte and Jamie in between them. Nathan was looking at Haley, and Haley looking at Nathan. This was how it was supposed to be. They both loved moments like this; when it was just them and the kids. There was something comforting about lying in bed Nathan loved. And no it wasn't the soft comforter or warm cotton sheets, it was being in the company of his family. If he could have frozen the moment in time he would have.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you all liked it. I know it was pretty fluffy but I couldn't resist. Oh and I challenge any and all of you to watch Beauty and the Beast and not think of Nathan and Haley. I happened to watch it again a little while ago and was like "whoa...that's totally Naley!" So I had to drop it in there.**

**Well after this Monday's episode it seems we are on another hiatus. BOO!!!!! Its going to be around 2 months so that means I get to fill you're Naley deprived hearts with little moments to keep us in good spirits. With that being said, what do y'all want to see while we are on this break. I know I always ask, but it's cause I care what my readers want. Want some jealous Nathan? A family trip? Naley in college? A more serious, emotional chapter? Drop me a review and I'll see what I can crank out. Even if you've requested something before and I haven't done it tell me again. Sometimes I just need a little push to do certain chapters.**


	35. Blame it on Me

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 35: Blame it on Me**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and my creativity.**

**A/N: Hold the phone!! Guys you all blew me away with the amount of reviews, so I had to update kind of soon. I mean last chapter ties with "Labor Pains" with 32 reviews! At this rate, I'll reach 700 reviews in no time and you all know what that means, next day update. But...on to the new chapter. This one was a little harder to write than most, but some of you requested something emotional. Lori, this one's for you, I hope it's what you had in mind! Enjoy everyone.**

**OTHOTH**

It was late August, close to 2:45pm, and Nathan was patiently waiting on Jamie. His son was in the second grade and Nathan really enjoyed picking him up from school. Nathan was about to start his second year in the NBA, and come mid September, he would be spending the majority of his time in Charlotte. So to be able to pick Jamie up from school was something he didn't take for granted. He wanted to spend as much time with his son as possible.

Shortly after pulling up next to the school, Nathan heard the bell ring and children started bolting out of the the doors. He saw Jamie walk out of the school and waved at his son. Jamie waved back and hustled to the car.

Opening the back door, Jamie climbed into the car. "Hey Dad."

"Hey Jamie, how was school?"

The little boy shrugged and pulled the seat belt over his chest, "Alright."

Nathan arched his brow and turned to Jamie, "Just alright? You didn't do anything fun today?"

"Well, we did get a couple extra minutes on the playground today."

Nathan smiled at that. He knew Jamie loved playing outside. If Jamie could be anywhere, it was on a court tossing a ball through a hoop, or throwing a football back and forth. As Nathan pulled out of the carpool line he headed towards the house, "Hey Jamie, when we get home be quiet cause Charlotte might be asleep."

Jamie nodded, "She does that a lot...sleep."

Laughing, Nathan nodded thinking of his two month old at home, "Most babies do."

"Did I sleep that much?"

Before Nathan could answer, suddenly out of nowhere, a pick-up truck smashed into the passenger side of the car. Crunching metal and the sound of shattering glass filled the air. Nathan's head hit the driver's side window and all went dark. As his world faded into blackness, Nathan didn't know if his son was okay.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had managed to get Peyton on the phone and dropped Charlotte off with her, and was now racing towards the hospital. She'd gotten one of those phone calls from the police that makes your stomach flip, your mouth go dry, and the only thing Haley could do was get to the hospital as fast as possible.

She walked through the sliding doors and her heels clicked on the hard linoleum floor. Heading straight for the nurses station she walked up to the counter and pleaded with a nurse.

"Ma'am my husband and my son were brought here." Haley rested her arm on the counter and ran her hands over her face. Knowing that the nurse would need their names she went ahead and told her, "Nathan Scott and Jamie, James Scott." She hardly ever called Jamie James unless he was in trouble or it was for a more formal use.

The nurse looked through a chart and nodded, "Yes ma'am, your husband is in room 113, and your son is in 104."

Haley smiled kindly and started to walk away.

"Other way!" She heard the nurse call out.

Turning around Haley looked back to the nurse, "Thank you."

Haley faced an impossible decision. Who did she go see first?. That just wasn't fair, but Jamie was a little boy who might be all alone in a hospital bed. Making up her mind she started to look for room 104.

When she opened the door she saw her son lying in a hospital bed and it broke her heart. Almost immediately tears formed in her eyes and she couldn't find the strength to fight them. Her little boy was lying motionless in a bed and she couldn't do anything to help him. He looked peaceful at least. Haley didn't know if he was unconscious, or asleep, and her anxiety level rose with each steps she took in his direction.

Gaining her composure she walked over to him, "Jamie?"She cautiously ran her hand over his hair line and heard someone walk in the room.

Startled by Haley's presence, the man muttered out an "Oh." He was dressed in a white coat and teal colored scrubs, holding a chart. He smiled at Haley and extended his hand, "Hi, I'm Dr. Crocker, you must be James' mom?" He looked her over. She was very young to be a mom, but she had that look that all mom's get when their child is hurt.

Haley wiped a stray tear off her cheek, "Jamie, he goes by Jamie." Taking a deep breath she nodded, "But yeah, I'm Haley Scott."

Dr. Crocker walked over to the foot of Jamie's bed and crossed his arms, "You'll be happy to know that he's okay. He's just resting. He did break his arm, but we've already got it in a cast. It was a clean break, nothing to worry about. It should heal relativity quickly."

Haley didn't even notice the cast. She lifted up the sheet a little and there it was. Royal blue, on his right arm, it came up just past his elbow.

"So he's okay?"

The doctor nodded, "All signs point to yes. We did all the preliminary tests, and his results were fine. We gave him some medicine that makes kids a little groggy so we could set the bone, but he should wake up in the next thirty minutes or so."

Haley looked down at Jamie and again a few tears escaped her lids, but these were happy tears. Her little boy was okay. She suddenly looked to the doctor remembering Nathan, "Do you know anything about my husband?"

"No ma'am, I'm only with PAEDS." Dr. Crocker checked his watch, "But I'll stay in here with him while you go see your husband."

She glanced up at the doctor and met him with kind eyes, "Thank you." Haley bent down to kiss Jamie on the forehead and then was off to Nathan's room.

As she walked down the hall searching for his room number, Haley felt a sudden rush of emotion. What if Nathan wasn't okay. What if he damaged his back again? What if he'd never walk again? When she made it to the door of 113 she took a deep breath. She could handle it, she was going to love him no matter what. Even if he couldn't walk, or had a scar smack in the middle of his face, she didn't care. She just wanted him to be okay.

She opened the door and saw Nathan lying still in the bed. Just like she had done with Jamie, she couldn't control the tears. She didn't even know what his prognoses was but the sight of her husband in a hospital bed brought back memories of the night he'd been thrown through the window. A night she'd rather forget, but always remember. Haley slowly walked to his side and reached for his hand.

As soon he felt her warm skin against his cool clammy palm he opened his eyes, "Haley?"

Sighing heavily, her voice caught in her throat, "Hi." She hadn't expected him to be alert, and when he opened his eyes brown met blue. That was all she needed to see.

Weary from his medicine and with a splitting headache, Nathan ran his hand over the bandage just above his left ear and could feel the stitches through the soft material.

"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Haley sat down on the bed next to Nathan and ran her hand across his cheek. Before he answered she leaned over and kissed him quickly on the lips, "God, I was so worried..." She gently rested her forehead against his, "I love you."

Nathan smiled and then looked scared, "What about Jamie, where is he?" Nathan looked panicked. He started to sit up and grimaced at the soreness of his left side.

"Honey, he's fine. He's okay. You're both okay." Haley rested her arm on his.

He shook his head, "I'm so, so sorry. I don't even know what happened. We were on our way home and..."

"Shh, it's fine. It wasn't your fault. When the police called they said you'd been hit by someone who ran a red light." Haley knew that Nathan felt like it was all his fault but she wanted to let him know it wasn't.

"But I could've..."

"No, you couldn't have done anything. Nathan, it was an accident, and you both are okay." Haley glanced at the bandage just above Nathan's ear and assumed that he had stitches under there. And considering everything else they'd ever been through, stitches were nothing.

"Can we go see him?" Nathan sighed as he leaned up and started to get off the bed.

Startled by Nathan's spirit, Haley got off the bed, "I don't know if that's a good idea, you might need to stay in there."

"Hales please." Nathan's toned changed and he was on the verge of begging, "I'm okay, I just want to see him."

Haley knew that she should probably make him stay in his room but the look on his face tore her to pieces. He looked so broken, so hurt. She extended her hand and tilted her head to the side, "Come on."

Nathan took her hand and they walked a few rooms down to see their son. When he walked in Nathan saw a doctor sitting by the bed.

Dr. Crocker stood up when he heard the door open and smiled at Nathan, "You must be Jamie's dad?"

"Yes sir." Nathan extended his hand and shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you for all you've done." The truth was Nathan didn't even know what Jamie's injuries were, if he had any, but wanted to thank the man that had a hand in helping Jamie.

"He's tough kid." Doctor Crocker turned to the little boy and then back to the parents, "He should be waking up soon, I'll leave you two alone."

Nathan nodded and took a seat next to Jamie. It was then that he saw the blue cast on his arm. He turned to Haley, "He broke his arm?"

"Yeah, but Dr. Crocker said it was a clean break. It should heal quickly." Haley saw the guilt run over Nathan's face. "But he's okay, Nathan."

"God." He sighed and ran his hand over his face, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Haley saw that Nathan was upset and walked over to him, "Hey listen, he's going to be fine. Don't think you did this, because you didn't. It was that other guy anyways. And it could have been me. I could have decided to pick him up from school just as easily as you did."

That was the last thing Nathan wanted to think about. Haley and Jamie in another car accident. One was enough. He looked up to Haley and knew that what she said was the truth; it wasn't his fault but it didn't help the aching he felt in his stomach.

"Can I talk to him...alone." Nathan turned to Haley.

She nodded and squeezed his shoulder, "Yeah, I'll call Peyton and check in on Charlotte."

As Haley walked out of the room Nathan scooted the chair up to the bed and watched Jamie breathe. Jamie looked so peaceful, so innocent, and Nathan couldn't believe they'd gotten into an accident.

Nathan reached out for Jamie and gently rubbed his shoulder, "Hey buddy. I'm so sorry this happened. Nathan looked down and shook his head, "God, I hope it wasn't scary for you. I don't remember much after we got hit. But I bet you were brave."

Haley quietly walked in the room and silently stood at the door. She didn't want to interrupt but Nathan's doctor was looking for him.

Nathan cleared his throat and continued, "You're mom's brave. You know that? You and you're mom, and I bet Charlotte will be too. All three of you keep me going, so Jame you gotta wake up soon." Nathan hadn't quite been filled in on Jamie's circumstances so he didn't realize it would be just a matter of minutes before he did wake up.

As Haley listened a few feet away, a single tear rolled off Haley's cheek. She slowly walked behind Nathan and rested her hand on his shoulder, "You're doctor's looking for you."

Without taking his eyes off of Jamie he shook his head, "Can't he just come in here?"

"Honey, Jamie's not going anywhere, just go talk to the doctor, make sure everything's all right." Haley ran her arms across his chest and leaned her cheek against the side of his head, "Please."

Nathan shut his eyes and thought about it. Maybe he should. He turned around fully facing her and raised his shoulders. But when he saw Haley's face lock on the bed in front of him he turned his head. Jamie was waking up.

Haley walked around one side of the bed and Nathan stayed on the other.

Jamie opened his eyes and the first person he saw was his dad.

"Hey Jamie? How you feeling?" Nathan halfway laughed while smiling widely.

"Dad." Jamie rolled over a little and ran his hand over his face, "I'm okay."

The little boy then turned and saw his mom at the other side of the bed, "Hey Mama."

"Hi baby." She leaned down and kissed his head. There was nothing more in the world that made Haley feel better than knowing that her son was alright.

When Haley moved away Nathan leaned over to kiss Jamie's head as well. When Nathan was pulling back he felt small hands on his head.

"You okay Dad?" Jamie scrunched his forehead worried about his dad. His small fingers were in Nathan's hair holding his dad's head still so he could look at his bandage.

Haley's breath caught at the sight. Jamie looked so worried about his dad and the same went for Nathan. There was no possible way to describe the feeling she felt then. Father and son were so preoccupied with out each other were doing and it made her heart skip a beat.

Nathan nodded, "I'm alright, I got stitches."

Jamie held up his right arm, "And I got a cast."

Haley watched as her husband and son interacted. At first it had been really emotional, but then turned cute. Boys being boys. They were in essence, showing off their battle wounds.

The three Scotts enjoyed the time together thankful that no one had been seriously hurt. Nathan eventually left Jamie's room and consulted his doctor and found out that he gotten 29 stitches, but nothing was else significantly wrong. He had suffered a concussion and the doctor advised Haley to keep Nathan up and walking around, as much as he felt able, for as long as possible. After a little more observation Nathan and Jamie were released to go home.

**OTHOTH**

Haley drove Nathan and Jamie home but before they got to the house they needed to stop at Lucas and Peyton's house. It was kind of late, around 10:00pm and Haley didn't want to wake up Sawyer when she knocked on the door, and lucky for her, Peyton opened the door before she ever had to.

"Hey, how are they?" Peyton let Haley inside and the two women quietly began talking.

Haley sighed, "By some miracle, they're both okay. Nathan's got the worst of his. Most of the left side of his body is going to be bruised, and he has a big gash on his head. Jamie broke his arm but they both seem to be fine."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief, "What is it with Tree Hill and car accidents?"

"I don't know, but I think the trend needs to stop."

Laughing, Peyton nodded, "I second that."

Lucas walked into the room holding Charlotte's car seat. Haley immediately went towards her daughter.

"I went ahead and got her strapped in when I heard you talking in here." Lucas handed Haley Charlotte.

"Thanks Luke." Haley hugged her best friend and he turned to her.

"So they're alright?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, they'll be okay." She looked to Peyton and then back to Lucas, "Thank you both so much."

Lucas bunched up his mouth and shook his head, "Nah, I'm just glad we could help." He looked down at his sleeping niece and raised his brow, "You want me to carry her out?"

"No, no. I got it, thanks though." As she turned toward the door, she wanted to say something else, say thank you again, but instead just smiled. They understood. They didn't need to hear her say it, it was one of those unspoken agreements.

Haley walked outside to the car and when she opened the door she saw that Jamie was already asleep. She carefully buckled in Charlotte's car seat and then got behind the wheel and drove to the house.

Nathan offered to carry in Jamie, but Haley knew that it was going to be painful for him to do that, so she took Jamie and Nathan got Charlotte. It was hard for Haley to get Jamie all the way upstairs but she was a lot stronger than she looked.

After successfully getting Jamie to his room and changing him into some pajamas she kissed him goodnight and walked downstairs.

Nathan was sprawled out on the couch with Charlotte on his chest. She looked so small compared to him.

Haley walked over and sat down on the coffee table, "You know you supposed to stay awake."

"I know, I was just resting my eyes." Nathan softly spoke as he ran his hand over Charlotte's back.

Haley arched her brow, "You know lying on the couch, with a baby on your chest is like your personal snooze button."

Nathan didn't want to laugh because it would hurt but it was true. Even when Jamie was a baby Haley would always find Nathan asleep on the couch with Jamie curled up on his dad's chest. Seven years later, it was the same situation.

Haley smiled at Nathan reached out for Charlotte, "I'm gonna take her to her room, why don't you come upstairs?"

Nodding Nathan looked to Haley, "I will, I just want to lay here for a minute."

"Okay, but you better not stay too long, you'll fall asleep." Haley looked back at her husband and knew that within 3 minutes he would be out like a light.

After Charlotte was sleeping sounding in her crib Haley walked into the bedroom and was surprised that Nathan was in the bathroom. He was studying himself in the mirror and had his fingers on the edges of his bandage.

"Does it hurt?" Haley stepped to his side and looked up.

"Not too bad, it's starting to itch actually." Nathan looked down and scrunched his brow.

Haley smiled, "That's a good thing. It means it's healing."

Nathan turned his body and started lifting up his shirt. He wanted to see how his left side looked. It had taken the brunt of the hit when he slammed into the side of the door and he knew that it was probably covered in bruises. He felt Haley's hands on the him of his shirt and she helped him lift it over his head. She gasped at the sight and a look of worry splashed over her face. It looked as if he had been playing slam ball again.

"Nathan." Her tone was full of worry. Haley ran her fingers across the discolored skin and frowned at what she saw.

"Hales, I'm okay." He looked down and nodded, "I'm alright."

Teary eyed Haley's chin quivered. He saw that she was getting upset and reassured her with a kiss.

Haley sighed heavily when they parted she pulled him down into another kiss. His arms roamed around her petite frame, and being wrapped up in his wife caused Nathan to forget about any of his physical pain. It was Haley that kept him motivated and for that he'd be forever grateful.

The two found their way to bed and just like always, Haley laid her head on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart put her mind at ease and they fell asleep thankful they got another day with each other.

**OTHOTH**

Instinctively, Haley reached out for Nathan and felt the cool crisp sheets beneath her fingers. She lifted her head and saw that the clock flashed a bright red 3:43am. Realizing that Nathan wasn't in bed, she slid out of the covers in search of him.

She walked downstairs thinking that maybe he was eating an early morning snack but he wasn't in the kitchen. Haley searched the downstairs and then made her way back upstairs. She peaked in Charlotte's room, but he wasn't in there, so then she looked in Jamie's.

There he was, leaning against the wall watching Jamie sleep.

Haley walked over to Nathan and tugged on his shirt, "Hey, come back to bed." Her voice broke him of his trance and they walked out of Jamie's room together. "What were you doing in there?"

He sighed and shook his head, "I had this dream, that..."

Before Nathan could finish Haley reached for his cheek, "He's fine Nathan."

"I know, but I just needed to see him."

Haley's heart broke a little when he said that. "Nathan, you can't keep blaming yourself. It was an accident. Things happen."

Nathan couldn't help but feel responsible, "But, if I had taken Wrightsville instead of South College maybe..."

He didn't get it. Nothing was his fault. Haley shook her head and looked up to him, "I don't blame you."

That was it, those were the words he needed to hear. To know that Haley wasn't mad at him, to know that she didn't resent him.

Haley realized as soon as she said it that, that was all he wanted to hear. She saw a look of relief wash over Nathan's expression. She scrunched her forehead, "Is that what you thought?"

"I don't know? Maybe?"

"Nathan, none of this was you're fault." She didn't know how many times she'd said that but it was true. "None of it."

He cleared his throat, "I think I was afraid of losing you. That you'd hate me for this?"

"I'd never hate you." "She didn't understand how he was saying that, "Nathan, you'll never lose me, or the kids. Jamie's not going anywhere. Charlotte's not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere"

It was like a weight had been lifted. Haley knew exactly what to say to ease him of all his worries. For someone who had been in a car accident twelve hours ago, Nathan felt on top of the world. He had a wonderful family and a wonderful life. It wasn't simple, and it was never easy, but it was everything to him. _They_ were everything to him.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: All right, so one a little more emotional than most. Car crashes are kind of a common occurrence on OTH and it's only right that Jamie go through this right of passage. (That sounds awful but everyone has been involved in some sort of crash...except Brooke). Thanks to all of you who suggested chapter ideas, if I could respond to you, I did. As for those of you don't have accounts...**

**Danika: I did not forget about the miscarriage chapter. I actually already did it. It's called When a Heart Breaks, chapter 21...but funny thing is, you already reviewed it.**

**Becky and Alexis: So you both want to see something around them getting back together after the Carrie fiasco. Alright, well help me out. We saw them talk in therapy, and then saw them "make up" when they got home. So, I'm just not sure how much more there is to tell without being repetitive. What kinds of things did you both want to see? I know Nathan would reassure Haley that it's only ever been her, and no one could ever get in the way of that, but I'm having a hard time imagining that be long enough to be a "whole" chapter. So please, maybe elaborate on what more specifically you want to see. That would help a lot.**

**KCT-DK: Jealous Nathan is just around the corner! As for Haley getting sick; I don't know about that. I can see a chapter where she gets like the flu or something and Nathan takes care of her but I don't know if I want to go into her getting or possibly having some life threatening illness (at least not right now).**

**Othfan1: Jealous Nathan will be soon, and as for romance; I'll try and add more of that as well.**

**BDavis: I like the idea of either Nathan or Haley getting sick (but nothing too bad) and the other taking care of him or her. As for after the funeral. I'm all up for that, it's just a matter of making it a full chapter. Sometimes it's really hard to write certain scenarios over 3,000-5,000 words.**

**Mazzy: College Naley and jealous Nathan are coming up soon! I'll try and get some more Nathan and kid interaction in there too.**

**Bethanyfan23: Happy to report college Naley is coming up soon. As for current Naley. The only issue with that is that, Charlotte would technically be with them in my story, but like I have done before I can just forget about her for a chapter and write about them in their current states.**

**Naleyfan: Cute! A father daughter dance. Didn't think about that. Adding it to my list! As for a trip to Charlotte for the whole family to see Nathan...we will get to see Haley and Jamie go see Nathan on his first away game but I guess you'd want to see a chapter with Charlotte too? Like she's four, Jamie's 11 and they go see him play ? **

**Kutebloo and Joan: A lot of people seem to really like Charlotte and Nathan (like y'all) so I'll be adding some of that in future chapters.**

**KC and Hadley: Neither of you requested anything, but just know that I seriously love that you took the time to review. KC...I love that you think of Naley and Beauty and the Beast like I do.**

**Please review guys. Have another request? Let me know.**


	36. Mother I'd Like to

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 36: Mother I'd Like to...**

**Disclaimer: Well, I'd like to say I own OTH...but we all know that's not true.**

**A/N: My goodness, I never in a million years thought I'd get 40 reviews last chapter, but I did so here is the update that's always promised if I hit a milestone!! I'll save my thank you's for the end author's note. Most of you requested this so I'll let you get to it. But a huge, shout out to Pam for giving me the idea! This one's for you. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley looked around the house and sighed. Boxes were piled high, and the small little house they'd just moved into was quite a mess. Just a week ago Haley, Nathan, Lucas, and 2 ½ month old Jamie had all left Tree Hill for Gilmore. Haley had recently put Jamie down for a nap and heard the door open. She turned to see who it was and raised her finger to her mouth letting whoever it was know there was a sleeping baby in the house.

Lucas saw Haley, nodded, and quietly shut the door. He had a bag of take-out in his hands and walked toward the kitchen.

Haley got up and followed him, "What did you get?" She looked at the bag and arched her brow.

Lucas smiled, "Well, I thought I'd pick up from the little cafe in town. See if it's as good as home." He began to take out the Styrofoam boxes and looked back to Haley, "Where's Nathan, he didn't go get lunch too did he?

"No, no. He's on a diaper run."

The blonde haired teenager laughed. He could have sworn it was every other day that someone had to get something for Jamie. That kid went through diapers and formula like nobody's business.

Opening up one of the boxes he slid it to Haley, "Club sandwich for you."

"Thanks Luke."

He nodded, "Sure. Oh, and I got Nathan a patty melt so should I keep it out or put it in the fridge?"

Haley took her box and walked to the kitchen table, "You can probably just leave it out, he should be back soon."

"Alright." Lucas took his box and sat down next to Haley. After they both took a bite of their sandwiches he looked at Haley, "It's not bad."

"Yeah, it's pretty good but it doesn't compare to your mom."

Lucas laughed. She was right. Nothing would compare to Karen's cooking. She always had a way to make things taste like home. He took another bite and looked around the room. He turned his attention away from the moving boxes and raised his brow at Haley "Did you ever think this is how it would turn out?"

"What? Two best friends eating lunch together?"

Shaking his head he smiled, "No this. Us all together. You and me and Nathan."

"And Jamie."

Lucas nodded, "And Jamie."

Haley looked around and sighed, "No." She wiped the corner of her mouth, "I thought you'd end up at UNC and that I would go to to Stanford."

"If you had asked me that two years ago I'd probably say the same thing." He paused for a moment and then looked back to her, "You regret it?"

She shook her head, "Absolutely not. Nathan and Jamie are the most important things in my life and some school and California doesn't even compare." She paused then went on, "I think back when I was younger school and academic achievement were the things that drove me, but now, it's hearing Jamie laugh or watching Nathan play...as long as their happy I'm happy." Again she paused and then looked strongly into Lucas' blue eyes, "And Luke, I don't know how to say thank you for coming here and..."

Lucas interrupted her before she could finish, "Hales, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I took Whitey up on his offer because it will be a great opportunity to keep basketball in my life, and I can study literature just about anywhere. And you know that I want to be around Jamie. Be the uncle to him that Keith was to me.

Haley found herself getting glossy eyed and tried to blink away any emotion. Even if Lucas had made it clear that it was an obvious choice for him to go to Gilmore, she'd always appreciate it more than he'd ever know. And the fact that he wanted to be in Jamie's life, really be in Jamie's life, had her near tears. Haley reached out and placed her hand on Lucas' arm, "Thank you, and you will. Jamie already loves you Luke."

Lucas couldn't help but smile at Haley's words. He was bound and determined to make an impact on that little boy's life.

Never in a million years would he have thought Haley James would end up being Haley James Scott, married to his brother. It was crazy how things changed over the last 2 plus years. They used to be two people against the world, and now their world had completely evolved. Haley was a wife, and a mother. Lucas actually got along with Nathan, and now was going to be his coach; assistant coach, but that's only a formality. And through everything, Lucas Scott and Haley James would always, always be best friends.

**OTHOTH**

A few days later, it was the first day of practice and both Nathan and Lucas were gone, leaving Haley alone with Jamie. After lunch Haley thought it might be fun to visit the boys. Strapping Jamie into the stroller, Haley left the house and headed for the coliseum.

It was going to take her about 15 minutes to walk from the little house to the court but it would probably be worth it. If she was lucky, Nathan would be on the skins team and that meant he'd be without a shirt, covered in a sweaty sheen.

When Haley reached the gym she rolled Jamie inside and Lucas saw her first. Haley waved and he walked over to her.

Haley hugged Luke quickly and smiled,"Hey, I hope we aren't interrupting anything." She looked out at the court and saw that Nathan was running drills with the other players.

Lucas shook his head, "Nah, I'm glad you came."

From a distance, a few of the guys were waiting for their group to go again and they all noticed Lucas chatting it up with some young girl.

Point guard, Trevor Lewis raised his eyebrows and turned to the guys, "Is Lucas married?"

Dillon Carter, left shooting guard, smirked, "How old you think she is?"

"I'd hit that." Willie Jones, power forward, bluntly stated with a smirk.

Questions and comments kept firing between the players and no one knew who this girl was or if she was with Lucas.

Nathan walked over from the water cooler and saw all the guys looking in Lucas and Haley's direction. He looked at his wife and saw that she had brought Jamie by. He loved having them watch him. It was an extra incentive for him to do well, even if it was just practice.

The guys and Nathan saw Lucas bend down and give the baby a pound. Lucas turned away from Haley and Jamie and started to walk over to the team.

When he was just a few feet away Trevor spoke up, "You married?"

Lucas' eyes went wide and looked back to Haley, "No."

Nathan was about to say something but Willie did before him, "She's fine."

Lucas immediately looked to Nathan and could tell that he wasn't happy with the way this guy was talking about his wife.

Dillon laughed and looked back to Haley, "Yeah, she's definitely a MILF."

Just as soon as he heard it Nathan's head snapped in Dillon's direction so fast that he was pretty amazed it didn't fall off. Gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw Nathan's first impression of his new teammates wasn't going to well.

While the rest of the guys snickered Trevor nodded his head, "Definitely a mother I'd like to fu..."

Before Trevor could finish his thought Lucas blew his whistle. "Lewis, base line now!"

The team looked over to their young assistant coach confused by the sudden punishment. Willie held out his hands in defense of his friend, "But coach..."

"You too Jones, all of you." Lucas pointed his fingers at the players and then to the black base line. Everyone shuffled to the line and Lucas called Nathan over, "Nathan, come here."

Nathan walked over to Lucas and was furious. It literally looked like steam was radiating from Nathan's ears.

Lucas put a hand on Nathan's shoulder, "Forget about them. I'll..."

Nathan shook his head and looked at his brother, "What the hell man, where do they think they can get off saying things about her like that."

"Look I know, I'm sorry, but if it's any consolation, I'll make them run till they puke."

Nathan looked back at the guys and rolled his eyes, "They are so damn lucky Haley's here. If it had been any other time, they all would have their faces smashed in."

Lucas laughed knowing it was the truth, "Well you just go cool off. Why don't you hit the weight room,while I deal with these guys?"

Sighing, Nathan nodded, "Alright."

Lucas patted Nathan on the shoulder and watched him walk toward the weight room. Lucas made his way to the free throw line and looked at the guys standing on the line.

"You letting Nathan get off free?" Willie shot a look of disdain toward Lucas.

"No, he's just going to the weight room." Lucas told him

"Why are we in trouble, we didn't do anything." Dillon glanced to Lucas with a smug look on his face. "She's not even you're wife right?"

Lucas shook his head, "No, but I happen to be very good friends with her and her husband, and I would appreciate it if you would watch what you say."

"So you're giving us suicides for that?" Trevor questioned Lucas.

He nodded and the guys all rolled their eyes. He blew his whistle and the team started to run.

Haley saw that Nathan wasn't on the court and wondered where he was. Little did she know that his absence was due to the fact that he loved her too much to disappoint her by throwing punches.

**OTHOTH**

It was a couple days after the first practice and Nathan and Haley were getting ready for the preseason party for the basketball team. It was only August, but with school about to start, the board members wanted to throw a little get together for everyone. Not only was it the first time that Haley was going to meet Nathan's teammates, but it was also the first time they were leaving Jaime with a babysitter. Normally, Lucas could watch him but seeing as he was the assistance coach, he couldn't miss the party. It was kind of like a formal to do. Whitey would be there, the athletic director would be there, and all the players and coaches were expected to show. So they had to find a babysitter.

The clock showed just past 5:30 and they needed to leave in the next fifteen minutes. Nathan was buttoning up his blue button down when Haley walked out of the bathroom.

She was wearing a simple black dress and her hair was up in a french twist. She looked beautiful and Nathan couldn't take his eyes away from her.

"Come here." Nathan walked over to Haley and pulled her into a sweet kiss, "You look beautiful."

Playing with his tie she tugged on it, "Thank you."

"But you need to change."

Haley stepped back in shock, "What? Why?"

He looked her over once more, "Because my teammates are going to be drooling all over you."

She laughed and shook her head, "Oh, no they won't."

"Yeah Hales, they will."

Haley ran her hands down her waist and looked at her outfit, "I'm already dressed and I really don't have time to pick out another outfit."

He looked at her again and smiled, "Fine, then we'll go out instead."

"What? Nathan why are you being like this? You know you have to go to this thing." Haley's forehead crinkled as she furrowed her brow."

"It's just...okay look...." Nathan ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "The other day when you came to practice with Jamie, the guys saw you and some of them said some things."

Haley still didn't understand, "Well, what kinds of things?"

"Like, I don't know, nothing you want to hear." He didn't really know how to say it.

"Nathan, I'm a big girl, it won't hurt my feelings."

He laughed and looked down and mumbled out one word, "MILF."

Haley didn't hear him very well so she ran her hand over his chest and got his attention, "What?"

He looked away and shook his head, "A few of the guys were talking about you and two of them called you a MILF."

Haley didn't know if she would be embarrassed or flattered. Being called a MILF wasn't exaclty what she thought the guys had said. She assumed that they said something derogatory.

Nathan sighed heavily, "So will you please change into something else?"

Haley bit her lip and ran her hand over his face, "Nathan I don't care what they call me. You're my husband, and they can deal with it. I know you probably wanted to knock the lights out of them, and I'm glad you restrained yourself but it'll be more fun watching them squirm than have me change into a pantsuit." She laughed and arched her brow wondering what he thought.

Nathan looked to Haley and those brown eyes had him changing his mind. Maybe she was right? Maybe it was going to be worse for the others? As long as they didn't say things in front of him, things would be okay. He slowly nodded, "Alright, but..."

"Hey..." Haley cut him off and laughed, "It'll be fine. I'll be by your side the whole night. Everyone's going to know that I'm Haley James..." She lifted on her tiptoes and kissed him sweetly, "Scott."

Nathan swallowed hard. It wasn't as if he hated what Haley would think if they said it again, it was that it would turn him into some raging lunatic if he heard it again.

They both heard the doorbell go off and Haley smiled, "Must be the sitter. I'll get it."

She walked out of the room leaving Nathan alone in the bedroom. He really didn't want to go to the dumb party, but it wasn't really an option to skip out. He took a deep breath. He could do it. There weren't going to be problems. Everything was going to go fine.

**OTHOTH**

Pulling into a parking space Nathan pushed the gear into park and looked over at Haley. She saw that he looked kind of nervous.

She gave him a half smile, "It'll be fine."

Nathan gently took her hand and kissed her palm. There was something so calming that came over Nathan whenever he kissed her. It didn't matter if it was on the lips, the forehead, or even the palm. He could do it and get rid of just about any anxiety he ever felt.

He nodded and got out of the car and they walked into the ballroom of the student center hand in hand. When they reached the doors they were met by a guy and girl filling out name tags.

"Name please." The girl didn't even look up from her 'Hello I'm...' sticker.

"Nathan Scott." Nathan told the girl and then looked at Haley.

She cleared her throat and told the guy her name, "Haley Scott."

Nathan looked down at her and raised his brow.

Haley shrugged her shoulders, "What? Want me to say James?"

He shook his head, "No." Nathan smiled, "It's just normally you have it in there."

"Well, I think it sounds fine without it." She looked up to him and smiled, " I like Haley Scott."

Nathan laughed, "Me too."

The two volunteers gave the twosome their stickers and Nathan and Haley walked into the ballroom. There were multiple tables set up with all kinds of food and Nathan was really surprised at how many people were there.

Haley spotted Lucas and pointed at him, "Hey there's Luke." She grabbed Nathan's hand and led them over to Lucas.

When they reached Luke, Haley gave him a side hug and he and Nathan nodded at each other.

Whitey came upon the familiar crowd of three and patted Nathan on the back, "Nathan, there's a few people I'd like to introduce to you."

Haley waved Nathan off and watched as the old coach took her husband to meet important boosters and coordinators. When he was out of sight she turned to Lucas, "So what's all this about me being called a MILF?"

Lucas about spit his drink out at that, "Whoa, where did you hear that?"

Haley crossed her arms and glanced at Lucas, "Nathan. He didn't want to come tonight, actually he wanted me to change clothes. Can you believe that?"

Lucas laughed, "Well you should have seen him Hales. When those guys were talking about you I swear I thought he was going to blow a fuse."

Haley contorted her forehead and shook her head, "Why?"

"Because, they were talking about wanting to...wanting to..." Lucas couldn't finish his thought. It seriously grossed him out thinking about what he was trying to explain. Haley was basically his sister, actually she was his sister in-law. So the topic of sex and Haley was something Lucas always tried to avoid.

He saw that she was still waiting on a definitive answer, so he did as best he could, "I was just one of those things that really got to him. I don't know. You know how he gets. All protective..."

"And jealous." Haley looked up to Lucas and tilted her head.

"Yeah."

Just as Lucas said that Willie walked up to him. "Hey Coach Scott."

"Hey Willie." Lucas turned to Haley and then back to the player, "Uh Willie, this is Haley. Haley, Willie."

Willie looked at Haley and saw that her name tag said Scott, "Wait, you said you weren't married."

Puzzled, Haley looked from Lucas then back to Willie, "You thought we.." She moved her finger from herself to Lucas, "That we were married?"

Willie nodded his head, "Yeah, and your name tag says Scott. So?"

Haley laughed at the idea of her marrying Lucas, "Yeah, I'm Haley Scott, but I'm not married to Lucas." She looked around the room for Nathan and Willie instantly knew that Haley Scott was married to Nathan.

Willie glanced back to Lucas and grimaced, "So Nathan, he heard all that..."

Lucas nodded and looked to Haley.

She glanced back to Willie and smiled, "Every word."

"I uh, what we all meant to say was that Nathan's wife is very attractive and..." Willie was backpedaling. He never thought that the girl he thought was married to Lucas was actually Nathan's wife, or that she'd ever find out about a couple of the guys thinking she was a MILF.

"So which one of you guys said it anyway?" Haley arched her brow questioning Nathan's teammate who was sweating bullets.

Willie sighed in relief, happy that it wasn't actually him who'd said it. He looked around and saw the guy, "It was kinda two guys. It was them. Dillon and Trevor, they're talking to Nathan right now." Willie pointed in the direction of Nathan and Trevor.

Haley started walking that way, ripping off her name tag before getting there. Instead of going right up to Nathan she walked around behind Trevor and Dillon and 'accidentally' dropped her drink.

Trevor turned around and found the girl in the simple black dress absolutely stunning. with him being the playboy he was he smirked and spoke up, "Trying to get my attention honey?"

Nathan's mouth opened and again he felt his blood begin to boil.

Haley cocked her eyebrow and shook her head, "Oh I'm sorry I really didn't mean to do that." That was a lie but her plan was working.

Dillon recognized Haley as the girl Lucas was talking to. "So where's the baby?"

Sighing Haley ran her hand over her head, "At home, I had to get a babysitter."

"You know, I'm kind of good with kids." Dillon looked at Haley and just like Trevor, found the simple black dress perfect for Haley's figure. "I...I have younger brothers and sisters."

Nathan was about to lose it. This idiot was basically listing his qualifications. Nathan was going to speak up but he knew that the only things that would come out of his mouth would cause a scene so he tried to keep quiet.

Haley was simply playing along and smiled, "I'll think about it."

What was she doing? Nathan had no idea why Haley was acting that way.

Trevor smiled at the possibility of him and Haley, "You don't want Dillon here, you need someone like me. I can take care of your kid."

Haley laughed out loud at that one and shook her head, "Actually, I think I already found him." She brushed between Trevor and Dillon and walked up to Nathan.

Nathan hadn't said a word but when she was close enough, he pulled her to his side and kissed her. It was exactly what she had wanted. To get him all worked up only to have him cave and show that she was his.

Trevor and Dillon watched as the young girl they were trying to get with practically made out with Nathan Scott.

When Nathan and Haley parted she smiled at Trevor and Dillon, "Sorry guys." She patted Nathan's chest and whispered into his ear, "Let's get out of here." Haley turned to leave and left Nathan with Trevor and Dillon.

Nathan smirked at his two teammates and twisted the gold ring on his left hand, "My wife. My kid." He shook his head and continued, "I don't want to see you two look at her, talk to her, or even so much as think about her or I'll kick your ass so hard you'll wish you never came here. And that's not a threat, it's a promise." He started to walk away but turned back, "Don't ever call my wife a MILF again." Nathan turned to find Haley and left Trevor and Dillon standing with their mouths agape.

"Shit, Nathan's married?"

Trevor looked to Dillon and nodded, "Apparently."

**OTHOTH**

Haley was leaning against the side of the building when she saw Nathan walk out. He turned to her and shook his head, "Hales, what was all that?"

She laughed and kissed him, "I'm sorry, I just wanted them to know who I was."

"Wouldn't it have been easier if you said said it, instead of going through all that?"

Haley shrugged, "Maybe, but it was worth it."

"What, how?" Nathan raised his eyes wondering what possibly could have made that all worth it.

Smirking, Haley pulled on Nathan's tie, "Cause you were all kinds of sexy when you were getting all jealous."

"I didn't even say anything"

"You didn't have to."

"I was not getting jealous, those guys were basically giving you an application if you wanted to find Jamie a new dad."

"You were jealous! And I loved it." Haley cupped his cheek in her hands and kissed him again, "Now please take me home, so we can relieve the sitter. Luke will be gone for a while and I can think of a few things we can do before he gets home."

Nathan instantly caught on to Haley's advances and kissed her again, but more forcefully and passionately. "We can be home in five minutes."

They both hurried to the car and Nathan was pretty sure the tires started to spin as he pulled out of the parking lot. Hopefully Jamie would be asleep when they got home, because there was no way they were going to postpone this. The babysitter would be lucky to get out of there unscathed considering both Nathan and Haley were about to jump each other in the car.

As soon as they got out of the car, Haley paid the babysitter and quickly checked on Jamie. It was a few seconds after that when she felt Nathan's lips crash on hers. She knew that there was no possible way she would ever love anybody else in the whole world as much as she loved Nathan Scott. Amid his faults, the fact that he got peeved by some of the simplest things had her heart racing, and she knew she could never get enough. It was a fact. Nathan Scott was it for her. Her always, her forever, and that was never going to change.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. You got some jealous Nathan and college Naley wrapped into one. Buy one, get one free! And I hope some of you didn't hate the fact that Lucas was kind of in it a lot but some of you guys wanted some Laley, so I tried to add a little in there.**

**And can I just say a big: HOLY CRAP, I never, ever, ever thought I'd be at 700 reviews by now and I don't know how to thank you. Those of you who have accounts, you know I always say a little something in return, but for those of you who don't here you go (by the way I'll probably do this from now on, just to let my readers know how much it means to me!)**

**Allie, Diana, Emma, Emily, Danielle (both of you), KCT-DK, Hadley, Maite#20, Liz (both of you), Jessica, and Sarah Jane...THANK YOU so much for the reviews. I love them, and you all to pieces.**

**To a few of you I wanted to respond to questions, or certain comments:**

** B Davis and Mazzy: Yes I have read all the current spoilers so I know what's going on. But I kinda feel like I should stop. I'm going to ruin it all if I know too much. But I did/do know about the spoilers you both were referring to. **

**Kutebloo: Wow, thank you for the nice compliments, though I'm no great writer by any means. I have all kinds of mistakes throughout the story and I'm just happy readers and look past them.**

**tp404: I will probably do a chapter when Haley's sick. I just don't know when.**

**Joan: Your plea to the other reviewers make me smile. Looks like it worked!**

**Amy: I have to humbly agree. Looking back at my first chapter, I'm surprised people even liked it. I think things have gotten a little better as time has gone by as well. (Or at least I hope)**

**Alexis: I am still contemplating the idea so it's not out of the question. And I'm happy you're happy that I listen to fan's request...without you guys this story wouldn't be much of anything so I always take into account of what you and the rest of my reviewer's want. So thanks for letting me know chapter ideas and things like that. It really helps you guys out the most, but also gives me ideas I may never have thought about.**

**Please review!  
**


	37. Picture Perfect

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 37: Picture Perfect**

**Disclaimer: Well I own nothing except my original characters. Same ole', same ole'.**

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews. Check the bottom for a more in depth thank-you. This chapter jumps ahead, read on to see where Naley and the kids are in their lives.**

**Oh, and this one's long...partly why it took me a little longer than expected to update. Sorry bout that.**

**FYI: I'm putting time stamps at the tops of sections where it time jumps.**

**OTHOTH**

***Early May**

Haley walked down the stairs and saw Nathan hanging around the kitchen. She walked toward her husband and sat across the counter from him. He was watching the clock diligently and didn't even notice Haley sit down.

She cleared her throat getting his attention then began to speak, "You about to go soon?"

He turned to Haley and nodded, "Yeah, her plane lands in about twenty four minutes. I'm gonna leave in a sec."

Haley couldn't hide the smile that crept across her face. Not that she should hide it, but she always loved hearing Nathan talk about Charlotte. Just the fact that he knew her plane landed in exactly 24 minutes was adorable. Even if Charlotte wasn't young anymore she would always be daddy's little girl.

Thinking about her kids kept Haley smiling. Charlotte was somewhere 30,000 feet in the air and a couple days ago she'd finished her last day of her freshman year at Brown, and today she was on a plane home to Tree Hill for the summer. Jamie was almost 25 married, and working for a newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina. He'd ended up majoring in journalism and really liked what he was doing. Liza had needed an extra year to graduate so they stayed in Chapel Hill till she was done with school, then they moved when she was offered a nursing position at hospital. And since Jamie could write anywhere he was more than happy to go.

With Charlotte coming home and Jamie and Liza making a trip to visit, both Nathan and Haley were extremely happy that heir kids would be coming home.

Fumbling with his keys Nathan turned to Haley and raised his eyebrows, "Alright, I guess I'm gonna go." As he walked by Haley he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too." Haley smiled up at him

"If Jamie and Liza get here before I'm back, tell them we shouldn't be long."

She nodded, "Alright."

Haley watched him leave their home and sighed to herself. The house was clean, dinner was basically done, so all she had to do was wait. But for some reason Haley didn't want to just sit around, so instead she walked around the house looking at a few of the pictures reminiscing about the kids' younger years.

There was a picture of her and Jamie at the boxcar derby he never raced in. She saw a picture of Nathan and Jamie sitting in a green bi-plane from the vacation they took to The Outer Banks when the kids were young.

Walking over to the other shelf Haley saw one of herself and Charlotte sitting at the piano. You couldn't see their faces but mother and daughter were in the same position, Charlotte was obviously learning a new tune from her ever talented mom. Next to that there was one of Nathan, Jamie, Lucas, and Keith all holding up fish they'd caught when they took a boys trip out on the boat just a few years ago.

Continuing her jaunt down memory lane, Haley picked up the the next frame and studied it. The picture was the most recent and Haley loved it. It was Nathan and Charlotte and they were dancing together at Jamie's wedding. As her eyes roamed the photo she wondered how the picture might be different when it was Charlotte's wedding day. Their daughter was still young, and in no position to get married yet; but Haley knew that when it did happen, Nathan and Charlotte would most certainly share a father daughter dance.

Scattered throughout the rest of the room, Haley walked by images from birthdays, weddings, and little random moments that brought out the best in her family.

She and Nathan had been married 27 years, had two wonderful kids, and she couldn't be more proud of them all; of Nathan, Jamie, and Charlotte. They were her world, and she'd never get enough.

After a few minutes of looking Haley heard the front door open and saw that Jamie and Liza had arrived.

"Mom? Dad?" Jamie set down the bags and looked around. Things looked the same as always and it brought a smile to his face. The house he'd spend the majority of his life living in was more comforting than he could ever describe.

Haley made her way to the foyer and opened her arms, "Jamie, hey!" She hugged her son then turned to her daughter-in-law and welcomed her in the same way, "Hi Liza." Before the younger Mrs. Scott could even respond Haley turned to Jamie, "You two got here faster that expected."

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, we didn't catch a red light at all when we got to town so that cut like twenty minutes out. Is Charlotte not home yet?" He crinkled his brow.

"No, you're Dad left a little while ago to go get her, but they shouldn't be long." Haley walked the two into the living room and they all took a seat.

Liza noticed the faint smell wafting from the kitchen and smiled, "Wow, what are you cooking it smells wonderful."

Smiling Haley looked to Liza, "Well thank you, but it's nothing special. Just some sweet potato fries I've got baking..."

"Sweet potato fries, huh? Must be Charlotte's night." Jamie smiled thinking about his little sister's favorite foods. For some reason she'd always been a fan of sweet potato fries instead of the regular ones.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We're having macaroni tomorrow." Haley smiled at her son knowing that was his favorite, just like her.

Liza glanced to Jamie, then to Haley, and grimaced, "It's a good thing you're cooking because I can't make mac 'n cheese to save my life. I really just can't seem to get it right. I've tried a thousand times, but it's always really, really bad."

"Liza no it's not." Jamie shook his head.

She met Jamie with kind eyes but shook her head, "Honey, you don't have to be nice. I know it sucks."

Haley couldn't help but laugh, "Oh I'm sure it's not that bad. And you know what, when Nathan and I first got married I was the worst cook ever."

"I don't believe you." Liza cocked her eyebrow thinking her mother-in-law was just trying to be nice.

Haley nodded, "I promise. Just ask him."

Jamie looked at his mom, "Really?"

"Yeah. It just takes a little time and practice." Haley turned to Liza and patted her on the knee, "Just give it a little more time and you'll be alright. Trust me." Haley nodded trying to reassure Liza that things would get better, "But how about you help me tomorrow night and maybe you'll learn some new tricks."

Liza smiled, "Yes, please. I really could use some."

"Get Charlotte in there and it'll be a family to do." Jamie laughed, he was more or less joking but Liza agreed.

"Yeah, we should." Liza turned to Haley and raised her brow.

Haley smiled, "She'd probably like to make the real thing. Living in the dorm ,the only thing she's ever made is Easy Mac."

Liza and Jamie both laughed. They'd been in Charlotte's shoes before. Dorm life was definitely a challenge. A mini fridge and microwave limited the selection of food and Jamie knew that Charlotte was going to love a good home cooked meal. He couldn't wait to see her. It's been a few months since they'd seen each other and he missed his little sister.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked through the crowded Tree Hill Airport headed towards the departure/arrival screen. Once he'd gotten close enough to read the arrivals he searched for the Providence to Tree Hill flight. It was in green letters which meant it was on time so he checked his watch. Just a couple minutes to wait.

He turned toward baggage claim and sat down on a bench next to the moving luggage belt. Charlotte hadn't been home in two months and Nathan was eager to see his daughter. He knew that as she'd get older they'd grow apart but it was a lot harder on him than he thought. There was something about not always knowing she was safe, not always knowing he could be at her side whenever she needed him that made Nathan nervous.

A slight vibration shook his pants pocket and he pulled out his phone. Smiling before answering, Nathan put the phone up to his ear, "Hey, Charlotte, you here?"

"Hey Dad. Yeah, I'm about to be at baggage claim." Her soft voice rang through his ears.

Nathan's heart swelled when he heard heard her and got up from the bench. "Alright, well I'm just waiting around. So I'll..." Nathan felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see two brown eyes that matched the ones he saw everyday in Haley.

"Charlotte?" She didn't look different, but he didn't expect her to get there so quickly.

"Hi." She threw her arms around her dad and rested her head against his chest.

Nathan hugged his daughter, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm glad I'm home."

"Me too. We've missed you around here."

Charlotte looked up to her dad and nodded, "I missed it too. You and Mom. Everybody. Jamie and Liza. Oh, are they home? Are they coming for dinner?"

Her sudden change in tone had Nathan smiling, "Yeah. They'll probably be there when we get home. I think they're gonna stay a few days."

Charlotte smiled then noticed the flashing light at baggage claim that let everyone know luggage would be dispensed so they walked over to the belt. As they waited she leaned into the side of her dad and he wrapped an arm around her.

"You tired from the flight?"

She shook her head. The truth was that she just missed her dad. "No." Charlotte didn't elaborate much more, instead, she just leaned further into Nathan. She wasn't tired at all. Actually she was excited. As much as Charlotte loved college there was something incredibly comfortable about small town Tree Hill, North Carolina. While she was still leaning against her dad she looked up to him, "Hey Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you miss it? When you played on the road, did you miss home?" The only reason she asked was because she never knew how much she loved the little town till she'd been up north for so long.

Nathan cleared his throat, "All the time. You know that's why I stopped. I had a great run, but I was missing out on so much of your life, and Jamie's, and it was hard on your mom..."

"But we loved watching you play. You were like some super-star, actually you kinda still are."

He laughed and shook his head, "Nah, it's been ten years. I'm not _that _Nathan Scott anymore."

"Yes huh! Dad people still come up to you and talk about all your games and want your autograph. Most of my guy friends begged me to bring them home so they could meet you."

Nathan furrowed his brow, "Guy friends?"

"_Just_ friends, Dad." Charlotte laughed and looked to the ground shaking her head, "I'm not seeing anyone."

Instantly Nathan felt better. The subject of boys and Charlotte was a sensitive one for Nathan. As a father he'd always want to protect her and Nathan was particularly concerned with any boyfriends she ever had. It would be something he's always would worry about until he'd meet the guy he knew would take care of her, love her, give her everything she'd ever want or need.

Charlotte saw her bags coming down the line and moved away from Nathan. He darted in front of her and grabbed the bags before she could.

Nathan curiously looked over at his daughter, "This all you have?"

"Well I shipped the rest. It should be home in a couple days."

Nathan nodded and the twosome walked to the parking lot and when Nathan put the luggage in the car they headed home. While they were driving along the familiar roads Charlotte kept her eyes glued to the landscape. She'd forgotten how beautiful Tree Hill was in the summer. When Charlotte felt the car go over the lip of the driveway she knew they were home.

Nathan turned to Charlotte and laughed, "Just a warning, but your mom might tackle you when we get inside."

"Right, cause Mom's a two hundred something pound linebacker." Charlotte laughed at her dad's statement. She opened the car door and went straight for the house.

When she opened the door she called out,"Mom? I'm home."

Haley, Jamie, and Liza were all in the kitchen talking when they heard Charlotte call out. Just as soon as Haley heard her daughter's voice she shot out of the kitchen faster than she knew she could.

Before Charlotte realized what was going on she felt her mom throw her arms around her and squeeze her to death. But Charlotte relaxed in her mom's grip and whispered, "Hey Mom."

"Hey baby, welcome home."

The younger of the Scott women didn't know just how much she missed her mom until she was wrapped up in her warm embrace. While they hugged it out Charlotte managed to see Jamie walk up. Still glued to her mom she looked at her brother, "Hey, Jame."

"Hey, Char."

Haley let go of Charlotte and watched as her two children hugged. Nathan walked inside and stood next to Haley. He leaned over and kissed the side of her head, "I'm glad they're both home."

She looked up to his blue eyes, "Me too."

Charlotte saw Liza and quickly moved away from Jamie to hug her. They'd grown really close over the last four and a half years.

Liza smiled when Charlotte walked towards her, "Hey Charlotte."

The two younger girls greeted each other and Jamie interrupted, "Before we sit down or do dinner or whatever you want to take a family picture?"

"Oh Jamie, I look gross, I've been on an airplane for the last however many hours." Charlotte shook her head.

"It won't matter." He looked at his little sister's appearance, "You look fine."

Liza walked over to he purse and pulled out the camera and handed it to Jamie.

Haley looked at Charlotte, "It'll be fine Charlotte, you look great." Haley didn't really know why Jamie wanted the sudden photo opp but she wasn't opposed. After looking at some pictures earlier she thought it was a good idea.

Charlotte was a little hard to convince so Liza spoke up, "We just wanted to get a recent picture of all of us together." Liza added.

Charlotte huffed, "Fine, okay whatever."

Jamie smiled and set the timer and they all got situated. Nathan stood next to Haley who was next to Charlotte who was next to Jamie who was behind Liza. The red light started to blink letting them know the picture was going to take in a few seconds. Liza squeezed Jamie's hand and he ran his hands over her stomach and cleared his throat, "By the way, we're having a baby."

And as soon as Jamie said it the picture took. In that moment his mother, father, and sister's reaction were all caught in a single image.

Jamie buried his head in the crook of Liza's neck and she ran her hand over his head and laughed. They both turned to their family and the look on everyone's face was priceless. The best thing was that it was captured for an eternity.

Haley was the first to speak, "Wha..Are..Really?"

Liza had a tear in her eye and nodded, "Yeah."

Googly eyed with her mouth wide open Charlotte started to come to, "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God. I'm gonna be an Aunt?"

Nodding Jamie smiled, "You're gonna be an aunt."

"Ah!" Charlotte jumped a little and hugged Liza.

Nathan was taking it all in. He was going to be a grandfather. His son was having a baby. He couldn't find the words and didn't know what to say so instead he hugged his son. Nathan patted Jamie on the back and smiled, "Congratulations."

Haley had gotten over the initial shock phase and was so happy she could hardly see straight. Which could have been caused by the happy tears that were welling in her eyes, but it was more than likely due to her moment of pure joy. She scooted over to Jamie and smiled at him, "You're gonna have a baby." She looked to Liza and shook her head in astonishment, "I can't believe it."

Charlotte, Haley and Liza all sat down on the couch and questions started pouring from Charlotte and Haley's mouth.

"How far along are you?" It was the first thing that came to Charlotte's mind.

"About seven weeks." Liza shook her head, "I didn't know how long to wait and tell you, but I couldn't wait too long, it was hard enough."

"So when..." Haley was trying to do the math in her head but her thoughts were all discombobulated with the news she couldn't concentrate.

Liza knew what she was asking, "December 17th."

"A Christmas baby! I'll be home from school!" Charlotte bounced on the couch super happy that she would more than likely be able to be there for her niece or nephew's birth.

Nathan and Jamie sat down and the family began to talk about the little details surrounding the news of the baby. It'd be a few more months till they knew for sure if it was a boy or girl, but Charlotte was convinced it was going to be a little girl. Nathan and Haley both thought it would be a boy, and Jamie thought it would be a girl, while Liza thought it would be a boy as well. No one really cared all that much what the little Scott would be as long as he or she was healthy. That was all that mattered.

**OTHOTH**

***Early Mid August**

Haley pushed the front door open and just as she walked into the house she heard the phone ring. Running towards the kitchen she reached for the phone hoping she'd gotten it in time.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mom."

At the sound of her son's voice, Haley smiled, "Hey Jamie. How's everything going, how's Liza doing?"

"She's great, everything's great. We um, we actually had a doctor's appointment today."

Haley listened to Jamie talk and as soon as 'doctor's appointment' came out of his mouth she squealed, "Oh my gosh, you found out didn't you. Boy or girl?"

Jamie laughed at his mom's enthusiasm and took a deep breath, "Well you and Dad guessed right."

Haley closed her eyes for a moment taking it all in, "You're gonna have a boy?"

"Yeah, we're having a boy."

Running her hands over her head Haley sighed, "Wow." It was surreal. Life had a funny way of running it's course. To Haley it felt just like yesterday that she was telling Nathan they were having a boy, and now twenty five years later they were having a grandson.

"You want me to send you a picture. We got a few copies at the doctor's?"

Haley glanced at the fridge and could see a small black and white ultrasound picture and nodded, "That would be great. I think we could use an updated one."

Jamie laughed, "Alright."

The front door opened and Haley turned to see who it was. Speaking into the phone Haley congratulated her son once more and said their goodbyes.

"Charlotte, I need your help." Haley hung up the phone and walked to her daughter.

The home for the summer (which was almost up) college girl hopped up on the counter and raised her eyebrows, "Whatcha need?" She reached for the container of pretzels and popped one in her mouth.

"You and me are going to do a little redecorating."

"Redecorating? What for? I'm leaving to back to Brown in three days. My room doesn't need any work."

Haley laughed, "Not your room. Come here."

Charlotte didn't quite understand what her mom was getting at but followed her upstairs. They past the master bedroom, Jamie's room, Charlotte's room, and then got to the guest bedroom upstairs.

"What do you think?"

"What? What do you mean? It's a guest bedroom. Did you do something to it or..."

Haley shook her head, "No but, it'll be for the baby."

"Jamie's baby?" Charlotte lifted her brow and turned to her mom.

"Yes, Jamie's baby. Unless you have some news you'd like to share with me." Haley quickly turned to Charlotte with a laugh.

"No, no, don't look at me. But Mom, I hate to break it to you...the baby will be living at home. With her mom and dad, not grandparents."

Haley obviously knew that the baby would be with Jamie and Liza, but it didn't stop her from wanting a nursery at her house. They'd visit. She looked up to Charlotte and smiled, "It's a boy."

"What?" Charlotte turned her head so fast she started to get dizzy. She thought for sure that she would have a niece not a nephew.

Haley smiled and nodded her head, "They're having a boy."

"Oh my God, that's great. Liza was totally right. That's what she thought!"

"I know me too."

"Must be a mom thing then."

Shaking her head Haley laughed, "Not all the time. Your dad knew from the first day I told him you'd be a girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Even days I thought you might be a boy he was pretty adamant that you'd be a girl. He never stopped saying it."

Charlotte smiled, it was kind of sweet that her dad always knew that she would be a girl. Charlotte looked around the room then back to her mom, "So we are in here because..."

"Because I'm the grandmother and want to get a room ready for my first grandchild."

Scrunching her eyes Charlotte shook her head, "But Mom. The baby doesn't need a new room. Just put him in a pack 'n play and your good."

Haley laughed, "Charlotte. Just go with me here. I'll be doing the same for your kids."

"Oh yeah?" Charlotte thought about it. "You've got about seventeen gazillion bedrooms in the house so I guess I should jump on that."

"I didn't mean now."

"I know I'm kidding. But it's good to know that I'll have a babysitter for when Mr. Whoever and I need to leave the kiddos with responsible people."

Sarcastically joking, Haley played along, "Exactly, that's what grandparents are for." She looked around the room smiling, "Okay but really. I've got everything in the garage so we just need to bring it in here."

"What do you mean by everything?"

"Um, just stuff. Well, a lot of stuff. There's a crib, a floor rug, rocking chair, curtains, paint..."

"Mom!"

"What? One day Brooke, and Peyton and I went shopping and we got some stuff."

"Some stuff?"

Haley shrugged, "It was all your Aunt Brooke, you know how she gets."

Charlotte laughed, "But how... Didn't you just find out they're having a boy."

"Yeah, but we shopped for both since we didn't know."

"Mom!"

"What? It's fine. I can take the girl stuff back."

Shaking her head in disbelief Charlotte turned to her mom, "Where do we start?"

Haley smiled and pointed at some of the furniture. "We can move some of the furniture out and the bring in the new stuff."

The mother daughter duo started to get to work. Nathan would be home in a few hours so they had a while to work on their own, but they figured they could get a lot done.

A few hours later Nathan walked inside the house and walked upstairs. As soon as he got to the top floor he heard a commotion coming from one of the guest bedrooms. He slowly walked into the room and saw Haley and Charlotte pushing a crib up against the far wall.

"Hey Dad." Charlotte looked over to her father and smiled.

"Hey Char, what's going on?"

Haley looked to her husband, "Just thought we'd change the room up a bit."

Nathan looked down and saw the paint cans, "You're painting too?"

Charlotte picked up a paint brush, walked over to her dad, and put it against his chest, "Oh, you're helping too." She turned to her mom, "I'm gonna grab the other rollers." Charlotte left the room and Haley walked over to Nathan.

"You wanna help us paint?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Nathan looked down at the paint can and raised his brow, "What color did you get, anyway?"

Haley smirked and used a screwdriver to open the can.

When the lid came off Nathan saw that the color was a light blue. "It's..it's blue."

Haley stood up and nodded. She walked up next to him and smiled, "It's a boy Nathan, you're gonna have a grandson."

He didn't know what to do or what to say. Nathan clinched his jaw, shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. "They're having a boy."

All Haley could do was smile. But in that moment she could see how excited Nathan was, so she pulled on his shirt and kissed him.

When they parted Nathan had a huge grin on his face shaking his head, "I can't believe it. I mean, we're gonna be grandparents soon."

"Pretty wild, right?"

Nathan stared into Haley's deep brown eyes and nodded. None of it would have ever happened without her. She'd given him the two best things in his life and now they were getting a grandson, and it was all because of her. He ran his hand over her head and kissed her again.

"I love you."

Haley smiled and put her hand on his cheek, "I love you too."

**OTHOTH**

***December 19th**

Nathan felt Haley shuffle around in bed and laughed. She had been so antsy for the last couple days and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hales, he'll call."

Haley turned over and lifted her head on her hand, "But what if he forgets. He'll be worried about Liza, and excited and he..."

"He'll call."

She took a deep breath, "Maybe we should just go ahead and like drive around just in case. That way we'll be up and ready for it. I mean Liza's parents are staying with them so they'll already know..."

"Haley..." Nathan laughed again. His wife had a tendency to ramble. "We won't miss it."

"But Liza's already two days overdue, I really think we should just..."

"You want to leave right now?" Nathan shifted in bed and started to sit up.

Haley saw that he was considering it, "I just think that maybe..."

Somehow it was as if Liza had overheard their conversation because his phone started to ring. Both Nathan and Haley looked to each other, and Haley climbed over Nathan to get to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Jamie! Hey, is it time?" Haley smiled, "Alright, alright, see you soon."

Nathan could see by the smile on Haley's face that they needed to get to the hospital. He threw the covers off her legs and got up. It was dark and he ran into something on the way to the bathroom. If they'd been at home he wouldn't have stubbed his toe, but they'd been in Columbia for the last two days. Liza had a false alarm a couple days back, and Nathan and Haley just decided to stay and wait it out.

Haley had been particularly thankful that Nathan suggested it, because with Tree Hill being three plus hours away if they'd gotten the call at home, there was no way to be certain they wouldn't miss it.

They quickly got dressed and walked out of the hotel then got into the car. The streets were quite and Haley felt like she was going to have a panic attack. Not in a bad way, more like a I'm so excited/nervous that I don't know what to do with myself kind of way. Nathan could tell that Haley was beyond nervous and reached for her hand.

She looked at him when she felt his hand grab a hold of hers. Nathan definitely knew all the right ways to calm her down.

As soon as Haley blinked they were at the hospital. They walked hand in hand and saw Liza's parents sitting in the waiting room.

Donald Bennet saw Nathan and Haley walk into the hospital and stood up.

"Don, hi, have you heard anything?" Haley asked Liza's father.

He shook his head, "I think it will be a while. Jamie said he would be able to give us updates every now and then though."

Haley sat down next to Eleanor Bennet, Liza's mom, and looked to the woman, "So we could be here all night."

The older woman smiled, "Probably, with my three, Liza was the longest so we may be here for quite some time."

Nathan took a seat next to Haley and she leaned into him. Waiting was going to be the hardest part.

An hour later Haley was starting to get cabin fever, or waiting room fever. Jamie hadn't come out yet and she couldn't sit still. Don and Eleanor had run to the cafeteria on a coffee run leaving Nathan and Haley alone. She was up and walking around and Nathan was calmly flipping through a magazine.

She stopped in front of him and cocked her brow, "How are you reading right now?"

He laughed and shook his head, "Because you are worrying enough for the both of us."

"I'm sorry." Haley sat down, "It's just, this is a big deal."

"I know it is. I haven't been this excited about something since Charlotte was born."

Haley rested her head on his shoulder, "You're great you know that?" She took a deep breath and felt Nathan kiss the top of her head.

Liza's parents walked back towards Nathan and Haley coffee in hand, and each gave them a cup.

"Any news?" Eleanor looked to the Scotts but they shook their heads.

"No, not yet." Haley took a sip of her coffee, "Thank you for this." She raised her cup in the air and smiled.

"I think we'll be running on coffee and adrenaline the rest of the night. I remember when Patrick had his first, all us grandparents were wired with this stuff."

Haley laughed, "Yeah?"

Eleanor nodded, "Sure, we were up about ten hours till Grayson was born."

Liza's parents gone through all this waiting stuff when their oldest son had his first so it all seemed like old practice for them. For Nathan and Haley this was a new experience.

Jamie walked in and as soon as he did they all stood up.

Nathan was the first to speak, "How's it going?"

Jamie smiled, "Really well. It'll be a few more hours but everything's going really great."

A deep sigh of relief came from both Haley and Eleanor. Haley looked at her son, "Is there anything you need. Does Liza need anything."

"No, Liza's fine. But if she squeezes my hand any harder every time a contraction passes I think we'll be sharing that bucket of ice."

Both Nathan and Don laughed.

Nathan rolled his hand into a ball, "Get used to it Jame, she's only gonna squeeze harder as it goes on."

Haley looked up to Nathan and peeled her eyes, "I did not squeeze your hand that bad."

"Whatever you say, Hales. I thought I was going to need a cast after Charlotte."

Everyone laughed and Jamie pointed back to the door with his thumb, "I should probably get back to her, I'll try and come back in a little while."

Jamie walked back through the doors and the parents all sat back down.

A few more coffee runs, some stale vending machine crackers, and one crossword later there was no change. Little Baby Scott was apparently stubborn. Didn't he know everyone was waiting on him?

**OTHOTH**

Four hours passed and the Jamie walked back out with a smile on his face.

"They're prepping her. We're going into delivery." He opened his arms and a look of pure joy washed over his face. I'll come get you when you can come see him." Jamie turned right around and darted off toward his wife before anyone could get in a single word.

Haley looked to Nathan and grabbed his hand giving it a squeeze.

Nathan chuckled and arched his brow, "You're not the one having contractions and you're still squeezing my hand."

Haley rolled her eyes and squeeze it a little harder, "Say that again, I dare you."

Instead of saying it again he looked into her eyes and smiled, "Just a little longer."

"I know. I can't believe it."

Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley and they just sat together, waiting it out a little longer.

A nurse came out and looked around the room, "Family of Scott, Liza Scott?"

Nathan, Haley, Don, and Eleanor all stood up and approached the woman.

"That's us." Eleanor used her hand to point to everyone she was referring to.

The woman smiled, "Mom and baby are doing great. We can take two at a time so who wants to go first."

Haley felt like she was in grade school again. Like the when teacher would ask a question and Haley immediately knew the answer. But unlike then, Haley didn't shoot her hand towards the sky instead she turned to Don and Eleanor, "Why don..."

Liza's mom shook her head, "No, no you two go on first. We've done this before, we can wait."

Haley looked to Nathan and then back to Eleanor, "Thank you."

The nurse lead Nathan and Haley down the hospital corridor and then stopped in front of a doorway. "You can wait right here."

Haley turned to Nathan and her eyes went wide. He smiled wide and took a deep breath. For a moment they stood there waiting on something, on someone, and then Jamie came out of the room.

Wrapped in a bundle of blue was the newest little Scott. Haley instantly put her hand over her mouth trying to hide her sudden amazement. He was so small, so little, so perfect. Tears started to fall from Haley's eyes and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Mom, Dad, this is Bennet. Nathaniel Bennet Scott."

When Nathan heard that, he felt all the air leave his chest. It was a moment he'd never forget. He felt Haley's arm on his back and he looked down at her more proud than he'd ever been.

"You wanna hold him." Jamie looked at his mom and raised his brow.

Haley nodded and took the baby carefully in her arms, "Hi baby. Welcome to the world Nathaniel Bennet Scott." She rocked him close for a moment and looked to Jamie, "He's perfect Jamie."

If you weren't paying attention you may not have noticed Nathan looking lovingly at his wife and grandson, and the tears that rolled off his cheek. Nathan had never been an extremely emotional guy but there was something that came to his children, and now grandchildren that got him every time.

Haley passed Bennet off to the 6 foot 2, former NBA player, and Nathan never looked happier. Jamie told Haley that Liza was asleep but that everything had gone well and when Nathan gave baby Bennet back to his dad, Haley reached for her camera.

Sure to turn off the flash, Haley told Nathan to stand by Jamie and in with one click the moment was frozen in time. Three generation of Scott men; these generations of Scott men were together for the first time and Haley couldn't wait for more.

**OTHOTH**

**Hope there weren't too many mistakes, I tried to update this as soon as I was done, which means proof reading was basically done at a glance. But anyways...there you go guys, the first grand-kid. Now I know some of you don't like future chapters, and I apologize, but others do so I have to give a little. I wrote this because a lot of you want to see Charlotte's wedding/ proposal in a future chapter and I though I'd do this first to give a little bit of input as to what would have happened before. Make sense? Well anyways, I hope you liked it. **

**Again I can't thank you all enough for the reviews. Last chapter had another insanely high number and I will be forever grateful. All of your words mean so much. So like always, please do review. If you hate these future ones, let me know. If you love them let me know. If you thought it was awful, let me know (well try to be nice). Or if you just want to say whatever is on your mind please do. I'm going to try and update the next chapter within the next couple days and your review will fuel the fire!**

**And to those of you who don't have accounts, thank you. Alexis, Catch, Emma, Mazzy, Hadley, and tp404. Thank you so much! I really do appreciate the feedback. **

**A few of you I wanted to address certain comments or questions:**

**Anon: About wanting to see Haley's brothers. People have asked before and the only reason I hesitate to do it is I have to pick names and create these characters that people (or most people I would assume) would really like, and that's a bit intimidating. Sounds strange, but that's how I feel. Maybe I'll get over it and figure out how to do a chapter well enough and just do it.**

**Joan: Air high five...haha, you make me laugh.**

**BDavis: Charlotte and Sawyer will be together next chapter. As for how old they are and what type of interaction, I'll keep that a secret.**

**Bethanyfan23: I'm depressed with no new episodes too, so I'll try my hardest to keep everyone happy with as many updates as I can do.**

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS WOULD I HAVE THOUGH I'D BE PAST THE 730 MARK AT THIS POINT. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO REVIEW DO. SO THANK YOU!**


	38. Up in the Air: Part 1

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 38: Up in the Air: Part 1  
**

**Disclaimer: A big thanks to Mark and co. for their characters. I love writing little moments for them.**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews. They were down last chapter, but that was expected since it was a future one (far into the future that is). But...to my reviewers: I wish I had a time machine so I could fast forward to April 26th. That way I could reward you with a new episode. Sadly I have no such power and I don't think I can find a DeLorean anytime soon, so here's a little moment to tie you all over. Actually scratch that, it's a two parter!**

**OTHOTH**

After four hours in the car Haley was about to lose it. Jamie was kicking her seat, Charlotte called her name every thirty seven seconds, and Nathan, well Nathan was just sitting there. Sure he was busy driving but he wasn't being very helpful in the parenting department.

Haley had been trying to read since they drove past Holly Ridge, North Carolina but managed to only read about five pages; and that was almost three hours ago. So she shut the book and tossed it on the floorboard. Haley turned around and looked at her eleven year old son.

"Jamie, honey, will you please stop kicking my chair?"

The young boy stopped swinging his feet back and forth and looked up, "Sorry."

Since her mom was already facing them Charlotte batted her big brown eyes, "Mama, can I have some juice?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah just hold on a sec." She pulled the seat belt off her shoulder and leaned over to the back. There was a small cooler filled with drinks below Charlotte's feet and Haley had to unbuckle to reach it. She awkwardly, half way, climbed to the back but stopped when she reached the drinks. "Nathan, don't wreck."

Nathan took a look to his right and smirked. Haley's backside was just inches from him. "I won't."

"Can I have one too Mom?" Jamie smiled at his mom.

"Sure, what do you want?"

Jamie had to think about it. Normally he would say Gatorade or Sprite, but he was feeling an apple juice. "Apple Juice."

"Those are mine, Jamie." Little four year old Charlotte Scott scrunched her brow and frowned at her brother.

"Charlotte, we'll get you more when we get there." Haley looked at Charlotte and handed Jamie a juice box.

Nathan hoped that his kids could keep the conversation going because he really enjoyed the view. It was a struggle though, keeping his eyes on the road was rather challenging.

When he noticed that Haley was starting to get back to the seat and he cleared his throat, "Hey Hales you wanna grab me a water?" She muttered an 'uh huh' and got a water. He couldn't help but watch her as she maneuvered back into the passenger seat. It was a wonder the car didn't run off the road.

Haley handed him the bottled water and furrowed her brow, "What? What are you smiling about?"

"You." Nathan said quite frankly.

Laughing, Haley shook her head, "Me?"

"Yeah, you uh.... You want to get me another water?"

"What? Nathan? I just got you that one."

"I know." He playfully smiled and it was then that Haley caught on.

For being such a smart girl sometimes she was still unaware of Nathan's obvious and uncontrollable attraction to her.

Haley cut her eyes at him and shook her head, "You. Are. Awful."

"What did I do? I didn't do anything." Nathan knew that Haley had figured it out and was trying to play dumb.

"Sure you didn't." Haley laughed and swiped the water bottle from his cup holder.

"That's mine." He looked at her wanting his water back.

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "You can reach around and get your own."

Nathan frowned and started to reach for the cooler with one of his hands,"Ugh, sorry Hales, but I gotta keep both hands on the wheel. I mean you wouldn't want me to run off the road."

Haley didn't say a word. She peeled her eyes and shook her head. He'd won. She climbed back over the console and got another water bottle since she took his. Haley decided to play along and wiggled her butt while she reaching for the drink.

Nathan laughed out loud when he saw it, and when she sat back down he nodded his head in appreciation.

Haley playfully raised her eyebrows, "Your welcome."

When Haley got situated in her seat and put her seat belt back on she heard her name being called again.

"Mama?"

Haley turned to Charlotte, "Yeah baby?"

"When are we gonna be there?"

Before Haley answered Nathan looked at his daughter through the rear view mirror and smiled, "In just a little while Char, it won't be too long. But we're gonna go over a bridge in a minute. Maybe you'll see some animals in the water? Like a big turtle or dolphin or something."

Charlotte's attention went towards the outside landscape and she kept her eye out for this supposed bridge.

Not more than a fourth of a mile later, the trees started to disappear and the family of four could see the beginning of a very long bridge.

"Daddy look." Charlotte pointed to the structure and Nathan laughed.

"I told you. Now we need to see if we can spot anything in the water."

Haley turned to Nathan, "How'd you know we were about to cross this bridge?"

Nathan pointed to the little square box on the dash, "Well, the blue stuff is water and the line the car is on is..."

Rolling her eyes Haley laughed. She had forgotten all about the GPS, "Okay, I get it, I just forgot we had that thing on."

Just then Haley felt the car start to go up the incline of the bridge and looked out over the water. They started to crest the top of the bridge and Haley got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wasn't a huge fan of heights, but what made her so nervous was how close they were to the edge. The kids were pointing at stuff laughing, but Haley couldn't help but notice how close Nathan was to the barrier.

"Nathan don't you want to move over toward the center a little." He wasn't really even that close but she was still worried. Haley wasn't really a fan of bridges, and the idea of plummeting off of one was not exactly high on her wishful thinking list.

"We're fine. Nothing's gonna happen."

She looked back out the window and felt claustrophobic. The side of the bridge seemed only centimeters away. Haley glanced in the side view mirror and back to Nathan, "Well Lucas isn't this close."

Nathan laughed, "Hales, it's fine. And Lucas always drives close to the center. We're gonna be alright. I promise."

Nathan moved his eyes to the mirror and saw Lucas and Peyton behind them, and Brooke and Julian were behind them. He was excited about a vacation together. Even though they lived minutes from the beach, Nathan had a teammate offer up his vacation home in the Outer Banks and they took him up on it. Nathan and Haley decided to make it a joint trip and asked their friends to come along.

Lucas and Peyton happily agreed. Sawyer was five and their son Keith was two and a half. Charlotte and Sawyer were best friends and Keith idolized Jamie. Brooke and Julian didn't have kids, at least not yet. But in about a month or so they would. Brooke was 8 months pregnant with her and Julian's first and they couldn't be happier.

Just after the car made it back on solid ground Haley breathed easy. She really didn't like that bridge.

Nathan turned to her and smiled, "See, we're fine. We made it."

Haley sighed heavily. Why couldn't they just fly? Because it wasn't that far from Tree Hill to the Outer Banks, and it was nice to take a family trip in the car. Yes, it was hectic, and loud, maybe better as an idea, but it was still nice having them all in the car.

When Nathan saw the mile post where he was supposed to turn Haley looked at the houses though the window. They were great. Three story beach front properties, and she couldn't wait to see which one they were staying in.

Nathan pulled into the driveway and Jamie jumped out of the car. Nathan got out and opened the back door to help Charlotte out of her booster seat.

The little girl looked to her father and smiled, "I can do it."

"Alright, but if you need me, I'm here." Nathan watched Charlotte's little hands undo her buckles and successfully remove her straps. A part of him wanted to help her out of the car but he knew she wanted to do it on her own. When Charlotte looked up to him she displayed a prideful look he nodded,"Good job Charlotte."

As Charlotte got out of the car Nathan heard a car door shut and turned to see the rest of the gang pull into the driveway.

"This place is great." Lucas had Sawyer by the hand and looked to his brother.

Peyton had a sleeping Keith in her arms and walked over to Haley. They all turned when they heard Brooke groan as she got out of the car.

"Please, please tell me we aren't waiting on a key or something. I really have to pee!" Brooke waddled toward her two best girl friends with a pleading look on her face.

Nathan tossed the key up and down in his hands, "No, we've got the keys." Nathan threw them to Jamie and he ran up the steps to the main entrance.

Brooke made her way so fast up the stairs that neither Haley or Peyton realized she was already two-thirds the way up. Everyone made their way inside but Nathan started to get some bags out of car. Haley walked around and leaned on the side of the car. "This will be fun."

He looked up to her and smiled, "Yeah."

Haley walked close to Nathan and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I'm glad we are doing this."

"Me too." He bent down and kissed her soft and sweet, "I love you."

"I love you too Nathan Scott."

Haley reached for a bag or two and Nathan did as well. They walked up the stairs side by side knowing that this vacation would be great.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning was everyone's first day and it was around 10:30am when the gang made it down to the beach.

Haley, Peyton, and Brooke were all laying out as their husbands played with the kids. The three women were enjoying a little game they liked to play people watching. It was just what it sounded like. They watched people walk by and would comment. Haley tended to be the nice one, Peyton could be a little snarky or bitchy, and Brooke compared everyone to food.

"Watermelon."

"What?" Haley raised her eyebrow and looked to Brooke.

Brooke shrugged, "Well her bathing suit is green and pink. So I say watermelon."

"Really Brooke? Another food?" Peyton turned to her best friend.

"I'm sorry. I'm pregnant. Don't blame me. Blame him." She pointed at her stomach and grimaced, "Not my fault."

Peyton rolled her eyes, "Are you gonna blame everything on the baby?"

"No, just my stretchmarks and cravings."

Haley laughed and then looked at Nathan playing with the kids. They were all down by the waters edge and it looked like they were playing some version of tag. Jamie was chasing Lucas, and Julian was holding Keith running around. Nathan jumped in front and behind Sawyer and Charlotte trying to stay away from his son. Eventually Jamie tagged Lucas and it was his turn.

Somewhere in the mix of it all Keith ran over to the women with his hands extended.

Peyton looked to her young son, "What's wrong bud?"

Brooke and Haley glanced at the boy sporting a blue bathing suit with little green frogs on it.

"Yuk." The little boy grimaced at contorted his mouth into a frown. He apparently didn't like the sand all over his hands.

Peyton used the corner of her towel to wipe off his hands and the boy ran back towards the rest of the kids.

"That was adorable." Brooke rubbed her stomach and looked to Peyton.

Haley nodded, "Really that was. He just ran over here and stuck his little hands out." Haley stuck her hands out and made a frowny face, "That was too cute."

Peyton laughed, "He's a cute kid."

The women all turned the attention to the rest of the kids and saw a few things going on.

Sawyer and Charlotte were trying to bury Julian in the sand but weren't having much luck.

"Charlotte, help!" Sawyer annoyingly looked at her cousin.

The littlest Scott girl furrowed her brow, "I am."

It wasn't Charlotte's fault. She was using one of those itty-bitty shovels while Sawyer had a bigger one. Obviously it seemed like Sawyer was doing all the work, but she wasn't.

Again Sawyer looked to Charlotte, "Help me Charlotte."

Charlotte was getting her feelings hurt. Didn't Sawyer know she was going as fast as she could? The girls were best friends, but that didn't mean they didn't argue sometimes. The younger of the two thought the world of the other and didn't like it when Sawyer got fussy or mean. So Charlotte dropped her shovel and stomped over to her mom.

Haley saw her daughter walk over with a pout, "What's wrong Charlotte?"

"Sawyer's mean."

Peyton perked up, she wanted to know what had happened.

"Baby, I'm sure she didn't mean to be. What happened?"

Charlotte leaned against her mom and felt Haley stroke her hair, "She said I wasn't helping."

"I'm sure she didn't mean that." Haley ran her hand down Charlotte's side, "How about making a sand castle with me? I think I'll need some help?"

The little girl nodded and mom and daughter got up to begin their castle. No more than two minutes later did Sawyer walk over and ask to help. After a few words from Haley, the little girls were back to giggling and laughing.

Haley walked back toward Brooke and Peyton and sat down.

"Whoa, maybe we should call you Super-mom." Brooke lowered her sunglasses and smiled.

Haley waved it off, "Nah, it just comes from growing up in a big family. You learn a lot about sharing and playing nice."

Brooke and Peyton nodded. Growing up, they both had only child syndrome and sometimes it was nice to hear Haley's take on things. Not that she was a better mom, but she was the one with more experience and did happen to know a few things about family disagreements. Taylor James anyone?

As the women looked over to the boys down by the water they noticed something unfamiliar. Three girls in their early twenties had stopped to talk to the guys. Brooke looked to Haley and Haley looked to Peyton. They could see the girls laughing with the guys and it didn't sit right with the wives.

Brooke cut her eyes, "Um, are those hoes trying to flirt with our men?"

Haley sighed heavily, "Better not be."

"Or they'll get on very sandy foot up there..."

"Little ears." Haley pointed to Charlotte and Sawyer just a few feet away. Trying to think positively Haley spoke up again, "Maybe they are fans of Lucas' book, or Julian's movie, or follow the NBA?"

Brooke turned up her lip and rolled her eyes, "Right. Because what other reason would they want to stop and talk to three very sexy, very shirtless men?"

Peyton glanced at Lucas and saw Keith running in circles around him, "And look, 'earth to ditzy girls', those guys are taken!"

Haley laughed at Peyton's statement, but it was true. Those girls seriously couldn't be trying to hit on the guys with their obvious children around and wives around.

Brooke started to get up but let out an exacerbated, "Ugh" She turned to her friends and pouted, "If it wouldn't take me a year and a half to get up from the chair I'd walk right over to those girls and give them a piece of my mind."

The other two girls laughed out loud. Before they could respond Julian, Lucas, and Nathan walked up to the women.

Nathan stood in front of Haley and smiled, "You have a pen?"

Haley grabbed her beach bag and searched for a writing utensil, "Find some fan girls?"

"You could say that." Nathan looked back down to the water and saw the young girls smiling. When Haley handed him the pen he gave it back to her, "Will you sign something?"

"Me?" Haley took the pen and scrunched her forehead.

Nathan nodded,"Yeah. You, and Brooke, and Peyton. Apparently those girls are big fans of yours."

Peyton and Brooke's mouths fell open. They thought those girls were interested in their husbands, not them. But to be fair, the women were celebrities in their own right. Haley the singer, Peyton the label owner, and Brooke the fashion designer.

Julian looked to Brooke and laughed, "They didn't want to bother you."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, and then when they looked over here you were all giving them dirty looks."

Peyton grimaced, "We thought they were flirting with you." She looked to the boys and halfway smiled.

Nathan knelt down by Haley and smirked, "You thought those girls were hitting on us?"

"Maybe." Haley signed her name on a little piece of paper and handed the pen to Peyton. She looked back to Nathan embarrassed.

"Hales, they've got nothing on you." He smirked, leaned close and kissed her sweetly.

Once Brooke and Peyton sighed their names the guys walked back to the water and handed the younger girls the piece of paper. The fans smiled and looked over to Peyton, Haley, and Brooke and happily waved.

Peyton, Haley, and Brooke waved back and Peyton leaned her head back on the chair. "I feel like a bitch."

"Me too." Haley sighed heavily.

Brooke nodded, "Me three."

As the girls wallowed in embarrassment and self pity Jamie and Nathan were playing paddle ball.

"Dad, come on."

"Sorry Jame. I'm not very good at this." Nathan bounced the ball on the paddle and hit it towards his son.

Jamie hit it back like a pro but Nathan missed. "Dad, you wanna switch with Uncle Lucas?"

Defeated, Nathan turned to his brother and held out the paddle. Lucas traded off Keith for the paddle and switched with Nathan.

Nathan placed Keith on the sand and lifted the little boy by the arms each time a wave crashed ashore. Soon they heard the faint sounds of an airplane and Nathan pointed to the sky, "Look Keith, it's a plane."

A forest green biplane buzzed through the sky toting a banner behind it.

Jamie saw it and ran over to Nathan, "Dad, Dad, look. It says you can ride. Can we? Can we go do that?"

Nathan saw the banner fly through the sky: _Ride Me! $40 MP 14 1-800-FLY-THIS_

Nathan looked down and was met with Jamie's big blue eyes. That kid new exactly how to make Nathan say yes. He looked back to the plane and then down to Jamie, "You'll have to ask your mom."

Jamie took off running and stopped when he reached Haley. "Mom." He pointed to the sky, "Can we do that? Can we go flying?"

Haley got a nervous feeling in her stomach and stuttered, "I..I...I don't know Jame."

"But Mom, please!"

Peyton and Brooke watched as Jamie pleaded with his mom.

"Jamie." Haley sighed. "Um, I don't think..."

"Dad said yes." Jamie looked back to his dad who started to walk towards them.

"What do you say Hales?" Nathan opened his arms wondering what her answer would be.

Haley swallowed the lump in her throat and knew she couldn't say no. Not with those two looking at her the way they were. She shut her eyes and nodded her head. "Alright."

**OTHOTH**

Haley couldn't remember the last time she had been this nervous. She turned around to the backseat and looked at Jamie. He was so excited. He was looking out the window thinking about how fast they would go, how high it might be. But as Haley looked out the window all she though about were horrifying images of crashes and flames. It wasn't like she was trying be pessimistic about the situation but her son was going to be flying high and it scared her to death.

Nathan glanced over and saw the worry painted over Haley's face. He reached out over the console and grabbed her hand, "It'll be fine Hales." She turned to him, sighed and nodded. She didn't say anything and Nathan squeezed her hand, "I promise."

Turning the car into the parking Nathan stopped the car and Jamie's eye's lit up.

"Look at all these planes." He opened the door and shielded his eyes from the sun, "There are so many."

Nathan got out of the car and left Haley sitting in the passenger seat. She breathed deeply a few times and nodded to herself, "I can do this. They can do this. Nothing's going to happen." Haley opened the door and met up with Nathan and Jamie.

The family of three walked over to a hanger and an older man approached them.

"Scott?" He questioned.

Nathan nodded and stuck out his hand, "Yes sir. I'm Nathan and this is my wife Haley and our son Jamie."

Grasping a hold of Nathan's hand the fifty something man smiled, "Robert Neely, but you can call me Bo."

"Nice to meet you Bo." Jamie looked up at the man and stuck his hand out.

Bo laughed and shook the little boy's hand, "You ready to take to the sky?"

Jamie happily nodded, "Uh-huh."

"Well before we do anything, I want to run over a few rules, let you folks know what your about to do."

Haley stood by Nathan's side and took his hand in hers. She was nervous. Maybe she should have stayed back at the house with Charlotte and the others. It was one thing to fly in a big Boeing 747, but these little biplanes were small and open. Hair would be whipping around with the wind, and the comforts of normal airplanes with regular seats and flight attendants would be gone.

Bo led the family to a plane and started to point out the parts and the history of the plane. Nathan and Jamie loved hearing about it but Haley's stomach was still in knots. Bo reached into the cockpit and pulled out flying caps and goggles. He handed them all a pair and the boys put theirs on.

Haley looked at the cap in her hands and then turned to Nathan, "I don't think I can do this."

"What? Hales.." Nathan looked at Haley and frowned, "It'll be fun."

Haley shook her head, "Maybe some other time, you and Jamie do it. I'll stay and watch."

Bo realized that the young mom wasn't thrilled about flying and tried to ease her nerves, "You know flying is the safest way to travel. There's nothing to worry about. I've been doing this for years."

"Yeah, come on Mom." Jamie said.

She looked at her adorable son with his goggles and cap but it didn't help, "No, you and Dad go. You'll have fun. I'll be alright down here." Haley handed Bo the goggles and cap back and nodded to Nathan, "Go, you two will have fun."

Nathan had really wanted Haley to go, "Are you sure? I think you'll love it when we get up there."

"Maybe next trip."

He looked upset that she was backing out but knew that he'd get her on one of them someday. Maybe after she saw how much fun they were going to have she'd have a change of heart.

After running through a couple of the regulations Bo and Jamie got into the plane, but before Nathan climbed in Haley pulled him by his shirt, "Be careful up there."

Nathan smiled, "We'll be fine." He ran his hand down her arm and kissed her softly, "I love you."

"I love you too." Haley watched him climb into the plane and she blew a kiss to Jamie, "Have fun buddy."

Haley pulled the camera out of her purse and took a picture. They were waving at her and looked particularly adorable in their goggles and caps.

When she snapped the picture she walked over toward a little sitting area and heard Bo crank the engine. The green plane headed for the runway and Haley felt her heartbeat speed up. Her boys, her husband and her son, the two most important guys in her life were about to cruise into the sky.

Meanwhile in the plane, Jamie and Nathan were having a blast. As they straightened onto the runway Jamie scooted back into Nathan. They were about to take off.

"Ready Jame!?" Nathan practically yelled into Jamie's ear. With the propellers going it was really hard to talk but Jamie understood his father.

He nodded and looked to Nathan excitedly, "Yeah."

They both felt the plane lift off the ground and Jamie grabbed onto Nathan's arm. The father and son looked out over the blue horizon and were both amazed at the sight. The island looked so much smaller up in the air than either of them would have imagined. As they flew over the water Jamie saw fish, and dolphins and could even see people on the beach. There was no possible way to put faces to the figures, but it was neat seeing them from so up high.

Nathan looked down and tried to pick out which house was the one they were staying in. But only being able to see roofs made it near impossible for him to choose. As he searched for the house he couldn't help but think how much Haley would have enjoyed it. It wasn't scary or worrisome. It was beautiful.

Before they knew it Bo had circled around the entire island and they were headed back to the landing strip. Nathan felt Jamie lean back into him as they made their decent. When they felt a slight jolt they knew they were back on the ground. Nathan looked over to the hanger and saw Haley. She was waving at them. When the plane came to a stop and Nathan and Jamie got out the eleven year old ran over to his mom.

"Mom, that was awesome! Did you see us? We were up so high."

Haley smiled, "I did see. I bet it was a lot of fun."

Nathan had finished talking with Bo, shook the man's hand and walked over to his family. "You should have done it Hales, it was great."

"I know, but I'll do it next time."

Haley did have a little regret about not going. She didn't know why she had been so worried about it, everything went fine.

Nathan smirked at Haley. He was definitely getting her on that plane, and it would be a lot sooner than she thought.

**OTHOTH**

**So there's part 1 of Up in the Air. It was way too long as one chapter, so I'm splitting it up into two. Hope you all don't mind. Thank you so much for the reviews for last chapter. Keep 'em coming. Can't wait to see what happens in part two, let me know in a review. I will tease that somebody (Haley) will get into that plane. How...I don't know. She does at one point ask Nathan, "Are you trying to get me drunk?" So maybe that has to do with it, or maybe that's a whole different point in the chapter? I'm not telling. We still got putt-putt, dinner, the all important plane ride, and two people end up rolling around in the sand together. Naley? Probably! I hope you didn't mind the additional Brulian and Leyton, but some of you wanted some of them and I happily obliged. Again, I can't thank you all enough for the reviews for last chapter so for the people who don't have accounts:**

**tp404: I'll add the "no electricity" idea to my list. That could be interesting. I have not forgotten about the chapter when either Nathan or Haley gets sick. It's just a matter of timing. I have to figure out where it would go best. But don't worry, it's going to be done.**

**Joan: I will be doing a chapter about Charlotte's wedding. As for Graham (the guy in the Coast Guard), I'm gonna keep you guessing about who it is she ends up with. Maybe it's him, maybe it's some other guy.**

**Liz: I'm really glad you've liked the choices I've made for Charlotte. That means a lot since she's my character.**

**Mazzy: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I don't know if you've read ch. 16 (Christmas, Baby Please Come Home) or ch. 25 (An Officer and a Gentleman) but those include or are about Charlotte and a boyfriend. I will be doing one about her wedding sometime in the future though.**

**BDavis: Thank you so much for your kind words. I know there wasn't a whole lot of Sawyer and Charlotte in this one, but there will be in future chapters. And, I'm glad you are interested in my other story, but don't worry, it will not take the place of this one. My other story is still in the drafting/outlining phase and I don't even know when or if I'll post it. Only a couple people have showed interest in it, so don't worry. Little Moments will not stop because I'm writing another story. I have every intention of writing this until people stop reading/reviewing.**

**Danika: I'm really happy you enjoyed the last chapter, and no I have not done a chapter surrounding Charlotte's wedding. So you don't have to blame your short term memory since it hasn't happened yet. But it will happen semi-soon. **

**Hadley: What is it you want to see from season 7? I know I've got an upcoming chapter that centers around Haley and Jamie going to visit Nathan at his first away game (but that's not really even season 7) so what are the kinds of things you want to see?**

**THANKS AGAIN GUYS. Please review. Who knows, maybe I'll update the second half tonight (or as soon as I can)!?**


	39. Up in the Air: Part 2

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 39: Up in the Air: Part 2**

**Disclaimer: Mark and co. own the rights to their characters and the show.**

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys. Here's part 2, it's more Naley oriented, especially towards the end. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan, Haley, and Jamie walked into the house Charlotte ran up to her dad. Nathan picked the little girl up and smiled. She smiled right back, "Did you like flying Daddy?"

Nathan nodded, "Uh huh, and maybe next year if we come back you'll be tall enough to go." He set Charlotte down and looked to Haley, "You can thank your short pants mom for that."

Haley cut her eyes at him. He needed a better excuse than that, "Hey, Jamie's tall now. It's not all my fault. You're mom isn't tall either!"

He smirked, "Whatever you say Hales."

Rolling her eyes, Haley walked into the kitchen. They had stopped by a seafood market after the plane ride and picked up some shrimp. The girls were going to cook dinner. Peyton was standing over the sink rinsing and peeling some potatoes, "Whoa, did you get enough shrimp?"

Haley widened her eyes, "You do know that Nathan is an professional athlete? He eats like three times as much as a normal person."

"I do not!" Nathan called out before he walked outside with Charlotte.

When Haley saw that he was outside she turned to Peyton, "Yes he does."

Brooke waddled into the kitchen and clasped her hands together, "We are going to make a feast tonight." She reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottled water, "What do I need to do?"

Haley got a bowl out and emptied the shrimp into it, "Well you can help me marinate the..." She looked and Brooke, "What's wrong."

Peyton looked up and saw that Brooke hand her hands over her face.

"It sme...I...I can't be in here." Brooke started to walk out of the kitchen and both Peyton and Haley turned to each other wondering what just happened.

A few moments later Brooke returned with a washcloth over her nose and mouth, "Stop." She held out her hand and shook it, "You have to stop. The smell of those shrimp make me nauseous."

Peyton and Haley tried not to laugh, but seeing Brooke all flustered with a rag in front of her face was kinda hilarious.

"Really. The whole house is going to smell like shrimp and I won't be able to breathe. I really think maybe we should go out or something."

Peyton washed the last of the potatoes and plopped it in the strainer, "What about all this food?"

"I know, I'm sorry. Maybe we can use the other stuff later but can we just go out tonight? I don't know if I can stay in here while it smells like this."

Haley nodded, "Yeah we can go out. I don't mind." She started to put the shrimp back in the bag.

"Be sure to double..."

"Double bag it? I got it." Haley smiled at Brooke. She remembered what it was like to be pregnant. Sometimes it was the strangest things that had made her nauseous. For Haley it was cinnamon when she was pregnant with Jamie and eggs with Charlotte. Haley wrapped the shrimp up carefully and made sure to double bag it and even thought about triple bagging it.

Brooke walked outside to the porch and left Peyton and Haley in the kitchen. Peyton turned to Haley and shrugged her shoulders, "So I guess we're going out."

"Guess so." Haley put the shrimp in the fridge and she and Peyton went outside.

"So you two were trying to make Brooke sick huh?" Nathan turned the to women and smiled.

Haley rolled her eyes and walked over to him, "No. We didn't know she'd wouldn't be able to handle the smell of shrimp."

Brooke cleared her throat, "In their defense I didn't know either."

"Yeah, it wasn't like we were out to get Brooke." Peyton walked over to the banister and saw that Lucas and Julian were down on the beach playing around with the kids. "So where do we want to go?"

Haley sat down on the edge of Nathan's chair and shrugged, "I don't know?"

Nathan smirked, "How about Dirty Dick's?"

Brooke raised her eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"What?" Nathan laughed, "It's a crab house. Didn't you see the sign when we past it? 'I got my crabs from Dirty Dick's.' It's their slogan."

Haley's mouth fell open a little and she swiped Nathan on the shoulder, "Ew, I'm not taking our children there."

Peyton laughed, "Sounds like a funny place but I think anything seafood related is going to be bad for Brooke." She turned to her friend and raised her brow.

"Yeah, P. Scott's right. I think we should stick to Americana."

Nathan grimaced. He really didn't want to go to Apple-bees or Five Guys and Fries, or any other place they had back home. "What about Tale of the Whale. I think that place has the best of both worlds and it's a little more upscale. It shouldn't smell too fishy."

"Upscale? I think I can deal with that." Brooke smiled and nodded.

Haley looked over to her pregnant friend, "That sounds good as long as Brooke's okay with it."

"Oh yeah Tutor-mom, I'm good. White table cloth, it's probably fine." She waved her hand like it was no big deal.

Peyton's eyes went wide and she laughed, "Alright, I'll go round up the kids and get Lucas and Julian. We should leave kinda soon don't you think?"

The other three nodded so Peyton walked down the boardwalk to wrangle up the rest of the group. Brooke excused herself because as usual, she had to pee, leaving Nathan and Haley alone on the porch.

Haley ran her finger over the hair above Nathan's ear and smirked, "You really wanted to go to Dirty Dick's?"

He shook his head, "No, I just wanted to see your reaction when I mentioned it." Nathan laughed as he saw Haley's expression change. "Kind of funny right?"

If she was being honest it was funny. Who names a restaurant Dirty Dick's and uses a little word play with a STD like crabs for their slogan? She didn't know but it was humorous, "Yeah, it's kind of funny."

Changing the subject he looked strongly into her big brown eyes, "So, what was the deal with not flying earlier?"

"I don't know. I got scared. I know the guy was highly qualified and stuff, but I just got nervous."

He brushed a stray hair aside and smiled, "You would have loved it Hales."

She sighed, "And you know I don't like heights that much."

"But you've been on regular airplanes a bunch of times." He didn't really get why she had been so nervous about it.

"I know, but it's different. It's an open plane. What I fell out?"

"You wouldn't" He shook his head and laughed.

She scrunched her brow, "How do you know?"

He smiled and kissed her on her cheek, "I wouldn't let you."

With that Haley felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. They way he said, how he said it. She smiled and ran her hand over his cheek, "I love you." She kissed him again but before he could respond the kids ran up the boardwalk.

"Mama look." Charlotte ran up to her parents and held out a few shells.

Haley smiled, "Those are beautiful Charlotte."

Nathan nodded, "Wow, how many did you get?"

The little girl looked down at her collection and started to count, "Five." She proudly displayed them again and Sawyer ran up behind her.

"Aunt Haley, Uncle Nathan look!" Sawyer showed off her little collection and the two adults smiled.

Haley got off of Nathan's chair and looked to her daughter and niece, "Maybe we can figure out a way to make bracelets or something with those."

The little girls looked up wide eyed and grinned.

"But right now, you two need to go get cleaned up. We are gonna go out to eat in a little bit." Haley escorted the girls inside and Nathan got up when Jamie walked up.

"Find anything cool Jame?"

Jamie turned to his dad and shook his head, "No, Julian and I were throwing the football around."

Julian approached the father and son, "He's gonna be quite the player Nathan. He can out throw me by a mile."

Nathan laughed. "Yeah, he's better than me too."

"Yeah I am." Jamie added. The boy shot a smile towards his dad and laughed, "But he's a little better than me at basketball."

"You're dad good at basketball? Nah, I don't believe it." Julian was only kidding.

Jamie looked to Julian, "Yeah, he's the best. He scores like twenty points a game, has super quick hands on defense..."

Nathan felt himself start to smile. It was really sweet that Jamie thought so highly of his dad, that he was able to tell anyone how good Nathan was. Even if he wasn't really the best, in Jamie's eyes he was.

Peyton and Lucas walked up and Keith was on Lucas' shoulders. Nathan waved at the little boy who had the football in his hands. Keith tried to throw it to his uncle but it fell quite short. Lucas laughed while Peyton picked up the ball, "We'll have to work on that."

Lucas set Keith down and walked inside. Nathan was the last to go in and while as he shut the door he couldn't help but think about what a great time he was having. He loved having his friends and family all together. He knew that dinner was going to go fine and he couldn't wait till later. There was a certain something he was going to get Haley to do.

**OTHOTH**

Though they probably could have crammed everyone into two cars, but the group decided to take three. Which honestly, would work out better since Nathan would want to cut out of the festivities early.

As the group made their way into the restaurant they were led outside to the waiting area. The restaurant had a waterfront view and there was a gazebo lit up with lights where diners would wait to be seated.

The kids all looked over the edge of the railing and saw a group of turtles by the bank.

It was probably against the rules, but Haley gave each of the kids some crackers she had stashed in her purse so they could throw them into the water.

It had only about a ten minute wait so far which seemed short for a busy summer night on the Outer Banks. Brooke however thought the time rolled by ever so slowly because she had to get up and pee twice while they waited. Lucky for all of them because the restrooms were inside, so when she came out she held her thumbs up.

"It's good guys. Doesn't smell like shrimp."

Haley and Peyton laughed in relief. At least they didn't have to find somewhere else to eat.

Nathan walked over to Haley with a kiddish grin, "Do you have more crackers?"

Haley smirked. It was cute that he wanted to feed the turtles. "I've only got a few left."

Nathan let out disappointed, "Oh." He fumbled with his hands and looked to the kids, "That's fine"

It was kind of heartbreaking seeing Nathan so disappointed. She gave him a small smiled and held out the remaining crackers, "Here."

He smiled and took the crackers and walked over to the kids. They all watched him toss the crackers into the water and Keith clapped his hands together when he saw the a turtle chomp down on the food.

Just minutes later a hostess walked to the gazebo and called out, "Scott? Party of ten?"

The adults stood up and gathered the kids. They were taken to their table which had a wonderful view of the water and they all took their seats. Nathan and Haley were across from each other, Charlotte next to Haley, and Jamie next to Nathan. Lucas was next to Jamie and Peyton was across from Lucas. Keith was in between his mom and Aunt Brooke while Sawyer was next to her dad, who was across from her brother next to Julian.

When everyone was situated Brooke cleared her throat, "Okay so can nobody order shrimp."

Peyton nodded, "I think we can handle that."

They all browsed the menu and Haley could tell that Nathan was debating on what he should get. She knew that he really wanted some sort of seafood or fish, but she also saw that prime rib was an option.

And she knew that prime rib was his absolute favorite. It was her macaroni and cheese.

A waiter greeted the table and told them the specials and got the drink orders. Haley and Brooke were the only two who didn't get a glass of wine and Nathan furrowed his brow.

"You don't want a glass Hales?"

She shook her head, "Not right now, maybe later."

He found her answer rather odd. Haley wasn't normally one to turn down a nice glass of wine. It was obvious as to why Brooke wasn't drinking but Haley's reason was mysterious. She wasn't pregnant, he knew that, but he still found it odd. He also knew that if he had a chance in hell to get her in the plane later she'd probably need to be a little buzzed.

"You sure?"

Haley turned to him and nodded, "Yeah, just not right now."

"Alright." Nathan was definitely going to need her to give in a little at some point.

Turning to the kids Haley told the waiter what the kids wanted. She pointed to Jamie, "He'll want a Roy Rogers and she..." Haley pointed to Charlotte, "Will want a Shirley Temple."

"Me too!" Sawyer rang out.

Peyton smiled at her daughter, "Yeah, she'll want a Shirley Temple and can he have some milk?" She glanced down at the little boy and he patted the table with his hands, "Milk!"

The waiter nodded and headed off to get their drinks. A few minutes later he returned as asked if everyone was ready? Peyton went ahead and orders for her kids and then Haley started to for her two.

"Charlotte you want a cheese pizza right?" Haley looked at her daughter who nodded. Why of all things Charlotte wanted pizza Haley would never know but she ordered it anyways. Turning to Jamie she started to speak but he interrupted.

"Wait Dad what are you getting? I wanna get what your getting." Jamie looked to his dad wondering what to eat.

"I don't know Jame, go ahead and get whatever you want." Nathan ran his eyes over the menu still contemplating his choices.

Jamie thought about it and looked to his mom, "Can I get the fish?"

"Yeah, sure." Haley nodded and told the waiter what he wanted.

Thinking that if she ordered faster her food would come quicker, Brooke spoke up next and ordered. Then the rest followed and when it was Haley's turn she knew immediately what she would get.

"I'd like the prime rib."

Nathan quickly turned his head and smiled.

She smiled back, "I though that way you could get whatever sea food you wanted and we could share."

"Thank you."

Haley nodded and handed the waiter the menu. Nathan ordered the combination platter without shrimp and substituted in crab cakes because he knew Haley liked them.

It was sweet. She got something she knew he liked and he returned the favor. Even when ordering food they worked as a team.

**OTHOTH**

The sun didn't set until about 8:10pm so when dinner was over Lucas had a great idea. As they were all walking out of the restaurant he looked to the little ones.

"Who wants to go do go-karts and putt-putt?" Lucas smiled wild and all the kids cheered.

"Sweet!" Jamie raced to the car and jumped in. He wanted to get there as soon they could.

Nathan laughed at Jamie's energy and walked to the car with one arm around Haley's side and the other clutching Charlotte's hand.

It was a short ride from the restaurant to Colington Speedway and as soon as Nathan put the car in park Jamie scrambled out of the car. Haley got Charlotte and Nathan walked to the entrance with his son. Lucas and his family were close behind Nathan and Jamie with Brooke and Julian right behind them.

Even if Brooke couldn't ride she still wanted to watch. As long as she could sit and watch everything was going to be fine.

Keith, Peyton and Brooke sat out during the first round and were going to watch everyone race. Charlotte was paired with Nathan, Sawyer with Lucas, and Jamie, Haley, and Julian were on their own. Nathan walked Charlotte over to the car and when they both got in he made sure her straps were secure. Jamie was behind them talking all kinds of trash.

"Get ready to eat my dust Dad. You might want to cover Charlotte's face cause she's gonna get dirty!"

Haley looked over to her son, "Jamie! That's not nice." She laughed and shook her head, "But you're the one who should watch out. I'm gonna smoke you."

Jamie cocked his head and peeled his eyes at his mom, "It's so on Mom!"

Lucas and Sawyer were listening to their family's banter and Sawyer chimed in, "Jamie, watch out for us or you'll be...you'll be..." Sawyer couldn't think of any sort of dig or comeback so she just though of the first thing she could, "You'll be sorry." She shoved her fist in the air and looked back at her cousin.

Brooke looked to Peyton, "Jeez, quite the rivalry going on."

"You think?"

The light turned green and everyone slammed the gas petal down. It was Julian out front with Jamie close behind. Lucas and Sawyer were next with Charlotte and Nathan right on their heels. Haley apparently picked a dud car because she was far back in the pack.

After one lap was completed Jamie and Julian were still battling it out for first but Charlotte and Nathan had pulled ahead of the other father daughter team.

Charlotte pointed ahead and Nathan saw that Haley's car was puttering around the turn. They were about to lap her but Nathan decided to give her a little nudge.

Haley felt the bump and looked back. Charlotte waved and Haley smiled. They were trying to give her a little push to jump start her car into a faster gear.

Suddenly Nathan heard a whistle and saw one of the track operators shaking his finger at him. Nathan turned to Charlotte and grimaced, "Guess we gotta stop." Nathan pulled along side Haley and yelled over to her, "We tried!"

Haley watched Nathan and Charlotte speed away. She's been lapped but that didn't matter. Her family was having a good time and she loved it.

When the race ended Jamie did some sort of victory which had everyone laughing. Sawyer was a little peeved that he'd won but they'd race again. While Nathan and Lucas sat out with Brooke and Keith Nathan looked to his brother.

"So I need to you take the kids home when this is over."

Lucas arched his brow, "Why?"

Nathan smirked, "Cause I'm taking Haley up in a plane in 30 minutes."

Nodding his head, Lucas happily accepted. "Alright. You want to move Charlotte's seat to our car?"

"That would be great."

The two guys quickly walked out to the parking lot and put Charlotte's booster seat in Lucas' car while Haley was still racing. They got back just as the race ended and Nathan took Haley by the hand and started to walk to the car.

"Nathan where are we going?" Haley followed him but looked back to the kids, "We weren't done racing."

"It's alright."

Haley stopped, "Nathan, Jamie and Charlotte are back there."

"It's okay Hales, Luke said he'd bring them home."

"What? Why are we leaving? Everyone's going to putt-putt next. Brooke can actually play that and I wouldn't mind going."

Nathan smirked in Haley's direction, "I've seen you play putt-putt Hales, and it's probably a good thing we are skipping out." Nathan opened up the car door and motion for her to get in.

Haley got in still unsure of where they were going. Nathan pulled out onto the main road and headed towards the air strip. Haley sat in silence for a moment and then realized where they were going.

"Nathan." Haley said in a warning voice. "You better not be taking me back to that plane."

He raised his brow, "Why not."

"I don't want to."

"Haley..." Nathan pulled into the same parking lot they went to earlier that day and turned to his wife. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She looked out at the strip and could see Bo and the forest green plane Nathan and Jamie had flown in. She sighed heavily and opened the door.

Before he got out of the car he grabbed his old leather jacket from the back seat. He met up with Haley and handed her the coat, "I thought you might want this."

Haley slid the jacket over her shoulders and breathed deeply. She loved the way it hung on her, they way it smelled, the way it felt. It was uniquely Nathan and it eased her worries just a little. As they walked Haley turned to him, "How long have you had this planned?"

"Since you decided you didn't want to do it earlier."

"And you want me to do this because..."

Nathan smiled, "Because I want to do this with you. I want to be there with you while we go up in the air. Haley it's like nothing you've ever experienced. I know you're nervous and scared but I'm gonna be with you the entire time."

She saw how excited he was about it and the way he looked as he talked. It wasn't that she was afraid of flying, that wasn't it at all. It was that it was something totally unknown and foreign to her. Haley had never been an impetuous or hasty kind of girl in all her life, and flying around in some biplane was certainly something that caused her to be both of those. But as she looked into those familiar blue eyes she found a comfort and knew she could do it. With Nathan by her side Haley could do anything.

She reached for Nathan's hand and lightly squeezed it, "Okay."

"Okay?"

Haley nodded, "Okay."

The couple approached the plane and Bo smiled, "You got her to change her mind."

Nathan sighed and laughed, "Yeah."

The captain nodded, "Alright then." He reached into the plane and pulled out the familiar flying caps and goggles, "You heard the run through earlier so I don't have to do it again."

Haley pulled the cap over her hair and the goggles on after that. She turned to Nathan and he was quite certain she was the hottest woman who ever wore those things. They were ridiculous looking but Haley could pull it off.

He helped her climb into the plane and took a seat behind her. Haley's back was against his chest and Nathan wrapped his arms securely around her torso.

Bo fired up the engine and Haley put her arms around Nathan's. She would always be safe in his arms but that didn't mean she wasn't going to hold on for dear life.

As the plane headed toward the straight away Haley felt Nathan rest his cheek on her head, "I love you."

Haley took a deep breath and turned her head to face him, "I love you too."

He smiled and kissed her. As they parted they both felt the plane lift off and they were flying

They plane went higher and Haley looked out wearily, but it as gorgeous. It was perfect timing because the sun was about to set and a beautiful orangey pink glow illuminated the sky. Nathan was right. It really was something else.

For one instance Haley thought about rain. How it might be a perfect moment for it. Then she remembered where she was. She would be a hysterical mess if it started raining now. Sure it had always been a thing between her and Nathan, but not however thousand feet up in the air. There couldn't be a worse place for rain. But the coast was clear. No gray clouds were in sight and for the first time in a long time Haley was actually glad there wasn't a chance for precipitation. It would be perfectly fine if it rained while they were on the ground though, but not while they were in the air.

Haley ran her hands over his arms and found his hands. Intertwining his fingers in hers she knew that nothing was going to happen. Everything was going to be fine. It always would be.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Haley walked into the beach house hand in hand and made their way into the living room. Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and Julian were all sitting around chatting.

Peyton heard the two come in and spoke up, "So did you get Haley in that plane?"

Haley turned to Nathan with her jaw cocked, "Ugh, they knew about it?"

"No, I only told Lucas when we were at the go-kart place."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, I only told the rest of them after y'all left."

Haley sat down on the sofa and sighed, "Yes, I went up in the plane, and it was kind of amazing."

Brooke cooed, "I wanna do it!" She frowned and looked at her stomach and shook her head, "Hey kiddo, you're holding me back from things, so I would appreciate it if maybe you made this a quick process." Brooke was only kidding. The truth was that she wanted to stay like that forever. It had been hard enough to conceive and she was thankful everyday.

Nathan walked into the living room from the kitchen with two glasses of wine. He handed one to Haley and sat down next to her.

She gladly accepted and took a sip. After savoring the taste she looked to Brooke, "So I guess the shrimp smell went away?"

Yawning Brooke nodded, "Yep. The wonders of Fabreze."

Everyone laughed and Brooke yawned again. Julian turned to his wife and started to get up, "Brooke come on, let's go to bed."

"What? No. Naley just got back."

Nathan and Haley looked to each other and smiled when they heard Brooke call them by their high school nickname.

Julian reached for Brooke's hand, "Yeah come on. You're falling asleep as we speak. I don't want you to end up crashing on the sofa. I don't think I can carry you up the stairs."

Brooke shot Julian a look of disdain.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just because I don't want to drop you and hurt the baby."

Extending her hand Brooke conceded and Brooke and Julian went upstairs.

Lucas turned to Nathan and smiled, "You'll be happy to know that Charlotte and I won at putt-putt."

Haley grinned, "How did Jame do?"

Peyton leaned back into her chair, "Well considering Brook was his partner and she couldn't see the the ball because of her belly they had some difficulties."

Lucas laughed, "But it was sweet. He kept trying to help her."

Smiling, Haley turned to Nathan, "That's our boy." As she spoke about her son she started to get up, "That reminds me. I'm gonna go check on the kids real fast."

Haley got up and headed toward the bedrooms. First she peaked into the room Sawyer and Charlotte were sharing and walked quietly over to her daughter. She brushed Charlotte's hair aside and gently kissed the side of the sleeping girl's head, "Night baby."

Haley crept out of the room and turned to Jamie's. She slowly opened the door and saw that he had fallen asleep playing his DS. She carefully pulled the game out of his grasp and set it down on the table. Pulling the covers up to his chest she brushed her hand over his light brown hair and kissed the top of his head, "Goodnight Jamie."

Walking back out Haley found that the living room was now vacant. Assuming Nathan was outside she went to the porch and looked around. He wasn't sitting outside so she walked out on the boardwalk. She made her way down the stairs and walked toward the water. She didn't see Nathan but loved the sounds the water made as the waves crashed on the shore. So she sat down on the sand and listened to the music the ocean made. She closed her eyes and felt the warm breeze sweep through her hair.

Nathan was at the top of the stairs and looked out into the darkness. Just a few feet in front of the water he saw a dark figure and knew it was Haley. Even if he couldn't see her face, he could tell it was her. He walked down the stairs and he felt the cool sand between his toes as he walked toward her. When he made his way over to her he sat down.

Haley instantly leaned into him and wrapped her hands around his arm. "Hey you."

"Hey." Nathan kissed Haley's forehead and placed the wine bottle he had in his hand in front of her.

She smirked, "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

Nathan laughed, "No. I just thought you might want some."

Haley reached for the bottle and took a quick sip and laughed, "It's a good thing Dan's not around."

He laughed loudly as he remembered the first time they had been on the beach,"True." Nathan took the bottle back from Haley and took a swig. "Kind of living on edge today, huh?"

Haley smiled, "Oh, I'm just getting started." Haley playfully got up and pulled on Nathan's shirt.

"Whoa, whoa. Haley that water's going to be freezing."

She pulled him close to the water and started to push on him. There was no possible way she was going to be able to actually get him in the water but he decided to play along. What could it hurt? He'd get her back anyway. After they were ankle deep in the water she pushed one more time and he decided to go with it. He acted like she'd pushed him down and went spiraling into the water.

Haley started to laugh and keeled over when she saw Nathan emerge dripping head to toe.

As he stood up he locked eyes with her and she knew she better run. It was only a matter of time before he caught up with her and when he did he picked her up and started to walk to the water.

"Nathan don't!" Haley tried to kick away but his grip was firm. She wasn't going anywhere.

He was only a few feet away from the water when his foot went into a small hole causing him to lose balance. Luckily he let Haley go and she got to her feet before she busted ,but Nathan wasn't so fortunate. He landed face first in the sand and rolled over.

"Ow." He started to brush off his chest and Haley went to his side.

"You okay." She put her hand on the side of his head and smiled.

Physically Nathan was fine. His ego may have been a little bruised but nothing more serious than that. With Haley leaning over him Nathan saw it as an opportune moment to get Haley soaked.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down on the ground. He rolled over so he was on top of her and his soaking wet shirt was dripping on her hers. After just a few seconds her shirt was all wet and he smiled, "Gotcha."

Haley laughed and pulled on his neck, "Come here."

Their lips met and suddenly it was just them. It didn't even matter that they were all wet and sandy, the noise from the waves had been toned out, and everything and anything else had faded away. It was just Nathan and Haley James Scott wrapped up together in a warm embrace like it always would be. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you have it guys. Part 2 of Up in the Air. I know it was kind of a fluffy two parter but hopefully you all enjoyed it. And forgive me if there are any mistakes. It was late when I finished it. I had totally intended for it to end differently but I really wanted to get part 2 up as quick as possible so that's just what came out. But if you guys are up for another beach trip chapter I'd love to do another one later. Just let me know what you think. Again, thank you all for the reviews, to those of you who don't have accounts:**

**Bethanyfan23, mazzy, Emma, Danielle, tp404, kutebloo, Joan, Amy, and Diana...thanks so much!  
**

**To comment on certain questions or concerns:**

**Becky: The endorsement deal idea sound funny! I'll add it to my list.**

**KC: I'm so happy your interested in my new story. I love the movie too, but I'm putting my own little spin on things. I just think the idea of Nathan being a cop, and Haley a waitress is kind of adorable and thought I would test it out. I'm still working out the kinks in chapter 1, but maybe I'll post soon.**

**Hadley: As for wanting to see Nathan break up the pool fight. I did a chapter called Hurricane Taylor, ch. 26. that deals with the kinds of things I think you are looking for. There is ****also the one about the tour, ch. 23, Rules of the Road. So if you didn't read those check them out and maybe those will tie you over till I can think of some more season 7 moments.**

***Looks like I'm creeping to another milestone. You all know what that means! I will say that I've got two midterms this week so if I get to that mark it will be hard to find time to write a long chapter. But I'll keep to my word and do a next day update. It will probably be short and sweet.**

**Review Please!**


	40. Home Is Where the Heart Is

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 40: Home Is Where the Heart Is**

**Disclaimer: Do I still need this thing? I obviously don't own anything.**

**A/N: I'm taking a deep breath and letting it all sink in. We're at 40 chapters guys, Holy cow! 40 chapters and over 800 reviews! That's amazing! And as my policy goes...we hit a milestone and you get a new chapter. Sorry it took me a little longer to post but sometimes college does take precedent. But good news: one midterm down, one to go, and that means after that I'll have bunches of more time to write! Anyways, I'll stop rambling on and let you get to it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was unknowingly fiddling with her wedding ring as she and Peyton sat in the hotel room going over possible new artist for the label. They'd been in Nashville for two days at an annual singer/songwriter showcase checking out the talent to see if they wanted to sign anyone. Haley loved working with Peyton and being involved with music, but the part she hated the most was being away from home. She hadn't even been gone that long but she missed her children and husband to no end.

Peyton was going down the list of prospects and glanced at Haley, "You nervous about something?"

Sighing, she shook her head, "No. I'm just ready to get back."

"Yeah, I know me too." Peyton nodded and set the papers down, "But you get to go home soon. Your flight leaves in a few hours."

Haley smiled and looked over to her friend. It was probably a good thing her 'boss' was Peyton because in any other circumstance she wouldn't get the chance to leave early. "If you want me to stay for tomorrow I will. I can wait a day or so."

Peyton laughed, "No you can't, and I don't want you too. I can meet with the artists later tonight and besides, Nathan goes back to Charlotte tomorrow, I know you want to see him."

It was true. Haley wanted nothing more than to get home and see Nathan, and the kids, but Nathan mostly. Basketball season was in full swing and by an unfortunate coincidence the three days he had off were the same three days of the showcase.

"Are you sure? If you need me to stay I will."

Waving her hand Peyton shook her head, "No, I'll be fine. I think I can manage on my own. I'll just flash 'em all a nice smile, talk about how horrible corporate labels are, and tell them how rockin' my producer slash friend is. They'll want to meet you so bad I'll have them them begging me to sign with Red Bedroom Records."

Haley laughed and shook her head. Peyton sure had her method down to a science. Haley looked over to Peyton and smiled warmly, "Thank you."

Peyton didn't say anything but nodded in Haley's direction. Peyton was actually amazed that Haley even came. Not that Haley wouldn't want to but with Nathan being gone so much with the Bobcats, Peyton was pleasantly surprised when Haley didn't back out when she found out Nathan would be home. But that was the kind of person Haley was. Always dependable and always some one you could count on. So if the least Peyton could do was let Haley go home a night early so she could spend time with Nathan and the kids together then she would.

**OTHOTH**

A few hours later in Tree Hill a different scene was going on. Hovering over the skillet, Nathan kept one eye on the food and one eye on Charlotte who was in her high chair. For some reason he was always worried she might fall out. She was two years old and he knew she wasn't going to slip out of the chair or lean too far over and tumble out, but that didn't mean he didn't worry.

Jamie was patiently sitting at the bar waiting on lunch. It wasn't very often that his dad was alone watching both kids and whipping up lunch, but his mom was out of town. The nine year old boy rested his arms on the counter and scrunched his nose, "Is something burning?"

Nathan turned around and looked at his son, "No."

"Then why does it smell like that?" Jamie arched his brow.

"I don't know?" Nathan turned back to the stove and flipped one of the sandwiches, "But I am a master grilled cheese maker so you don't have to worry about anything." He turned back to the kids and smirked, "Right Char?"

The little girl smiled wide. She was too busy playing with her goldfish crackers to know that her father was actually asking her a question but looked up when she heard her name.

Nathan put the sandwiches on a plate and walked over to the kids. He quickly handed Jamie his but before he gave Charlotte her's he cut it up. It was still a little hot so when he put a few pieces on her plate he widened his eyes, "This is hot Charlotte. Don't eat it yet."

Jamie looked to his little sister and held up his sandwich, "Blow on it."

Charlotte leaned her face down to her plate and puckered her lips. A slight whooshing sound slipped out of her mouth and Nathan smiled.

"There you go, that'll help." He looked to Jamie and smiled, "Teaching her the good tricks?"

Jamie bit into his sandwich and nodded, "Uh-huh."

After Nathan took a bite of his own sandwich he felt his phone buzz and pulled it out. He smiled when he read the message.

_Boarding my flight be home soon. Love you._

Nathan replied back and slid his phone in his pocket and then turned to Jamie and Charlotte, "Guess who that was?"

Jamie knew exactly who it was. His dad hat that goofy grin and he knew who it had to be, "Mom?"

Charlotte looked up at the mention of Haley, "Mama!"

"Yep, she should be home soon."

The little girl's mouth shot open and her brown eyes went wide. "Mama!"

Laughing at Charlotte's excitement Nathan nodded, "You miss Mom Charlotte?"

Shoving a piece of her sandwich in her mouth she smiled.

Nathan looked over to Jamie.

He nodded, "Uh-huh, especially her cooking."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

Jamie bugged his eyes and grabbed his throat. In a sound that resembled something along the lines of choking he looked to his dad, "So bad...so bad."

Nathan cut his eyes at Jamie and then looked to Charlotte, "I guess he doesn't want any ice-cream after lunch?"

"Whoa whoa, I never said I didn't like ice-cream. I was kidding about you cooking too. You're a good cook Dad."

Still looking at Charlotte Nathan raised his eye brows, "Did you hear that Charlotte? I think Jamie's trying to play nice now."

"I am. I am. Dad I love your grilled cheeses. They're really good. Look I at all mine already!" Jamie held his plate up and the only thing left were scattered crumbs.

Nathan laughed and turned his attention to Jamie, "I was just kidding Jamie. You can get some ice-cream."

The young boy sunk back in his chair relieved.

Charlotte ate the remaining pieces that she could and then Nathan took the plates to the sink. Jamie got out of his chair and ran over to the freezer. He pulled out two cartons and looked at his sister, "Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Nilla!" Charlotte excitedly yelled.

Jamie put the ice-cream on the counter and Nathan got out two bowls. Jamie ran back to his seat and watched his dad scoop out the ice-cream. When Nathan set the two bowls in front of the kids Jamie scrunched his forehead, "Why does Charlotte get as much as I do? She never gets that much."

Nathan pulled out the three spoons and smiled, "Cause she's sharing with me." He handed Charlotte and Jamie the spoons but when Nathan went to get ice-cream from Charlotte's bowl she pulled it away.

"Mine."

Nathan laughed, "Charlotte, you can't eat all that." He looked at the heaping mound of ice-cream and extended his spoon toward the cold treat.

The little girl wasn't having it and pulled the bowl back farther.

Disappointed he wasn't going to get any from Charlotte, Nathan turned to Jamie.

His son looked up to him and shook his head, "Don't even think about it."

"Ugh, guys, come on!" Nathan shook his head and watched in disappointment. Charlotte was done after a few bites but when Nathan pulled the bowl over he grimaced when he saw the melted mess. He got Charlotte down from her chair and looked to his son. Jamie ate his ice-cream quickly and nothing was left to scrounge off so Nathan picked up the bowls and went to wash the dishes.

He didn't mind doing things like that- washing dishes and making lunch for the kids. It was the little things like that he loved the most. With him being gone a lot he relished the time he did get, even if it involved dish washing liquid.

As Nathan dried his hands he heard Jamie call out his name. His son was holding his nose pointing to Charlotte. Maybe there were some things he could do without, things Haley was much better at. He took a deep breath and walked over to Charlotte. Nathan picked her up and rolled his eyes at the stench, there were definitely things Haley was better at than him.

**OTHOTH**

Haley walked down the aisle of the plane and when she reached row 7 she stopped. She saw a boy probably around twelve or thirteen and presumably his mom sitting next to him in the center. There were three seats on each side plane and Haley was lucky enough to get an aisle seat. Haley put her carry on bag in the compartment above and sat down.

The woman looked up from a magazine and smiled, "Hi. I'm Rebecca." She pointed to the boy next to her who had his headphones on and his DS in front of his face, "And that's my son Drew."

Haley smiled, "I'm Haley."

"Nice to meet you Haley." Rebecca turned to her son and looked back to Haley, "You know it doesn't matter what I do or say he won't give me an ounce of attention."

Haley didn't quite know why this woman was being all Chatty Kathy on her, but it was nice to have some company.

Before Haley could respond to Rebecca's comment the older woman continued, "Boys will be boys. One day they're at your side everyday and the next they won't even stand next to you at the grocery store." Rebecca laughed at her own statement and looked to Haley, "You have kids?"

Nodding Haley smiled, "Two."

"You have a boy?"

"Yeah, he's nine." Haley leaned her head back against the seat and thought about Jamie. She missed him, and Charlotte, and Nathan.

Rebecca turned to Haley and raised her eyebrows, "Just wait till he's about thirteen. It's like they all hit a phase where it's not cool to be around your mom." She pointed to her son, "This one, he acts like we've never met sometimes."

A sudden rush of worry plagued Haley. Jamie was only a few years away from his teenage years and the thought of him not wanting to be around her was crushing.

Rebecca saw Haley's facial expression change and patted her on the arm, "They get over it though. I've got a seventeen year old and we're really close." The older woman still saw that Haley was thinking hard about what she'd just said so Rebecca changed the subject, "You must have girl, how old is she?"

Haley's smile returned, "Two."

"Oh, they are so cute at that age."

Nodding, Haley reached for her purse and pulled out a picture. It was all four of them. Haley, Nathan, Jamie and Charlotte. They were a cute little family.

"Wow you're daughter looks just like you." Rebecca studied the picture and when she saw Nathan she turned to Haley with a questioning look, "He seems really familiar to me for some reason."

Haley was about to say that Nathan played for the Bobcats but Rebecca turned to her son.

"Drew? Doesn't this guy look familiar."

The thirteen year old slowly looked up at his mom, "Don't you know who he is?"

"No. That's why I'm asking you."

Drew flashed his mom one of those 'you are the dumbest person in the world' looks and pulled his headphones off his head, "It's Nathan Scott. He plays for the Bobcats."

Rebecca wasn't a huge sports person but since they were from Charlotte she knew the name. "You husband plays for the Bobcats?" She turned to Haley with a raised brow.

Haley smiled proudly and nodded, "Yeah."

"So are you traveling home I guess?" Rebecca handed Haley the picture back wondering if Haley lived in Charlotte.

"Yeah, but I've got a layover in Charlotte, we actually live in Tree Hill."

"Tree Hill? Where in the world is that?"

Letting out a small laugh Haley looked to Rebecca, "It's close to Wilmington."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's small but we grew up there and love it. It's home."

That was very true. Tree Hill had always been home, and it always would be. Even when Nathan and Haley traveled the one place they always came back to was the small little town sandwiched between the Cape and the Atlantic. There was something comforting about it and she couldn't wait to get back.

**OTHOTH**

Holding a finger to his lips, Nathan grinned as he looked down to his daughter. He and Charlotte were sitting silently in Jamie's bathtub trying to be as quiet as possible. It was Jamie's turn to do the seeking in their game of hide 'n seek, and Nathan had opted to wait it out in Jamie's bathroom. Charlotte was curled up in Nathan's lap and every time they heard Jamie come close Nathan gently put his hand over Charlotte's mouth. She had a tendency to laugh and he didn't want their cover blown.

Jamie walked into his room and started to look around. His dad was a big guy so there were only so many places they could be hiding. He got down on his hands and knees to check under the bed but no one was there. Jamie walked over to Chester's cage and questioned his rabbit, "Where did they go, Chester?" The rabbit said nothing and Jamie rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the help."

Right before Jamie walked into his bathroom he heard the phone ring. Since his dad was somewhere hiding Jamie ran for the phone.

He hustled into the kitchen and picked up on the third ring, "Hello?"

"Hey Jame!"

"Mom!" Jamie grinned at the sound of that familiar voice.

Haley smiled, "Hey bud, what's going on?"

"Just playing hide and seek with Dad and Charlotte."

"You are?"

"Yeah, but I haven't found them yet." Jamie looked around thinking his Dad might walk up since the phone rang.

Haley laughed, "Did you try my closet?"

"Uh-huh, they weren't there."

"How about in the pantry?" Haley had played the game many times and was trying to help her son out. When he said no to that she had another suggestion, "Your bathtub?"

"Oh, I'll go check."

Haley didn't hear his voice again for a minute but could hear footsteps and knew that he had run up the stairs.

Jamie ran into his room and swung open his bathroom door. He quickly made his way to the tub and pulled the shower curtain back, "Ah-ha, gotcha."

Nathan furrowed his brow when he saw the phone in Jamie's hand, "Hey, you cheated." He knew that Haley must have been on the phone.

"Nuh-uh, Mom just helped a little."

"Mama?" Charlotte perked up when she heard Jamie say Mom.

Holding out his hand Nathan wanted Jamie to give him the phone. When Jamie did he put it up to his ear, "Hey Hales."

"Hi."

That word, that one word made Nathan's heart skip a beat. It had been too long since they'd seen each other and he missed her.

She spoke up again, "So, playing hide 'n seek huh?"

"Yeah, I tried to get Charlotte in the dryer but I wouldn't fit."

Haley laughed out loud, "Yeah I can't see that working out."

Nathan smiled, "So where are you?"

Haley looked around the airport, "In Charlotte, I've got an hour layover then I'll be home."

Nathan felt Charlotte squirm in his lap and ran his hand over her head, "Two little munchkins are going to be really happy to see you."

"Well I can't wait to see them. I'll be happy to see you too. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Hales." He sighed, "I'll see you in a couple hours though."

"Yeah, just a little while."

Nathan looked at his watch, "Alright, we'll be waiting for you."

Haley smiled thinking about it. She couldn't wait to see Nathan and the kids at the airport. "I love you."

"I love you too, bye."

"Bye."

Nathan pressed the end call button and looked to the kids, "We gotta clean this place up. Mom's gonna be home soon."

Jamie pumped his fist as Nathan got out of the bathtub. Nathan leaned down to pick-up Charlotte. They had a lot to do before Haley came home.

**OTHOTH**

The captain came over the loud speaker and welcomed everyone to Tree Hill. Passengers started to get up and Haley was one of the first to leave the plane. There were three important people she needed to see.

As she walked out of the gate she made her way toward the baggage claim and started to look for her family. She didn't have any bags but that's where they would be. They couldn't meet her at the gate since security was tight so she walked around looking for any sign of them.

And then she saw it. Literally, a sign. Jamie had a poster in his hand that read _Haley James Scott_ in big colorful letters. Nathan was just behind him with his hand on Jamie's shoulder. The image took her breath away.

It took everything in her not to squeal as she quickly walked over to them. Jamie set the poster down and welcomed his mom with a giant hug. She smiled and kissed the top of his head, "Hey Jame."

"Hey Mom!"

Haley looked up to Nathan, "Hi."

He took a step closer and kissed her, "Hi."

Haley saw that Charlotte was asleep with her head resting on his shoulder and she ran her hand over the little girl's back.

Nathan smiled at Haley, "I tried to keep her awake but she has been so excited to see you all day that I think she wore herself out."

Haley shrugged, "That's okay, it's kinda late anyways."

As Haley looked longingly at Charlotte, Nathan could tell that she wanted to hold her so he handed the little girl off to his wife with a smile.

Nathan raised a brow a looked down at Haley. "Ready to go home?"

"Absolutely."

The family of four walked out to the parking lot and when everyone was buckled in the car Nathan drove home. It only took a little while until they pulled into the driveway and Haley got Charlotte out of the car amazed that the little girl was still fast asleep.

Haley walked inside and headed strait for Charlotte's room. Nathan had already changed her into something appropriate to sleep in so all Haley had to do was put her down. Before she laid Charlotte in the bed Haley rocked her daughter closely against her chest and kissed her forehead, "I love you, Charlotte."

When Haley was sure that Charlotte was fine she quietly left the room and walked down stairs. When she saw the boys sitting at the dinning room table she was hit with deja vu. Nathan had dinner prepared and Jamie was sitting next to him.

Haley smiled and walked over to them, "You did all this?"

"Jamie and Charlotte did most of it. I just helped a little." Nathan poured Haley a glass of wine and grinned, "I hope it's good."

Haley lifted the top of the casserole dish and smelled the food, "Smells great."

"Welcome home Mom."

She looked across the table and smiled, "Thank you Jamie. I'm glad I'm back."

Nathan took Jamie's plate and started to put food on it. Haley watched in awe of him, of Nathan. There were a few things he did that would make her do a double take and this was one of them. He'd done all this for her and she couldn't believe it.

After dinner Jamie went to bed and Nathan and Haley were sitting outside in one of the chairs by the pool. They were really made for one person but they squashed together and made it work.

Haley leaned her head against Nathan, "I missed you so much. I'm sorry I was out of town while you were here."

Nathan kissed her forehead and shook his head, "It's okay. You're here now."

Haley sighed. The things he said. He was running his hand up and down Haley's arm and she looked to him, "You have to go back tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He didn't want to, but it was part of his profession.

Haley sat up a little closer to him and shook her head, "I don't know how you do it. How you can be so far away all the time. I hardly made it three days. It wasn't even three full days!"

He laughed a little, "It's because I come home to this. To you, and Jamie, and Charlotte. You three are everything to me and I love walking through those doors and seeing you when I get home."

Haley buried her head in the crook of his neck and nodded, "I can see that. I was only gone a few days and my favorite part of the trip was coming home."

Nathan smiled, "It's the best part."

"And you didn't have to make dinner tonight. That was really nice." Haley looked into his blue eyes and saw him smile.

"It wasn't me, it was the kids. They did it all."

Haley smirked and kissed him, "I loved it."

The feel of Haley's lips on his had him in a whirlwind. He moved his hand down to her hip, taking a firm hold, and kissed her again. He heard her let out a soft sigh and tightened his grip, "I wish I could stay."

Haley's mouth was centimeters away from his and she smiled, "We've got.." He kissed him quickly and pulled back, "All..." Then kissed him again but more forcefully, "Night."

Nathan raised his brow, "All night?"

"Uh-huh." She playfully smiled at him and ran her hand over his cheek, "All night."

Nathan kissed her again with a heavy heart. He knew that he had to leave in the morning but there was an upside. He'd come home after a week or they would take a trip to see him, and they would do it all over again. It was never easy with them being away from each other but they made it work. They always would.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you all liked it. Thank you all again for the reviews. Bethanyfan23, Becky, Hadley, Joan, and Amy thank you all for the reviews. For those of who I wanted to comment specifically...**

**BDavis: I hope that pain went away in your stomach.**

**Alexis: Hopefully the people in the library didn't look at you too strangely. I don't want people thinking oddly about you since you were reading the chapter.**

**Mazzy: I know the beach part was cut a little short. I apologize. I had every intention on making it longer but time snuck up on me and I needed to finish the chapter.**

**Naleyfan: I may or may not be doing one when it Charlotte's first day of school. I did Jamie's a while back and it was poorly received, but we'll see. And Naley will be returning to their table in an upcoming chapter so look out for that.**

**Disconoo: Love, love, love your idea. Nathan lashing out at the paparazzi and Haley trying to calm him down. Definitely going on my list of chapter scenarios.**

**Let me know what you all thought. Reader feedback is always, always appreciated!  
**


	41. On Our Own

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 41: On Our Own**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zilch. I wish I did.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, I had a bit of writer's block. Frowny face. But, I'm over it and I love all of you who reviewed last chapter. It really means a lot to hear from my readers, so thanks. This chapter is one that a few of y'all requested. Hope you enjoy it!**

**OTHOTH**

It was a little after 4:00pm and Haley was patiently waiting for Nathan to arrive home after his last class of the day. A week ago Nathan had been offered a basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland and Haley had a decision to make. It wasn't a hard one, but they'd built so much at Gilmore that it was something to think over. They had Lucas with them, they had friends, and Jamie loved it, so there were certainly things that could hold them back. But Haley knew exactly what her choice was going to be. If moving to Maryland would get Nathan the chance to be that much closer to his dream, to the NBA, she wasn't going to hold him back.

Lucas had texted Haley a little while ago that he and Jamie were gonna stay a little longer at the park and Haley was grateful. Not only did that mean that she'd get to tell Nathan alone without any interruptions, but Lucas would get to spend time with his nephew. He loved spending time with Jamie and if Nathan, Haley, and Jamie were going to move then Lucas might as well spend as much time with the little two year old as much as he could.

Haley walked into the bedroom and threw on a sweatshirt. It wasn't cold, it wasn't even winter. The warm spring air was actually really pleasant in early April, but the sweatshirt wasn't any regular one.

She turned to go into the bathroom and heard Nathan come inside.

"Hales?" Nathan walked into the house and walked toward the bedroom, "Haley?"

"In here." She called out from the bathroom, "I'll be right out."

Nathan stumbled over to the bed and flopped down, "Ugh, I really don't like biology." He leaned back and closed his eye when he felt his head hit the pillows, "Why do we need to know the difference between meiosis or mitosis?"

Haley was standing in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror and couldn't hide the smile hat was starting to creep across her lips. Nathan wasn't going to need to know the difference between meiosis or mitosis. Hopefully he was going to play professional basketball, make it to the NBA, and that had absolutely nothing with biology.

She stepped into the doorway of the bathroom and leaned on the door frame. Haley folded her arms across her chest and watching him lying on the bed. Nathan's feet were dangling off the end and he was gently massaging his temples. Biology really did get the best of him.

Nathan sighed and ran his hands over his eyes and face, "Hales, do you tutor people in biology?"

Laughing, Haley nodded, "Whatever you need."

Pushing himself up Nathan looked at her, but before he said anything he tilted his head and pointed his finger, "Is that? Why are you wearing that?"

Haley bit her lip and looked at her sweatshirt. It was red with a brown terrapin in the middle and big white letters that read Maryland across the front. She started to walk over to him and sat on the bed.

She put her hand on his leg and nodded, "We should go. I want you to have this opportunity."

Nathan didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Haley raised her eyebrows and nodded again, "You've been dreaming about playing at a division one school you're whole life and now...you can."

"Are you sure?" Nathan looked around the bedroom and started to think about what they would give up by leaving.

"I'm sure." Haley nodded again.

"But what about you? I don't want you to go because of me. I'll stay here and you can finish you're classes here. Do they even have an education department at Maryland?"

Haley looked at him and softly smiled. All he cared about was her. How it would affect Haley and it made her choice and decision all the more obvious. "We're a team. I'm with you every step of the way. I can finish my classes at Maryland. I want you to be happy. I want you to get a chance to be great, to get to the place you've always wanted."

Nathan sighed, "Are you sure?"

Haley arched her brow and laughed, "Well if you keep asking I might take it back." She let out a small laugh before her tone turned more serious rather than playful. "Really though. I want this for you. I want this for us."

It that moment Nathan's heart was so full of love that he couldn't resist but to kiss her, to thank her, so he did. He leaned over to her and kissed her sweetly, "Thank you. Thank you for everything. For believing in me when I didn't, for standing by me, for saying yes to this. I love you."

Just as her words had done to him, his did the same to her. She felt a sudden rush of emotion run through her veins. There was no possible way she could love Nathan Scott than she did then. And just as Nathan had done, she kissed him.

As they parted Haley started to get up and Nathan arched his brow, "Where you going?"

Haley took a few steps toward the bedroom door and closed it. She turned to Nathan and flashed him a seductive smirk. He knew exactly what that smirk meant and he got up and walked to her.

With his own smirk plastered across his face Nathan ran his hand over the bottom of her sweatshirt. At the touch of his hands on her, Haley's stomach fluttered. Nathan felt it too and smiled. Haley lifted her arms and he slowly pulled the red cotton mass off her body. When the soft material passed over Haley's head Nathan threw it on the ground.

They fell onto the bed and Nathan tore his own shirt off. When he looked down into her deep brown eyes Haley knew that Maryland was going to be fine. As long as they were together, as long as Jamie was with them, everything would be okay. She felt his body press against her and when he captured her in a kiss she was positive Maryland was going to be just fine. It wouldn't matter where they were in the world as long at they were together.

**OTHOTH**

Three and a half months later Nathan and Haley had successfully moved to the university they would graduate from. Maryland was a much bigger campus and the classes probably would be too. Today was the first day of the fall semester and Haley was a little nervous.

She walked out of the bedroom and saw Nathan putting Jamie in the stroller. Haley picked up her backpack and looked at her husband, "Where are you two going?"

Nathan turned to face her and smiled, "We're walking you to class." He looked down at their 27 month old son, "Right Jimmy Jam?"

The little boy showed Nathan and Haley a toothy grin.

Haley slung her backpack around her shoulder and Nathan opened the front door. As Nathan pushed Jamie out the door Haley leaned over to him, "You don't have to do this."

Nathan looked down and shrugged, "I wanted to." He smiled and continued, "It'll be a good time to walk around campus and that way we can see you off to your class."

Wrapping an arm around his side she smiled and they headed for her class. It took them about seven minutes to walk to her building and they stopped just in front of the entrance.

Haley took a deep breath, "I guess I'll see you two later." She bent down to Jamie and kissed the top of his head, "Bye buddy. Be good for Daddy."

As she started to walk for the door Nathan pulled back on her arm, "Hey."

She turned to him and raised her brow, "Yeah?"

Nathan took a step closer and smiled, "Not gonna give me a goodbye kiss?"

Laughing, Haley rolled her eyes. She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek, "Bye. Love you."

Haley turned to walk away but Nathan still had his hand on her arm. He pulled her back and leaned down to kiss her. He didn't want some lame kiss on the check, he wanted a proper goodbye kiss.

As they parted Haley blushed,"Nathan!" She lightly swatted at his arm and shook her head, "You're gonna make me late."

He checked his watch and raised his brow, "Hales, you're twelve minutes early, you won't be late."

She wasn't going to be late for class but that was late for her standards. Haley smiled and laughingly shook her head, "You know I like to get to class ten minutes early and I'm cutting it close."

"Fine, go. We'll be at home." Nathan kicked his head in the direction of the door and nodded, "Go, on. I love you."

Haley smiled, "I love you too. I'll see you later." She walked into the building and found her class. It was hard walking away from her boys, but it was something she had to do. Haley took her seat and a girl with curly brown hair sat down next to her.

"Hey, I'm Amanda." The girl took out her notebook out and looked to Haley, "You know anything about our professor?"

"Hey, I'm Haley, but no." Haley shook her head, "I actually just transferred here with my husband so I don't know anything about this guy."

Amanda turned to Haley, "You're married?" She remembered walking past Haley before class and wondered if the guy she was talking to was her husband, "Were you just out there with him. Tall, dark headed?"

Smiling, Haley nodded, "Yeah, that's him."

Putting the pieces together Amanda raised her eyebrows, "And that little boy, he's yours too?"

"Yep." Haley smiled thinking of her son.

"Wow, you're married, and a mom in college. Is that hard?"

Haley shrugged, "Some days, but Nathan's great. That's my husband's name. He's really a hands on dad."

Amanda didn't want to pry but she found Haley's life interesting, "So does one of you take a class while the other one stays home?"

"Yeah pretty much. Nathan's on the basketball team so we have to juggle that too, but we've figured it all out."

"Wait, wait? Is your husband Nathan Scott?"

Haley didn't know why Amanda knew who Nathan was, and was curious, "Yeah."

Amanda smiled, "My boyfriend Eric is on the team. He's been talking about some star player named Nathan Scott who is transferring in. That's so neat that you're his wife. I didn't even know he was married."

That last part caught Haley a little off guard and she felt a little defensive, "Four years."

"Holy cow! Four years. Jeez, what'd you do, get married when you were sixteen?" Amanda's tone was playful. Her previous statement about not knowing Nathan was married was meant as more of an observation rather than a way to make Haley defend her relationship.

"Actually yes."

Amanda's jaw about hit the floor, "No way! That's so cute."

Haley let out a laugh. She didn't know if she should say thanks or not.

There was something about this girl Haley had just met that was nice. It was like she reminded Haley of both Peyton and Brooke rolled into one, and she knew that they would be friends. It was going to be nice to have a girlfriend she could hang out with who also knew about the ways of dating a basketball player. It was her first day of class and Haley already was fitting in just fine.

**OTHOTH**

It was two weeks later and Haley was carefully spreading mayonnaise on the turkey sandwiches she'd just prepared. When she'd finished, she put the two sandwiches next the peanut butter and jelly for Jamie and grabbed three snack sized bags of chips. As she put the food in the mini cooler she felt someone grab at her legs.

"Mama."

Haley looked down and smiled at her son, "Hey Jamie." She bent down and scooped him up, "I bet your getting hungry. Here." She pulled out a small piece of turkey and gave it to Jamie.

With Jamie on her hip Haley finished putting together lunch and then cleaned up the kitchen a little bit. She grabbed two bottled waters and a juice box for drinks and put them in the small cooler next to the sandwiches. When everything was set she put Jamie down and started to pack up his stroller. She put the cooler in the lower compartment then made sure Jamie was ready and strapped him in.

"It's only gonna be a little while before we get there and eat lunch." Haley smiled at Jamie and started for the door.

She locked the door and made her way to McKeldin Mall. It wasn't a shopping mall but a beautiful strip of grass and fountain that was in the heart of campus.

After a short walk Haley found a sunny spot along the grass and got Jamie out of the stroller. Haley pulled out a little orange basketball and started rolling it to Jamie. The little boy smiled and laughed as he played with his mom.

"Get it Jame." Haley rolled the ball and watched with wide eyes as Jamie picked up the ball that landed next to him. "Here bud, roll it back."

Jamie started to smile and Haley started to wave he hands, "Come on Jame, roll back to me."

The little boy's attention was directed to someone walking up behind his mom.

Haley started to turn around but before she could she felt two hands on her shoulders then someone yelled.

"Boo!"

"Ah!" Haley coiled back and then felt the arms that were once on her shoulders wrap around her waist.

"Did I scare you Hales?"

She turned to him and nodded, "A little."

Nathan laughed and looked to their son, "I think Jamie though it was funny."

Haley looked down at her son and smiled, "Was that funny Jame? Did you like Daddy scaring me?"

Jamie didn't say anything but flashed his parents a goofy grin.

Walking over to Jamie Nathan bent down and picked the boy up. "Hey bud, you've been good today?"

"He's been very good." Haley called out as she got out the cooler with their food.

Nathan smiled at his son, "That's good." He turned to Haley and saw her opening up the cooler, "So what's for lunch?" He sat down on the ground and Jamie sat down next to him.

"Sandwiches. Turkey for you and me, and PB and J for him." Haley tossed Nathan a sandwich and started to unwrap Jamie's.

The little boy walked over to his mom and plopped down in her lap. Nathan smiled when he saw it. Jamie fit so perfectly in Haley's lap. Haley tore off pieces of Jamie's sandwich and Nathan couldn't help but smile at that too. She was such a good mom.

Nathan took a bite of his sandwich and looked to Haley, "This is a really good sandwich Hales."

Haley laughed and shrugged, "Just a plain old turkey sandwich. I'm glad you like it though."

The family of three enjoyed their picnic lunch and when they were all done Nathan took Jamie and started playing with him. Haley picked up her copy of Love in Excess and started to read. The father and son duo played for about fifteen minutes and then walked over to Haley.

Jamie climbed back onto Haley's lap and she ran her hand over the little boy's head, "He wear you out that fast?" She jokingly looked up to Nathan who nodded.

"Yeah, he's fast."

Haley laughed, "Get's it from me I guess." She was joking but she always found it funny to take credit for any and all of Jamie's athletic ability since she had very little.

"Wha? That's from me." Nathan sat down across from her and saw that Jamie was rubbing his eyes with his finger.

She smiled, "I know, I was just kidding." She playfully rolled her eyes and felt Jamie nudge into her side, "I think you wore him out." Haley ran her hand down Jamie's arm and knew that the little boy was going to fall asleep any minute.

Nathan watched as Jamie's eyelids struggle to stay open and within a minute their son was fast asleep. The way Jamie snuggled close to Haley had Nathan's heart beating fast. There was something about watching the two of them together that made his heart race.

Haley picked up her book and started to read but before she could Nathan interrupted, "What are you doing Saturday night?"

Haley furrowed her brow and shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't made plans. What were you thinking of."

"Well I was thinking maybe I could take you out and..."

She put her book down and smiled, "Are you asking me out Nathan Scott?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He looked down and then back to her, "So are you free?"

Haley started to blush. It wasn't like they were new at this, but the way he was acting caught her off guard. She looked down at the sleeping little boy and then back to Nathan. "What about Jamie? I mean we can do dinner and a movie at home."

Nathan shook his head, "Actually, I talked to Amanda last week and she said she could babysit him."

Her mouth fell open, "You've had this planned?"

"Um, kind of." He laughed and raised his brow, "What do you say Haley James? Wanna go on a date with me?"

Haley smiled and nodded her head, "Yeah."

Nathan moved over to her and smiled, "I'm glad you said yes."

Haley arched her eyebrow, "Like I wouldn't."

He laughed and kissed her softly on the cheek. "You want me to put Jamie in the stroller?" He looked down at their sleeping son and knew that if Haley was ever going to get up it was going to be really hard for her not to wake Jamie.

"That would be great."

Nathan lifted Jamie out of Haley's lap and put him gently in the stroller. Haley got up and dusted off her pants, "Thanks."

He smiled and looked at his watch, "I gotta run, but I'm glad we did this. Thanks for bringing lunch, it was really good." Nathan leaned down and kissed her quickly on the mouth, "I love you. I'll see you back at home later."

"I love you too."

Haley watched Nathan walk toward the building his next class was in and then looked to Jamie. They were handling being on their own really well. It was hard without Lucas around but they could do it. They were doing it.

Haley started for home and couldn't help but be excited about Saturday. She didn't know why she was so excited, but she was. There was something about Nathan taking her out that had her all giddy.

**OTHOTH**

Haley heard the front door open and walked out and saw Amanda putting her purse down.

"Hey, I'm not late am I?" Amanda looked to Haley and grimaced.

"No, you're fine. Nathan's still getting dressed. Thanks again for doing this."

Amanda smiled, "Yeah sure, where is Jamie anyway?"

Haley looked toward the living room, "He's watching a movie. He's had dinner and a bath, so he's good for the night. He'll probably fall asleep relatively soon."

"Okay, awesome." Amanda looked at the little boy and grinned, "The Lion King? I love The Lion King."

Haley laughed, "Yeah, Disney movies never get old."

Nathan walked out of the bedroom and smiled at the two girls. In a hushed whisper he tilted his head to the door, "We should probably sneak outta here so he doesn't get upset when we leave."

"Yeah good idea." Haley grabbed her purse and looked to Amanda, "Thanks again for doing this."

"You're welcome, you two have fun. We'll be good here."

Nathan led Haley outside and they walked to the car. Once they were both in Haley turned to Nathan, "So what movie are we gonna see anyway?"

"Who said anything about a movie?"

"Oh." Haley contorted her mouth, "I just. It's just that's what we normally do when we go out."

"Nah, not tonight."

Haley had no clue where they were going but when she saw that Nathan was headed for the interstate she had a pretty good idea. Washington D.C was only about twelve miles away from campus and it would be around a thirty minute drive to the capital city.

After a ride that lasted just over thirty five minutes Nathan pulled into a parking deck. He and Haley both got out and Haley linked her arm in his, "Where are you taking me?"

Nathan looked straight ahead and nodded. Haley looked to where he was gesturing and smiled, "Your taking me to the National Museum of Natural History? Is it even open?"

He nodded, "Yeah, it's stays open till eight some nights and tonight's one of those nights."

Haley leaned into his side and smiled, "I've always wanted to come here."

"I know."

The twosome walked up the stairs and Nathan loved the look on Haley's face. She'd always talked about how she wanted to visit the Smithsonian museums, and now they were. It was only one of them, but they could come back and do the others later.

Nathan opened up the door and before they went off exploring the exhibits he pulled Haley toward the Fossil Cafe. They were going to eat before they started looking around.

The cafe wasn't crowded and Haley enjoyed the quietness and found the dinosaur themed decor interesting. After they ordered Haley took a sip of her water and smiled at Nathan.

"What?" He had been looking around at the dinosaurs trying to figure out which ones he recognized from Jurassic Park.

"You. This. Everything. I can't believe you brought me here."

Nathan smirked, "I just thought it would be nice to get away, just you a me for a little while."

"Thank you."

He shook his head and smiled, "Thank you. Thank you for coming to Maryland, for doing this with me."

"Nathan I would have gone somewhere twenty below if it meant it would get you a chance at your dream." She looked to him lovingly and smiled, "I would have gone anywhere. You and Jamie are the only things I need."

As she spoke he couldn't help but stare at her. She was beautiful and kind, and selfless and only wanted to see him succeed. It meant the world to him. To know that she was behind him 100 percent of the way. Then there was Jamie. That little boy filled him with such pride and joy that he was sure no other dad could possibly feel for their child as much as he did.

Nathan sighed heavily and reached for Haley's hand, "I love you."

"I love you too."

The waiter brought their food and the couple ate and talked about the little things. Jamie was the main topic but school, Lucas, other random current events also filled their conversation. When they were done Haley grabbed Nathan by the hand and they walked toward the exhibits.

Nathan loved that Haley had him by the hand. He could tell so much by the way she held on to it. If she got excited she squeezed it, if she was getting bored with an exhibit she would run her thumb over his. Sometimes she would interlock their fingers and that was his favorite. There was something about the the way her fingers slid in between his that made him smile.

They approached a glass case and Haley pointed, "Look, Nathan it's the Hope Diamond."

He had no idea what or why it was important but it was a gorgeous diamond.

She looked to him and smiled, "You know in Titanic, the diamond Rose gets from her fiance is based off this?"

Nathan raised his brow and tightened his grip on her hand, "I'll never let go."

Haley rolled her eyes and swatted at him, "I'm serious. The Heart of the Ocean was based off this." She pointed at the Hope Diamond and looked at it's beauty.

He saw that she was admiring it and chuckled, "It might take me a couple years of playing professionally to get you something that big."

Twisting her ring on her finger she turned to him and shook her head, "I don't need a big diamond or anything fancy. All I need is you."

Nathan smiled, "I think I can handle that."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, you better." She laughed and took a step closer to him. It was just the two of them by the display and she wrapped her arms around his waist, "Really though, you don't have to buy me big nice things, I've got exactly what I already need. One of them is at home and I'm looking at the other."

He knew that she had never been a materialistic girl, but it was still nice to hear that come out of her mouth. Nathan leaned down to kiss her but before he did he spoke up, "What about that little girl? I want a little girl too."

"I know. So do I, but that's something we can work on later. Like after college."

Nathan nodded, "I know, after college." He felt Haley's arms around him, smirked and pulled her close, "Or we can work on it now."

Haley looked up to him and arched her brow, "Later."

He could have sworn that he saw her wink and wanted nothing more than to get back home fast. But they still had a little while till the museum closed so he decided he could wait.

**OTHOTH**

The ride home seemed much quicker than the ride there and Nathan was thankful. When he parked the car Haley darted out. She opened the door and walked into the living room and laughed when she saw Aladin playing.

Amanda heard Haley come in and turned around, "Hey, so yeah I've been watching all the classics while you guys were out. I mean we finished The Lion King and I cried like a baby so I had to put in something not so tragic."

Haley laughed again, "But Aladin? The best one is Beauty and the Beast."

Nathan walked in and shook his head, "Peter Pan."

Amanda laughed, "Oh man, I sense an argument."

Nathan sat down and shook his head, "Nah, Hales knows Peter Pan would win hands down. I mean he can fly."

"Oh whatever, Belle can sing."

Getting up from the sofa Amanda reached for her purse and laughed, "Well I'll let you two finish your debate. Jamie was great. He fell asleep just as the Lion King ended and has been quiet as a mouse ever sense."

Haley walked Amanda to the door and thanked her once more. She went to check on Jamie and saw that he was peacefully sleeping. Running her hand along his back she smiled at the sleeping boy and blew him a kiss, "Night Jamie. Love you."

She walked into the bedroom and quickly changed into some pajamas. Nathan still hadn't come in after she was done changing so she walked back into the living room and saw Nathan in front of the DVD player.

"What are you doing?"

He glanced up at her, "I'm putting in a movie."

Haley walked over to the couch and sat down, "Which one?"

He laughed a little and started to unbutton his shirt. He threw it on the chair and un-tucked his undershirt, "Peter Pan."

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "I didn't even need to ask."

Nathan shrugged, "Well talking about it when Amanda was here kind of got me in the mood to watch it."

As the promos and previews started Nathan hurriedly walked to the kitchen and opened the freezer. He pulled out two ice-cream sandwiches and then walked back over to Haley.

"Oh nice." Haley reached for hers and Nathan sat down next to her.

Nathan wrapped on arm around Haley and the both quietly ate their dessert while the movie started. It had been a date night and they'd gone out. They traveled to a different city, visited a museum, had dinner at a cafe full of dinosaurs but both of them preferred being home. Sure they loved that they got time to themselves but there was something comforting to the both of them cuddled up on the sofa, eating an ice-cream sandwich, watching a movie. They could be doing this for the rest of their married life, and probably would be.

Nathan and Haley had successfully moved from Gilmore to Maryland and realized life on their own wasn't so bad. It was harder not having Lucas around to help with Jamie but they'd manage. As long as they were together, all three of them, everything was going to be just fine.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you liked it. And no I don't have an obsession with Disney movies, it just came out when I was writing. But as a child of the 90's, I did grow up watching some of the best ones! But anyways, I'm on Spring Break this week and I'm going out of town tomorrow for the rest of the week. So how does this affect you guys? It might not. I don't know if I'll have internet access or not so I might not be able to update till Sunday. However. I am going to try and write a chapter tonight and maybe (maybe!) I can post tomorrow before I go.**

**Thank you to all my anonymous reviews I can't respond back to: mazzy, BDavis , Joan, naleyfan, Becky, Alexis, kutebloo, Amy, Emma, Diana! You guys rock**!

**Please review, they always make me want to write!**


	42. Sweet Baby James

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 42: Sweet Baby James**

**Disclaimer: Nothing new here. I still don't own anything except my original characters and they are hardly in the story.**

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! This chapter has been a long time coming. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it, but finally it's here. This one is basically like Labor Pains but instead of centering on Haley's pregnancy with Charlotte, it's about Jamie! I'll be putting how far along Haley is or a time stamp before each section to let you all know the time frame. I hope you all enjoy it! Oh...and this is long!!**

**OTHOTH**

*3 Months

Haley was nervously waiting on Nathan to get out of his last class of the day. They had a very important doctor's appointment she didn't want to be late for. As she waited at the picnic tables outside she thought about what it might feel like. If that goop they were going to lather over her stomach would be cold or room temperature. If they could even tell what the baby's heartbeat was, or would it all sound like white noise? Would she cry? Would Nathan cry? It was all so uncertain.

Nathan jogged over to her with his hands out in front of him, "I'm sorry I'm late. We had a pop quiz in history."

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Haley got up. "How do you think you did?"

"Um, okay. I may have switched up the dates for the years the Roosevelts were in office." He shrugged, "I always get them confused."

Haley gave him a look that wasn't so encouraging, "Really? You couldn't remember who came first?"

"What? Don't look at me like that? They have the same last name!" Nathan turned his mouth into a frown and glared at her, "It's not like I was born a genius or something."

"That's what I'm afraid off."

"What? Haley, that's not fair." He looked to her and shook his head, "You can't be worried that because I'm not gonna be valedictorian our child will be stupid."

She shrugged, "Well what about you're long toes. You have long toes too."

Nathan looked down at his high-top covered feet, "I don't have long toes. Why are you being like this?"

They walked over to the car and Haley opened her door, "Like what?"

"All bit...mean." The last thing he wanted to say to Haley was that she was being bitchy. There were a few things you didn't call pregnant women and that was one of them. "You're not being very nice."

He got into the car and started the engine. Haley looked out the window and then glanced back to Nathan, "I'm sorry, I think it's the hormones. Do you hate me?"

He laughed and shook his head. He reached for her hand and smiled, "No, I love you."

Haley leaned her head back and sighed, "You can't do that. You can't say that kind of stuff. I'm gonna cry."

Grimacing he furrowed his brow, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"To be the best husband ever?" Haley finished his sentence. Even if that wasn't exactly what he was going to say she thought she'd throw it in there.

"Yeah, something like that." He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently.

The ride to the doctor's office was quick and within a matter of minutes Nathan was pulling into the office parking lot. They both took a deep breath and looked to each other.

Haley smiled, "Ready?"

He nodded, "Uh-huh, you?"

"Yeah."

Haley opened up her door and so did Nathan. They walked hand in hand into the doctor's office and were ready for their first ultrasound.

They took seats in the waiting room and Nathan started tapping his hands on his leg.

Haley looked to him, "A little nervous."

Gulping a lump that felt like it was the size of Texas he smiled hesitantly, "A little."

Haley reached for his hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze, "Me too, but everything will be okay."

Nathan looked around and saw other expectant couples. Most of them were in their twenties or thirties and he and Haley looked like kids compared to everyone else. They were kids. They were kids who were going to have a baby of their own.

About ten minutes later a nurse walked in and called 'Scott'. Nathan got up and put his hand on Haley back as they walked to an exam room.

"The doctor will be with you in a moment." The nurse smiled and shut the door.

Haley situated herself on the exam chair and smiled at Nathan, "I hope we don't have to wait long."

Nathan walked around the small room and looked at some of the utensils. He picked up a cotton ball and arched his brow, "Me either."

"Nathan! Don't touch that stuff. You'll get in trouble."

Quickly discarding the cotton ball he moved his hands into his pockets, "Sorry."

They heard a light knock on the door and saw the doctor come in. "Hi guys, how's it going in here?"

"Hi Doctor Yeager." Haley smiled brightly at the middle aged woman, "Everything's great. We're good."

"That's good to hear." The woman picked up Haley's chart, "So we are here for the first ultrasound and to take a look at the baby right?"

Nathan and Haley both nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay, so I'm gonna rub some gel on your stomach and then we'll get a good look at the baby."

Haley lifted her shirt and Nathan's eyes went directly to Haley's exposed skin. It was amazing to him that somewhere in there was their baby. A part of him, and a part of her. He couldn't believe it.

Dr. Yeager turned on the screen and rubbed the probe over Haley's belly. Suddenly a loud whoshing sound echoed through the room.

Haley looked to Nathan and then to the doctor, "Was that? Is that.."

"That's just what it sounds like inside there." She moved the ball around and smiled when a different sound emitted from the machine, "That's your baby's heart beat."

As soon as Nathan heard it he felt like something in him exploded. Like a part of his very chest would burst in any second. He instantly reached for Haley's hand and when he looked at her he could see a tear rolling down her cheek.

She looked up to him and wiped the tear away, "That's our baby."

Nathan nodded and when Haley said that he felt himself getting emotional, "I know."

Dr. Yeager checked all things needed to be checked and looked over at the happy young couple, "Everything is going great. Heart rate is strong. The baby is growing right on pace, and Haley you seem to be doing fine as well."

"Thank you Doctor Yeager."

The doctor smiled, "You're very welcome. Before you go be sure to schedule your next appointment."

"Okay, I will. Thanks again." Haley watched as Dr. Yeager left the room and looked to Nathan, "Wow."

He nodded and helped her get off the bed chair thingy, whatever it was that she was lying on, "Yeah."

As the twosome walked out and after Haley scheduled her next appointment they got into their little Honda hatchback and drove home. They were both at a loss for words. They'd just heard their baby's heart beat for the first time and didn't even know how to express the emotions they were both feeling.

When Nathan opened up the door the to the apartment he found his voice.

"Did you hear it Hales? It was like lub, lub, lub or thump, thump, thump. That was our kid's heartbeat. I never thought it would sound like that." Nathan looked like a kid in front of his or her idol as he stood in front of Haley. He pressed his hand against her stomach and repeated himself, "That was our baby. I mean some of you and some of me. That was..."

Haley couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't just watch and listen to him boast and be all excited about hearing the heartbeat so she did as she saw fit. Nathan was finally silence when Haley's lips met his. It was a heated and passionate kiss and Nathan wasn't expecting it at all.

"Whoa, Hales. What was that for?"

"Shut up, shut up. Come here." Haley pulled on his shirt and headed for the bedroom. "Do you know how sexy you are when you talk like that. When you get all excited about the baby. I'm sorry I was mean to you earlier. You are not stupid and you don't have long toes. I love you and I want you to kiss me and..."

This time it was Nathan who shut Haley up. He knew what she wanted and was happy to oblige.

Haley slowly got on the bed and Nathan followed, their lips never parting. She laid down and Nathan started pushing at her top. Once he got it off, he couldn't help but notice the perks of pregnancy. There were two of them inches from his face and he couldn't help but smile. Haley started pulling Nathan's shirt over his head and for a moment they separated when he lifted the material over his head.

Nathan leaned right back down to her as soon as he could and moved from Haley's lips to her cheek, to her jaw, and then her neck.

As she relished in the feeling she felt Nathan stop, "What are you doing?"

"I..It's just. Is this okay. I don't want to hurt you or the baby."

Frustrated that he'd stopped she sighed, "Yeah it's fine. I promise." She pulled him down into a feverish kiss but he pulled away.

"Are you sure?"

"Baby I'm positive, please." Haley was practically begging Nathan at that point.

He looked at her and could tell that if he didn't do as she asked there would be hell to pay later. "Okay but if something..."

Haley didn't let him finish but nodded, "I promise I'll let you know if anything's wrong or uncomfortable."

As he hovered of Haley he looked into her massive brown eyes and knew that there was no going back. He couldn't and he wouldn't. It was going to be an interesting next few months.

**OTHOTH**

*4 ¼ Months

Haley put on a yellow flowy top and walked out to the living room. Nathan was watching SportsCenter and turned when he saw her come in.

"Playing it safe, going with yellow huh?"

"Well I didn't want to choose a color and make it seem like I was picking teams."

Nathan laughed, "No body would notice."

Haley raised her eyebrows, "You do know that Brooke is going to be there. Her first comment will be about what I'm wearing. And since we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet I figured I'd be neutral."

He looked down at his shirt and grimaced, "Maybe I should change then." His shirt was blue but Haley shook her head.

"No I love you in blue. It brings out your eyes."

Nathan walked closer to Haley and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Brown or blue?"

"What?"

"Eyes. What color eyes do you want the baby to have? Brown or blue?"

Haley peeled her brown eyes, "You know the answer to that. Blue."

"And I want brown."

Raising her shoulders Haley tilted her head, "So we're gonna have to settle for some mixture huh? I don't think I've ever seen browny-blue eyes."

He laughed, "No we'll just have to have another kid."

"I think we can handle that." Haley nodded then looked up to him, "Maybe not for a few years after this one, but yeah." She placed a quick kiss on his lips and then she reached for her bag, "Ready?"

"Yeah." Nathan opened the apartment door and the happy couple walked to their car. They were supposed to be at Karen's Cafe in ten minutes because Brooke, Peyton and Karen were throwing them a baby shower.

As they drove to the quaint little cafe, Haley kept running her hand over her protruding belly. She turned to Nathan and arched her brow, "I really think that we are going to have to get a seat belt extender in the next few weeks. I feel like I'm cutting off the baby's circulation."

Nathan turned his head to look at Haley's mid section, "Do we need to stop. Is is hurting you?"

Haley met Nathan with kind eyes and shook her head, "No, it doesn't hurt." She was amazed at just how much he cared. "I just think if I get any bigger I'll bust out of the seat belt."

He laughed at her choice of words, "That's okay. The bigger the better right?"

She sighed, "I guess so."

Nathan pulled into a parking space and they both got out and went inside.

The interior of the cafe was full of all things yellow and lime green, and in front of the counter there was a cute white crib full of presents. Haley's mouth fell open when she saw the amount of gifts and Brooke rushed over to her.

"Hi soon-to-be Tutor Mom!" Brooke hugged Haley and took a step back, "Aw, I thought you were gonna wear blue or pink to let us know what you guys were having."

Nathan was standing just behind Haley and laughed, "It wouldn't have been pink, Hales hates pink."

"Oh right, I forgot." Brook furrowed her brow and looked to Nathan, "Well, you're wearing blue so is there something you guys aren't telling us?"

Haley shook her head, "No. We still don't know yet. We'll find out in a couple weeks."

Peyton walked over to her friends and smiled, "If I had to guess it's gonna be a boy. I mean all of the Scotts before have been."

Nathan, Haley, and Brooke all nodded. That was true statement. Nathan grandparents Royal and Mae had Keith and Dan. Dan had two boys and pretty soon Karen would find out what she was having, but the odds were likely that both Haley and Karen would keep up the Scott men tradition.

"Okay, okay, okay. Why don't we get down to business and open up the presents?"

Everyone laughed at Brooke's eagerness and Haley nodded, "Yeah just a sec."

She walked over to the far end of the cafe and saw Karen talking with Lucas. They were in deep conversation probably about literature so she cleared her throat to make her presence known. They both turned to her and she took a seat at the table.

"Hales hey, I didn't even see you come in."

Haley smiled, "Yeah we just got here and then Brooke started going on about if its a boy or girl and what clothes we were wearing. And then Peyton..." She stopped when she noticed both Lucas and Karen laugh. "What."

The older brunette woman sighed, "You haven't changed one bit Haley James. Not after getting married, not after going on tour, not even after getting pregnant. You are still very much so the girl you were years ago."

Lucas nodded, "Except you're clothes have gotten better. I mean that green hat of yours and that poncho."

"Hey!" Haley cut her eyes toward Luke and shook her head, "Ugh, fine maybe I had some unfortunate articles of clothing."

They all laughed and then Haley put all kidding aside. "I just wanted to thank you. Thank you both for being so supportive of me. Luke I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't visited me up in New York." Haley ran her hand over her stomach, "We probably wouldn't have even needed a baby shower."

Lucas let out a small laugh, "Yeah you would have. You and Nathan were never going to split up." He rested his hand over Haley's, "This baby would have happened no matter what."

Sighing heavily Haley couldn't help but agree. Aside from her and Nathan not being careful and having a baby in high school, she'd always expected to have children, Nathan's children.

Haley turned to Karen and started to talk, "And Karen. I don't know how to say thank you for all the advice you've given me. Ever since my parents left, actually before my parents even left, you've been the one who's guided me and helped me find my way."

Karen smiled, "You were always going to find your way Haley. It wasn't me who helped get you there." Karen looked across the room to the tall dark headed guy talking with Skills and Bevin. Nathan was the one who helped her. She looked back to Haley and smiled warmly, "I just threw in my two cents every once in a while."

From across the room they heard Brooke shout, "Preggers come on! Let's open up your gifts!"

Lucas laughed, "We better not keep Brooke waiting or she'll start without you." He got up from the table and headed toward the group of people and left Karen with Haley. The older woman stood up and reached in her pocket, "I'm always here whenever you need it." Karen set down two copper colored pennies, rested her hand on Haley's shoulder, and gave it a light squeeze before walking away.

Haley took a deep breath and tried really hard not to cry. Karen and Lucas meant more to her than they'd ever know and she was thankful everyday that they were in her life. She shook off the emotions and got up and walked towards Nathan.

He smiled when she walked over. Nathan kissed her forehead and looked down, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She held the two pennies tightly in her hand and smiled up at her husband.

Nathan pulled out a chair for Haley and she sat down.

"Okay me first!" Brooke pointed her finger in the air and walked over to the pile of gifts. "So since you two are keeping quiet about if it's a boy or girl I had to improvise."

"Brooke! We really don't know yet!" Haley laughed and shook her head.

Brooke narrowed her eyes, "Sure, but anyways. I hope you like what I got!" She handed Nathan a big box and Haley a smaller one. "You can both open them at the same time."

Tearing into the paper Nathan wondered what Brooke had gotten them. Haley discarded the wrapping paper and opened up the box. She pulled out a white terrycloth something and held it up.

Brooke smiled, "It's a wrap you put around the baby when their done taking a bath." She turned to Nathan who has taken all the paper off the baby bath tub that fit in the sink.

Haley looked over the wrap in her hands and saw that the hood had something on it, "Aw Brooke it's a puppy dog."

"I know, adorable right? But that's where you two got me. I didn't know if I should get something boyish or girlish so I figured puppies are pretty neutral. Everyone likes puppies."

Everyone laughed and nodded.

"Thank you Brooke, this is great." Nathan smiled at her and looked back to the box.

Peyton stood up, "Alright so I couldn't help but get this when I went by Babies R' Us." She found her present and gave it to Haley.

Haley ripped off the paper and smiled when she saw what it was.

"It says that you can hook it too the crib and play whatever CD or music you want." Peyton laughed and pulled a few mix tapes out of her bag, "And I made some CD's with some classical stuff. I know you've said you've been playing that."

Nathan laughed, Haley had been playing classical stuff, but as soon as she fell asleep he changed it to old school hip-hop. She never knew.

"Peyton this is perfect." Haley looked at the music player and knew that it was going to be great for the baby.

After people where done 'eww-ing and ahh-ing' over Peyton's gift Lucas picked up a big bag. Haley knew exactly what was in the bag but was curious as to which ones he got.

"So I went to the store and pretty much picked out enough to start the baby's own library."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. It was so like Lucas to give them baby books. As Haley pulled out Goodnight Moon, Go, Dog, Go, Good Dog Carl, White on Black, The Very Hungry Catapillar, Pat the Bunny, and Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Lucas handed Nathan a little bag. "I know it's not really good for if it's a girl but I thought you might like it."

Nathan pulled out a small teddy bear that had a blue jersey and a little orange basketball sewed on to him. He held the soft little bear in his hands and nodded at his brother, "Thanks man."

For the next 30 minutes they opened presents and by the end of it Nathan and Haley had gained a plethora of baby items. Karen and Deb had gone in together and gotten them a car seat and matching stroller and Skills had given them about 200 diapers. They got plenty of cute clothes, a lot of this and that, and when things were wrapping up Haley couldn't believe all the stuff they'd received. They had great friends.

**OTHOTH**

*8 Months

Nathan towel dried his hair and walked into the bedroom. Haley was reading a book and was already under the covers. He slid into bed and turned to her.

"So I was thinking..."

She set her book down and looked over to him.

He smiled and put his left hand on her expanding stomach, "Well since we only have a little while longer till he's due I was thinking about names."

Haley shifted her weight and turned to him, "What were some of the ones you had in mind."

Nathan looked to Haley and smiled, "James."

A smile spread across her face, "James?"

"Yeah, I love that name. Haley James..." He leaned over and kissed her sweetly, "Scott."

"Mmm, I like that." She smiled and started to think, "I know what I want the middle name to be."

Nathan raised his brow, "What?"

"Lucas." She hesitantly smiled, "I mean is that okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah, of course. I think it's great. James Lucas Scott." He nodded and smiled, "Sounds perfect."

Haley happily sighed, "I love it." She pulled on his neck and kissed him, "James Lucas Scott."

Nathan rolled over to her and kissed her, "I think we've got the name." He smirked and kissed her again.

Haley felt his hands start too roam but she suddenly wanted something other than her husband. "Nathan?"

He lifted his head from where he'd been peppering her skin with kisses and raised his brow, "Huh?"

She let out a laugh and gave him a shy smile, "Will you go get me the pickles from the kitchen please."

"Pickles? Now?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Just all of the sudden I really want... no I need pickles." She sunk back into her pillows and laughed.

"Um, okay. Hold on." Nathan maneuvered himself across Haley and got out of the bed. He knew exactly where the pickles were and grabbed the whole jar and a fork. He laughed as he looked at the pickles. They were the kind you put on sandwiches, the little round ones that were sliced up.

He walked back into the bedroom and handed Haley what she desired most.

"Oh, thank you." She twisted the top off and dipped the fork in the jar. Haley smiled before she stuck the green goodness in her mouth.

After she ate about seven she put the top back on and slid the jar on the bedside table. Nathan had been watching her the whole time wondering how she could eat so many pickles in one sitting. They were good on burgers or sandwiches but plain? Not for him.

Haley rolled over and Nathan did the same. They were facing each other and Nathan smiled, "You need anything else?"

He was so great. His every thought was based on her needs and to make sure she had everything she wanted.

"I'm good." She leaned over close and kissed him sweetly."

Nathan puckered his lips and grimaced.

"What? What's that face for?" Haley looked at her husband and was worried she'd done something completely wrong.

"Pickles. You taste like pickles."

Haley covered her mouth, "Sorry. I forgot."

He laughed, "It's okay. It'll go away." He leaned over and kissed her again.

Over the last few months Nathan had been subjected to that kind of thing. He had to be observant sometimes because Haley craved the strangest things, and if he wasn't careful, a kiss goodbye or hello could leave a bad taste in his mouth. Though that wasn't really possible. Haley didn't give bad kisses and he certainly didn't receive any. They were different as of late but he didn't mind. As long as it was Haley's lips he felt on his nothing else mattered.

**OTHOTH**

*A few hours after Jamie is born

Nathan sat in a chair next to Haley's bed and watched as Haley held their newborn son. He was perfect. He was beautiful. Haley was perfect, she'd done such a great job during the delivery. He laughed thinking about the possible bruising that might turn up on his hand from her insanely tight grip throughout all of it, but it was worth it.

Kissing the baby's cheek she held her son close and looked to Nathan, "He's got your eyes."

He nodded, "I know."

Nathan walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He slid his finger down the baby's arm and smiled, "I can't believe he's here. We're parents."

"We're parents." Haley reached out for Nathan's hand and he took hold of it.

He grimaced a little, "Not too tight."

"Oh sorry. Did I hurt you while we were in there? I didn't mean to."

Laughing Nathan shook his head, "I'll be fine. Nothing I can't handle."

Just then a knock on the door rang out and a nurse came into the room.

"You've got a few people outside waiting to see you guys. They say their family."

Haley knew that the people the nurse was talking about were Lucas, Peyton and Brooke. "You can let them in."

Brooke was the first one to come in and was holding a few blue balloons. "Hi Tutor-Mom. How's the new name sound? I can officially call you that now."

Cradling Jamie in her arms she looked down to her son, "Sounds great."

Lucas and Peyton walked in right behind Brooke and Haley raised her brow,"How's you're mom?"

Lucas nodded, "She's fine. Stable. I've got a little sister. Her name's Lily."

"Oh that's beautiful Luke, but wait why did you say your mom is stable, what happened?" The concerned friend looked to the other.

Lucas shrugged, "I'm not all that sure, I just know that it got bad but she's okay now. They're both okay."

Peyton leaned into Lucas and looked to both Nathan and Haley, "So what's the little guy's name?"

Nathan looked to Haley and nodded. Haley cleared her throat and smiled, "James. James Lucas Scott."

As soon as Lucas heard it he felt his chest fill with pride and his jaw hung open.

Nathan walked over to Lucas and patted him on the shoulder, "He's got a great name."

"Aw guys, you're gonna make me cry!" Brooke fanned her eyes and wiped a tear that rolled off her cheek.

Lucas didn't know what to say. He walked over to Haley and sat down on the bed, "Wow. James Lucas Scott." He put his hand behind the little boy's head and smiled at Haley, "Thank you."

She nodded and looked at the baby boy, "James, this is your Uncle Lucas. He's gonna be the best uncle ever."

Lucas knew exactly what kind of uncle he was going to be. "I learned from the best."

Smiling, Haley nodded, "You learned from the best."

The two best friends sat on the bed and marveled at the tiny being in Haley's arms. She was a mom, Nathan was a dad, and they had a son. It was something to get used to. They were going to be great parents and Lucas was happy to say that he was a part of their family.

**OTHOTH**

*The next day

It was protocol for all new moms to be wheeled out of the hospital and Haley was no exception. She had the balloons Brooke had brought tied on the handle and Nathan was pushing her toward the exit. Jamie was snug in her arms and she'd never felt more comfortable.

When they approached the door of the car Nathan made sure Haley could get out of the chair easily.

"Okay so I got a fireman to put in the car seat so I know it's okay. And I thought you might want to sit in the back with him while I drive home."

Haley smiled, "That sounds great."

She got in first and watched as Nathan gently placed their son in the car seat. Haley made sure all the straps were good and then Nathan got in and started the car. He'd put the balloons in the passenger seat and had to swat them away to look back at Haley.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get this little guy home." Haley buckled her own seat belt and felt the car begin to roll away. She had been so preoccupied with the baby that when she looked out the window she laughed when she realized they were going all of three miles an hour.

"Honey, you can drive a little faster."

"I'm just being careful."

Haley bit her lip. Nathan was adorable. "I love you for that but he's going to be five by the time we get home."

Nathan glanced into the rear view mirror and nodded, "Okay, I'll go a little faster, but just a little."

Haley laughed and looked down to their boy, "Daddy's funny."

After a long car ride home they finally made it and Nathan hopped out and helped Haley out and then picked up Jamie's car seat. Haley opened the door and called out for Deb. No one answered and Haley looked to Nathan, "I guess it's just us?"

Nathan shrugged, "Where do you want to go?"

"Let's go to his room." Haley walked toward Jamie's room and Nathan followed.

As soon as Nathan got the baby out of the car seat Jamie started to cry. Nathan's eyes bugged and Haley opened her arms. Haley rocked the baby back and forth but nothing was calming him down.

Nathan looked to his wife, "Maybe he's hungry?"

Haley sat down on the rocker next to the crib and threw the blanket over her shoulder.

Nathan laughed, "You don't have to be shy about breast feeding Hales. I've seen it all before."

Rolling her eyes, "I know that, but the nurse at the hospital told me do it like this."

She un-buttoned her shirt and positioned Jamie like she was shown earlier. Haley felt the baby's mouth on her and grimaced, "Ow. Ugh." It wasn't the most comfortable of things but she wanted to give breast feeding a try.

Nathan looked on in admiration and found the process enamoring.

Haley cocked her eyebrow at her husband, "Would you stop staring?"

He shook his head, "I can't help it."

A slight blush crept across her cheeks, "Do you think you can go get me a burp cloth?"

Nathan was in a trance. He couldn't move. He was frozen in place and didn't want to leave.

"Nathan, hello?"

"Huh?" He looked at her with a blank expression.

"A burp cloth? Will you get me one?"

He walked toward the dresser, "Yeah." Nathan handed Haley the burp cloth and watched Haley finish feeding him.

Once Haley burped the newly fed child she rocked him for a little while and he fell back asleep. She put him in the crib and walked into her and Nathan's room. He was messing with the baby monitor.

"You get it to work?" She sat down on the bed and laid down.

Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He put it up to his ear and smiled, "I just heard him gurgle."

Haley smiled then she frowned. She ran her hand up her stomach and cupped her boobs, "I really don't think I can do that?"

Nathan looked down at Haley and saw that she was holding on to two of his most prized possessions, "What? Breast feed?"

"Yeah it hurts. I can't imagine what it'll be like when he has teeth."

Nathan smirked, "I think I can give you an idea." He walked over to her and sat down. Nathan's eyes were glued to her chest and she rolled her eyes and shook her head, "No."

She sat up on the bed and reached for a box.

"What are you getting out?"

Haley opened the box and pulled out a yellow and clear plastic object. "A pump"

"Pump?"

She sat back down on the bed and raised her brow, "This might not hurt as bad." Haley saw that Nathan was looking at them funny and decided to try them out on him. She pushed the pump towards his chest and he flinched.

"What the hell Hales. Don't do that. Those are for you. Not me!" His forehead was crinkled in so many directions she couldn't help but laugh."

"Sorry I had to do that. You just looked so confused by it." She held the pump out and wiggled it in front of his face.

"Well yeah. I don't think you need them."

Haley's mouth flew open, "Okay." She lunged toward him and tried to reach one of his nipples through his shirt. Once she felt that she had a hold she squeezed hard, "How does that feel?"

"Ow, okay I get it. It hurts." He brushed her hand away and shook his head, "Okay, okay. Sorry."

She raised her brow, "Yeah you have someone do that to you and see if you like the way it feels."

Nathan gave Haley a cheeky grin, "Well actually. I know you like it when I do that, and I don't mind it when..."

Haley smacked him pretty hard. He was talking about a whole different scenario. "You're awful. You know that."

He laughed, "You love it." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

Haley heard the soft cries coming from the baby monitor and started to get up, "That's my cue."

Nathan watched Haley get up and sighed heavily. She was going to be a great mom. He'd watched her for the last day or so and he knew she was already a pro. There was nothing in the world Haley James Scott couldn't do. Nathan had to keep reminding himself that he was lucky enough to call her his wife.

**OTHOTH**

*Later that night

Deb had come back to the house with bags full of groceries with everything they'd ever need. It was really nice having her around. Nathan and Haley had managed perfectly fine for the short hour or so they'd been alone with the baby but it was comforting for them knowing she was just a room or so away.

By the time dinner rolled around both Nathan and Haley were exhausted. To them the last few hours had been completely devoted to changing, feeding, rocking, or any other 'ing' there was that pertained to babies.

Around eight o'clock Haley had rocked little James Scott asleep and slowly walked into the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed and wanted nothing more than to crawl into the covers and sleep for a few days. Motherhood was exhausting.

Nathan leaned on the door frame and saw how tired Haley looked. "Why don't you go a head and go to sleep?" He walked in the room and sat down next to her.

"No, I don't want to right now. I'll be okay. I'm just going to shut my eyes for a sec." She leaned back on the pillows and closed her massive brown orbs.

"You can go to bed. You've had a really busy last two days and I can handle it."

She was fighting, and really fighting it. Haley's eyes felt so heavy that it was almost painful for her to open them. Nathan could tell that she wasn't going to give in easily so he did something that would for sure do her in.

He laid down next to her and with his chest against her back, wrapped an arm securely around her. Nathan felt her grab a hold of his arm and then he put his cheek close to hers, "You can try and fight it Hales, but just let it go." He was trying not to laugh because she really had been through a lot, but it was sort of funny to watch her nod off. "We'll be here when you wake up."

Haley started to say something but nothing came out. Maybe it was fatigue or exhaustion, she didn't know which one. All she did know was that with Nathan's arm comfortably wrapped around her she didn't stand a chance to stay awake.

A few minutes later and Nathan could hear the steady patter of Haley's breath. She was asleep. He carefully slid out of the bed and pulled a blanket over her body then leanded down and kissed her sweetly on her cheek.

Three hours had passed when Haley woke up. She heard the faint cries coming from the baby's room and immediately got up. Blinking away the sleep she stopped when she reached the door and saw them. Both of them were up. Nathan was sitting in the rocking chair holding their son and she felt her heart start to race.

Nathan was already an incredibly attractive guy but the image of him sitting in a rocking chair in a room only lit by the moon pushed him to the next level.

He didn't see her standing there so when he looked up he was startled by her presence. In a hushed tone he got up and whispered, "Hey sorry, we didn't wake you did we?"

Haley shrugged. He was doing it again. He was making her fall in love with him more than she thought she could. "No."

She walked over to her husband and son and kissed the top of the baby's head, "How long has he been awake?"

"Just a little while. I gave him a bottle about twenty minutes ago. I'm just trying to get him to fall back asleep now."

Haley smiled, "You're doing great." She looked down and saw how comfortable their son looked his Nathan's arms. He was so small compared to his dad and Haley hoped he'd stay that way for a while.

Haley looked around the room and then back to Nathan, "It might help if you walk around a little. Keep him moving. I read something about that."

Nathan nodded and started to walk around the room and then outside toward the living room and kitchen. Haley walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water and watched in awe as Nathan lulled their son to sleep.

After a few minutes Nathan stopped walking around and he carefully sat down on the sofa and stretched out. He laid out and had Jamie on his chest. Nathan had one had over the little guy's back and the other holding him steady below the butt. Nathan wasn't going to let anything happen to Jamie.

Haley put away some bottles and wiped off the counter. It was an old habit she had from working so many shifts at Karen's. When she was happy with the cleanliness of the kitchen she walked out to the living room and what she found took her breath away.

There they were. Jamie on Nathan's chest, and Nathan's splayed out on the couch. As she walked over to them she was sure that the rhythm of Nathan's heart was a sound their son found comforting. Haley watched as with every breath Nathan took Jamie would rise. She worried for a second that Nathan might roll over or let go of Jamie but when she picked at Nathan's hands they were like glue. That kid wasn't going anywhere.

Hoping that they wouldn't move, Haley quickly ran to get the camera and took a few pictures. The flash hadn't bothered either of them and Nathan and Jamie were still immersed in a deep sleep.

She knew that she couldn't just leave them out there so she gently shook Nathan. "Nathan. Honey, wake up."

After a few more nudges, Nathan's eyes opened and he smiled when he saw Haley. "Hey."

"Shh." Haley put her finger over her mouth and pointed at the baby.

Nathan nodded and he slowly got up without waking their son. He carefully walked over to the crib and gently put Jamie down. When he was content that Jamie was comfortable he shut the door to the bedroom and tip-toed into their bedroom.

Haley met him with a smile as he slid under the covers. "Thank you for staying up and letting me sleep a little."

He nodded, "Yeah sure. I don't mind. You needed to get some rest. I was happy to step in."

Haley moved her hand across his cheek, "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"You're going to be such a good dad."

Nathan smiled, "You're gonna be a great mom. You already are."

It had been less than 50 hours since the young couple had officially become parents and both of them seemed to be doing a wonderful job at it. The most important part; that both of them thought the world of the other. Haley had never been more proud of Nathan, and Nathan had never been in such awe of his girl. That was how it would be for the rest of time. They'd do things together and would always be supportive of each other. Always and forever!

**OTHOTH**

**Whoa...that was long. I apologize if there are any errors (I'm sure there are), but I figured most of you could look past them if I updated the next day! So I'm leaving in just a sec for my little vacation and still don't know about the internet connection but hey...maybe if I get a butt load of reviews I'll just drive to a Starbucks or somewhere with free wi-fi! Don't underestimate the power of reviews!**

**To those I couldn't respond to last chapter...Thank you Rhea, Becky, Diana, I really appreciate it!**

**As for some particular comments or ideas I wanted to bring up:**

**KC: I like the calm quiet ones too. I also wish they'd done more flashbacks on the show. They really could have done some cute Naleyness on that front. I like the idea of them dealing with more stressful situations and I'll add that to my list of scenarios.**

**Kutebloo: I think one of my favorite parts of the chapter was when they ate lunch too!**

**Ann: Jealous Nathan is coming soon...keep a look out for it!**

**Joan: I love that you had a comment for nearly everything that happened in the chapter. I really appreciated that!**


	43. Feels Like Letting Go

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 43: Feels Like Letting Go**

**Disclaimer: I take creativity for my own characters...the rest doesn't matter. I'm kidding, yes it does. Thanks to Mark and co. for creating the characters I thrive off of.**

**A/N: Okay so I hate that I couldn't update till today, and I hope you all forgive me! But I'm back and ready to get back into the swing of things. Some of y'all requested this scenario and I was happy to write it. And this first section is a mini re-introduction to characters and then it will set up what is to come. It's a long one too. Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

Thirty one year old Jamie Scott had his hands full. In one arm he was holding his son Bennet's remote control car and in the other, his almost 13 month old daughter, Claire. Liza and six year old Bennet were close behind, and Jamie was happy that when he made it to the door his mom already had it opened.

Haley opened her arms and took the little girl and hugged her son, "Hey Jame."

"Hey Mom." He smiled as he saw Haley with Claire and then noticed that the wheels on the remote control car were spinning. Jamie turned around and saw his son holding the remote wide eyed. "Bennet wait 'til I put it down bud." He laughed and shook his head.

The little boy took his thumb off the control and waited for his dad to set down the car then he floored it. Bennet ran past Haley before she could even say hello and he started to drive the car through the house.

Liza walked up to her mother in law, greeted her, and they both laughed as they watched Bennet drive the toy toward the kitchen.

Bennet rounded the corner and stopped when he saw that his toy car was stopped at someone's feet. He flashed his big blue eyes up at the man who had matching ones and smiled.

Nathan smirked and bent down to pick the car up. "You trying run me over boy?"

Bennet smiled and shook his head, "No."

Laughing at his grandson's innocence he walked over and ruffled the little boy's hair, "You know, I don't think we should take that with us on the boat."

Jamie walked in the kitchen and had caught the tale end of his father's statement. "It's not going with us, he just wanted to bring it by and play with it while we were here." Jamie chuckled and shook his head, "He takes that thing everywhere."

Nathan smiled and looked down. The remote control car Bennet was playing with was the one he and Haley had given their grandson the previous Christmas.

The women walked into the kitchen and Haley had Claire close to her cheek. She had always loved babies. And as much as she loved her own, there was something inherently different when the babies were her children's babies. It was a surreal feeling. She and Nathan were both 49 and already had two beautiful grandchildren, and Charlotte was probably just a few years away from starting her own family.

Liza had hugged Nathan and smiled when she saw him holding Bennet's car. "He loves that thing."

Nathan nodded, "I've heard. Apparently he takes it everywhere?"

"Yeah, just about." Liza looked down to her blonde headed boy and then over to her husband, "Hey Jame what time do y'all think you'll be going?"

Jamie shrugged his shoulders, "Where just waiting on..."

Before he could finish his sentence they all heard the front door open. Bennet darted off toward the door and the four adults in the kitchen heard Charlotte yell.

"Bennet! Ah you've gotten so big!" Charlotte glanced at the little boy who looked just like her brother and shook her head in disbelief. He really was getting big. It had only been a week since she'd seen him but still, that kid was sprouting up fast.

The little boy gave his aunt a goofy smile and narrowed his eyes, "Where is Graham?"

Charlotte turned to look outside and smiled, "He's coming."

Bennet stood in the doorway and saw Graham walking up. He waved at him and the older man waved back.

When Graham walked inside he arched his brow and looked to Bennet, "So I gotcha something."

"Did you get it? Did you get it?" Bennet had been asking Graham to get him a United States Coast Guard hat and he was very curious as to what his aunt's boyfriend had for him.

Graham laughed at Bennet's eagerness and nodded. He pulled his hand from behind his back and displayed the navy blue hat. "It's all yours bud."

"Oh man!" Bennet took the hat and fastened it on his head. Charlotte and Graham both smiled at him and then he ran for the kitchen.

"Mom! Dad! Look!" The young boy had run to the kitchen and pointed at his head.

Jamie smiled, "So does this mean you're gonna keep us safe on the water today?"

Charlotte and Graham walked into the kitchen and she hopped up on the counter, "Yeah Ben, you gonna keep everyone safe?"

Bennet smiled widely and ran his hands over his hat, "Uh-huh."

Nathan laughed, "So you'll jump in after me if I fall overboard?"

Grimacing, Bennet shook his head and pointed to Graham. "He will."

All the adults laughed. It was what Graham did for a living. He was a rescue swimmer for the USCG and while he wasn't busy jumping out of helicopters he patrolled the Cape Fear and Atlantic on the Diligence. So Bennet was right, if someone was suited to jump in after anyone, it was Graham.

Nathan looked to his son then Graham, "You guys ready to go?"

Bennet raised his arms, "Yes! Yes! Let's go!" Nathan wasn't directing his question to his grandson but Bennet couldn't help but answer. The boy walked over to Jamie and pulled his dad by the arm, "Come on Dad, let's go."

Laughing Jamie nodded, "Alright. Alright. We're going." He smirked when Liza walked over to him.

"Be careful." She ran her arm over Jamie's and squeezed it lightly, "Okay?"

"We will." Jamie placed a sweet kiss on Liza's cheek, "Love you."

Jamie moved away but Liza got a few words in, "Love you too."

After he'd kissed Liza goodbye Jamie walked towards his mom, "And you." He looked at the little girl in his mom's arms, "You be good for your mom." Jamie blew a raspberry on Claire's cheek and she laughed.

"Dad! Let's go!" Bennet was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Jamie walked by and ruffled his son's hair, "Okay, we're going!"

Liza saw her two boys walk away and couldn't help call out, "Don't forget to put sunscreen on him!" She wasn't sure if they had heard her or if Jamie knew where in the bag she'd packed it, so she walked after them.

Graham looked to Charlotte and smiled. His emerald green eyes met her deep chocolate ones, "I'll see you when we get back."

"Have fun." Charlotte nodded and watched him walk away. She turned to her mom and held her arms out, "My turn. Pass her on over." With her arms out, Charlotte motioned for her mom to pass over her young niece.

Haley did as her daughter wanted and saw that Nathan was checking his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and phone. She saw his keys on the counter and picked them up and handed them to him, "You might need these."

"I was just looking for those."

She smiled and walked over to him, "You don't know what you'd do without me."

Wasn't that the truth? Nathan nodded and smiled.

Charlotte whispered in Claire's ear, "So this is the part where they kiss." She couldn't help but laugh when both her parents shot looks at her, "What? You know I'm right."

Nathan thought about it and it was true. He waited for Haley to turn back around and leaned down to kiss her, "Bye."

"Bye." She watched him start to walk away, "Let Graham drive the boat if the water gets rough."

Charlotte smiled when she heard her mom say that. She'd always been proud of Graham for doing what he did, but it was an extra little bonus when her parents or Jamie or anyone else recognized it.

Nathan nodded and walked outside. They were having a guys trip and were going to take the boat out and enjoy a nice day fishing. Little did Nathan know that fishing was going to be the last thing on his mind.

**OTHOTH**

The waters of the Atlantic were relatively smooth and for the last three hours Nathan, Jamie, Bennet, and Graham had enjoyed their fishing excursion. Bennet hung a king mackerel and Jamie had to help his son reel the fish in. It gave quite a fight.

A few grouper later and some missed opportunities Nathan decided to take a break and let the younger fellas mess around. He climbed up to the cabin and sat behind the wheel. As he looked out to the blue green abyss he couldn't help but think of what the girls were doing at home. They'd probably gone shopping or something.

As Nathan leaned back in the chair he heard someone come up into the captain's quarters. He turned and smiled when he saw Graham. "Water looks pretty good from up here."

Graham nodded, "Yeah, for July it looks great. Sometimes there can be some nasty swells but today's pretty nice." He looked out and saw blue sky and the glimmering ocean beneath it. He loved the water. It was the only thing in life he knew he'd love forever. That was until he'd met Charlotte Scott of course.

Nathan got up from the chair and looked out the port window.

Graham swallowed hard and balled both his fists up before he found the nerve to speak up. Once he realized he couldn't just stand there in silence he cleared his throat.

"Mr. Scott...?"

Nathan turned around at that. Graham had been calling him Nathan for the last six months so he knew something was up when he used that name.

Graham hesitated then began again, "Mr. Scott I love your daughter. She's intelligent, incredibly kind, determined, beautiful and the best part of my day..."

Nathan could hear the shakiness in Graham's voice but valued everything the guy said.

Graham ran his hand through his hair, "I don't want to wait around for this. She's the one. Charlotte's the girl for me and I wanted to know if I could marry her." Once he'd finished he repeated himself as his nerves got the best of him, "May I marry her?"

Sighing heavily Nathan didn't know whether to be happy or sad. In one instance his little girl had found a man who loved her to no end, who was smart, who was kind, who made her laugh, and Graham was a good guy. He was a great guy, but for the last 24 years Charlotte had been his. His little girl and he didn't know if he was ready to let her go.

When Graham realized Nathan hadn't said anything his heart dropped and his mouth went dry. He was about to speak up but Nathan intervened.

"Take care of her." Nathan looked to Graham and nodded, "Love her, protect her from anything and everything." He looked out to the water and then back to Graham, "Be safe out there."

"Yes sir, absolutely. Always." Graham realized that Nathan was saying yes and he felt his heart race a thousand miles an hour.

Nathan smiled and extended his hand, "Be good to her."

Shaking Nathan's hand Graham had a grin so big he could hardly speak. "Yes sir, I will. Thank you." He shook his head in disbelief, "Thank you so much."

Nathan nodded. He remembered how nervous he'd been when he'd asked Haley's parents, and he could tell by the way Graham was speaking, the way he looked, that he was the one for Charlotte. It was a bit scary to think about, but he knew he was doing the right thing. One of the best days of his life was the day Haley's parents said yes and he was pretty sure he'd just given Graham one of those days.

Graham was still taking it all in. He was going to ask Charlotte to marry him. Her father had given him permission and he couldn't be happier. He took a deep breath and looked down to the stern of the boat where Jamie and Bennet were.

"Do you think we could keep this between ourselves for a little while? I want to make sure she's surprised when it happens."

Nathan nodded, "I'll try." He'd been able to keep Jamie's plans on proposing to Liza a secret from Haley and anyone else, but it was going to be really hard for Nathan not to tell anyone about this.

Graham looked over to Nathan again and nodded once more, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Nathan smiled and watched as Graham headed for the stairs to go back down to the bottom level.

As Graham stepped onto the flat surface Jamie turned to him and noticed Graham's extra happy demeanor. He knew that face. He'd had it nine years ago when he'd asked Mr. Bennet a very important question. It was a look every married man could relate to.

Jamie turned to Bennet, "Hey bud hold on tight for a sec I gotta go talk to Graham." He walked towards Graham and arched his brow, "Congratulations man!"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about?" Graham waved it off like nothing had transpired in the last 15 minutes.

"You're gonna marry my sister."

Graham furrowed his brow, "How did you know? Did you hear us talking?" He looked up to where Nathan was and knew that there was no way Jamie could have heard them.

Jamie shook his head, "No, I just knew. I was in the same place you were a while back."

Nodding his head Graham realized Jamie must have gone through the same thing with Liza's parents. He saw Jamie extended his hand so he did the same.

Once Jamie had a firm grasp on Graham's hand he tightened his grip and pulled Graham close, "Look I hate to be a jackass about this, cause I like you. I do. I mean we're friends, but I've got to say this. I didn't really do it when you started dating but I am now. I know you love Charlotte and I know she loves you, but if you break her heart or get her upset about something" He closed his eyes and shook his head, "I don't want late night phone calls about something you've said or done to make her cry so as the big brother I'm just warning you."

Graham was absolutely taken back by Jamie's behavior but he was the big brother, Jamie had every right to want to protect his little sister.

Jamie looked over to his son who was holding a fishing pole, "And he thinks the world of you so don't mess that up. It won't only hurt Charlotte, but Bennet too, and I won't have that."

"Yeah, no I completely understand." Graham knew that Jamie was only saying it because he cared. "I''m in it for forever, I'm never letting her go and Bennet..." Graham laughed a little, "I'll always be his cool Uncle Graham."

Jamie nodded. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He'd gotten pretty much the same thing from Liza's brothers when he'd first started dating her so he couldn't help but do the same for his sister. But Graham was a great guy. Charlotte loved him and he loved her. As long as she was happy, everyone else was happy.

**OTHOTH**

Two days. Two days had past and so far Nathan had kept his word. He'd found out that Jamie put the pieces together but everyone else was in the dark and it was killing him. Every time he saw Charlotte his eyes went directly to her left hand. And for some reason she'd come over to the house on multiple occasions in the last 48 hours and he couldn't help but wonder if Graham had asked yet. It was getting harder and harder with each passing day. He practically avoided Haley so he wouldn't blurt it out, and so far so good.

That night, however, Nathan couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning and never found a comfortable spot. Even with Haley at his side he found it incredibly hard to fall asleep.

Haley knew something was up. He had been semi avoiding her for the last couple days and now Nathan was having trouble sleeping. That wasn't him. Unless something important was on his mind; a big game, something to do with the kids, or something to do with her, it wasn't like him. Since he was retired it wasn't basketball, he coached at UNCW but the season wasn't even in session, it was summer. Nothing was wrong with her, so it must have had something to do with the kids or grand-kids.

She moved over close to him and saw that he was flat on his back with one hand over his head. Haley ran her hand over his chest and then put her head down.

"Nathan what's wrong? Why are you acting all weird?"

For what seemed like an eternity Nathan was silent. He didn't say a word.

Haley started to get worried, "Are you okay? Is something wrong? Is there something..."

"She's getting married."

"Who's getting married?" Haley didn't know who in the world he was talking about.

He sighed, "Charlotte. Charlotte's getting married."

It came out in one big jumble of words and Haley thought she knew what he'd said but couldn't be sure, "What?"

Nathan put his arm around Haley and looked down, "Graham asked me if he could marry her."

Yep, she'd heard him right. She started to sit up, "Oh my gosh, really?" She was so hopeful and when he saw him nod she smiled and bit her lip.

"I said yes and now we just have to wait." Nathan let out a deep breath and Haley laid her head back down on his chest.

Haley smiled in disbelief. She was so excited. She'd always known that Graham was the right one for Charlotte. "She's getting married?

"She's getting married." Nathan felt Haley lean her head further into his chest and he could feel her smile. She'd been waiting for their daughter's wedding for a while. He figured it was something all moms got excited about.

"Wow." She was still getting over the initial shock but then quickly regained focus, "How long have you known?"

Nathan shrugged, "Just a couple days."

"And you kept it from me for that long? That's pretty impressive."

He laughed, "Yeah, but I did even better with Jamie. I never even told you about him proposing."

Haley's jaw dropped, "You knew about that?"

Nathan realized that he probably should have kept that to himself, "Uh...yeah."

"Nathan! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Jamie asked me not to." He looked down and even in the darkness he could tell she was scowling at him.

She shook her head, "But why didn't he tell me too?"

"He wanted to keep a surprise. He only told me because he wanted some advice. How he should do it."

Haley's attitude changed when she realized that their son had gone to Nathan for fatherly advice, "What did you tell him."

"I told him that he'd know what to do, how to do it when the time came."

She smiled and leaned back into his chest, "Like how you did it...the first time." Haley felt Nathan nod.

"Yeah, we were just laying in bed like we are now. Thirty three years ago I looked over to you and knew."

"You just knew?"

He turned so he was facing her, "I just knew." Nathan looked to her, even if time had changed their appearance physically he still felt the exact same as he did all those years ago, "And I told you I could love you forever."

Haley laughed, "I told you I could too." She remember. She knew exactly how it went.

"You were my family and I never wanted to lose you. You were the one true thing I had."

She didn't want to correct him, but actually the true thing part was after the family line. Then he had said how he never wanted to lose her. But, she could forgive him. It was over thirty years ago.

Sighing Haley kissed his chest, "You weren't going to lose me. You never did."

Nathan nodded and smiled, "And I asked you right after that. I asked you to marry me and you hesitated."

Haley laughed and rolled her eyes, "Just for a little bit, couples didn't get married in high school. It wasn't normal"

"I know, but I wasn't normal. We weren't normal." He laughed, "And I basically had to ask again to make sure you knew I was serious."

"I knew you were..."

He nodded, "Yeah, then I asked why forever couldn't start today?"

Under her breath Haley let out three very important words as she thought about forever, "Always and forever." That hadn't been her exact answer to his question back then but somewhere in their spontaneous moment she'd said yes. They'd gotten married and now thirty something years later their daughter was going to get married. Their son was married and they had two precious grandchildren, and as Haley laid across from Nathan she couldn't even fathom the idea of what would have happened if they hadn't gotten married when they did.

She sighed heavily and felt his lips brush against her cheek, "I love you Haley James Scott."

"I love you too."

Just as Haley closed her eyes the telephone rang. She scrunched her brow wondering who would be calling at 11:00 o'clock at night but then it hit her. She looked at the number on the phone and answered excitedly, "Hello?"

"Mom? Hey, I didn't wake you up did I?"

Haley smiled and shook her head, "No, we were up. What's going on?"

Charlotte couldn't contain the excitement in her voice, "Graham proposed! I'm getting married!"

Haley listened to her daughter go on to describe every little bit right down to the miniscule details. Charlotte was so happy. Haley was too, and she reached out for Nathan's hand. As she continued to listen to Charlotte talk away and she knew that everything was going to be just fine.

**OTHOTH**

Summer ended and the engagement lasted nearly fourteen months. Summer had come again and then faded into Fall. The wedding was set for late September and the days were dwindling down. The night before the big day Charlotte had opted to stay with her parents and it was a wise decision. Otherwise, she probably would have gone over to Sawyer's place and while that would be fun and all, she would never get to sleep. And the bride needed a decent nights rest.

After the family had dinner Charlotte made a few phone calls. The longest to Graham, who reassured her that he'd see her in the tomorrow, then to Jamie for some brotherly advice, and about three calls to Sawyer to make sure she had everything she was supposed to bring to the church. Once she was satisfied with everything Charlotte walked upstairs and instead of going to her room she walked into her parents room.

Haley was reading a copy of Lucas' latest book and she set it down when she saw Charlotte walk in. "You talk to Graham?"

Charlotte smiled and nodded, "Yeah." She walked over to the bed and laid down next to her mom, "Mom?"

Haley moved the book to her bedside table and turned to her daughter, "Yeah?"

"Were you ever nervous or scared before you got married."

Haley sighed and nodded, "Yeah. But I knew that your dad was who I was supposed to be with. Who I needed to be with. Why? Are you getting nervous?"

"I don't know, maybe." Charlotte scrunched her forehead wrinkles together and shrugged, "Is that bad?"

"No. It's normal. I think everyone has to get a little nervous." Haley let out a small laugh, "I'm pretty sure I'd never been more nervous, but as soon and your dad took my hands in his it all disappeared. All my nerves vanished and it was like it was just me and him. I know your grandparents were there but honestly, the only thing that I felt was how comfortable I was with him."

Charlotte loved listening to her mom boast about how much she loved her dad. When she was younger it was annoying but as she got older, she appreciated the fact that her parents had some sort of epic love. That no matter what, they were in it together, forever. She was pretty sure she'd found that with Graham and hoped for just an ounce of what her parents had for her own relationship.

"And what about the other one? The big wedding at the church gardens."

Haley smiled, "I'd never felt so sure about something than I did on that day. And again, there were lots of people there but all I saw was your dad. He was smiling, and as I said my vows I stared into his blue eyes and never looked back."

Charlotte smiled thinking about it. She's seen the pictures, but a part of her wish she could see them do that again. She turned to her mom and her brown eyes softened, "Thanks."

Haley looked at her daughter and nodded, "Yeah." She smiled and then started to get off the bed, "And actually I have something for you."

Sitting up in the bed, Charlotte raised her brow, "Mom you and Dad have done plenty with all this wedding stuff I don't need anything." She saw her mom go to her jewelry box and was curious as to what she was doing.

"I know that Sawyer's given you something old, Brooke something new, and Peyton something blue, and..." Haley reached into her box and pulled out a small golden ring, "I want you to borrow this." She walked over to Charlotte and showed her the ring in the palm of her hand.

"You want me to wear your pinky ring?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, I had it on both times I married your dad, so you could say it's has a lucky streak."

Charlotte laughed and took the ring from her mom. She slid it on her right pinky and smiled, "Thanks Mom."

"Yeah sure. Now your set. Something old, new, borrowed, and blue."

Nodding Charlotte smiled, "Yep."

The two Scott women noticed Nathan walk into the doorway and Charlotte started kidding around, "Sorry Dad but this spot's taken. You can find another bed."

Nathan hung his head. He knew she was joking but he played along. He looked back up and saw the two most beautiful people in the world staring back at him.

Charlotte rolled off the bed and walked to the door. "I'm just kidding Dad, have at it. Mom snores."

"What! I do not." Haley's eyes went wide and she was completely caught off guard by her daughter's accusation.

"Joke." Charlotte turned back to her mom, smiled, and held out her right hand, "Thanks again mom."

Haley nodded and told her daughter goodnight. Nathan felt Charlotte squeeze his arm as she passed by and he said he's see her in the morning. He moved over to the bed and got under the covers, "You letting her wear your pinky ring?"

Turning to him, Haley nodded, "Yeah. She needed something to borrow." Nathan smiled and Haley noticed. "What."

"Nothing. It's just that I remember you wearing it in high school and how you'd fiddle with it when you got nervous."

"I did?" He nodded. Haley smirked and shook her head, "That's so weird, cause you do the same thing with your wedding ring."

"Me?" Nathan didn't realize she was saying the same thing about him.

"Uh-huh. You still do. You'll spin it around your finger every once in a while."

Nathan laughed. He didn't know it but he had two of his right fingers running over the gold band then. Haley couldn't help but notice. Nathan Scott was a creature of habit and she loved it.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was standing outside the church watching people come in and he'd give them all a nod or a quick hello but other than that he was pretty quiet. His stomach was in knots and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to lose his little girl.

That wasn't the case at all but he sure did feel like it. He saw Jamie walk up with Bennet and smiled at his son.

Jamie noticed his dad's attitude, "You nervous?"

Nathan didn't even say anything. Instead he took a deep breath. Jamie tried not to laugh. He knew it must be hard. He'd have to do the same thing with Claire when she got married. "Dad just remember..." Jamie took a step away and started to slowly walk, "Left together, right together, left together..."

"I got it." Nathan peeled his eyes at his son. He knew that Jamie was just trying to lighten his spirit but it didn't help.

"Okay well the little man and I are being summoned inside." He pulled out his phone and laughed at the text he received from his wife. "I think we should be heading in. I gotta lead Mom down the aisle." Jamie raised his eyebrows and stuck his hand out for his son, "Come on Bennet, we gotta get back inside now."

Bennet reached for his father's hand and Nathan watched his son and grandson walk into the church. Bennet had gotten a little stir crazy inside so they'd stepped outside for a moment but now things were starting. Nathan was sure that someone was going to come and get him at any moment.

Jamie walked into the foyer of the church and saw all the bridesmaids standing around. Haley waved at him and moved over to Jamie. "It's about that time. You all set?"

"Yeah. I'm walking you down, Bennet's gonna sit with you, and then I'm gonna go stand with the guys."

Haley nodded, "Right."

When Jamie and Haley started to walk out Sawyer turned to Charlotte, "Want me to get your dad?"

"Yeah will you. I think he stepped outside."

Sawyer nodded and walked to the door. Once she opened it she saw her uncle standing on the stairs, "Hey Uncle Nathan, we're starting."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." He took a deep breath and walked in behind his niece.

Charlotte lit up when she saw her dad walk in, "Hey Dad."

"Hey Char." Nathan looked at his daughter in her dress with her hair up, she looked just like her mom, "You look beautiful."

Charlotte stuck out her hand and gave it a light squeeze, "You ready?"

To be honest, no. He wasn't ready at all. He never was going to be. Nathan watched as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle and he stuck his arm out, He had to get over it fast. He nodded and felt Charlotte lock her arm in his, "Alright, here we go."

Charlotte looked like the little girl who'd run down the stairs on Christmas morning with her glistening brown eyes and adorable grin. "Dad?"

Nathan turned before they started to walk and looked to his daughter.

"I love you."

Those words melted his heart and he kissed her forehead, "I love you too."

The father daughter duo made their way down the aisle and Nathan looked directly at Graham when they'd entered. Graham looked mesmerized and more in love than Nathan thought possible. Dressed in his USCG dress whites complete with his hat, Graham waited for Nathan and Charlotte to meet him at the end.

Once they were down the aisle Nathan swallowed the lump that was forming in his mouth.

The minister cleared his throat, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Nathan thought about if for a split second. Woman? Charlotte wasn't a woman, she was a girl. His girl, and he was trying to delay the inevitable, but he looked back at Haley and was met with kind eyes. Nathan turned to the minister, "Her mother and I do."

Charlotte turned to Nathan and smiled. He kissed her cheek before he gave Graham her hand. They both smiled at each other and then Nathan walked to his seat next to Haley.

As soon as he sat down he felt Haley's hand wrap around his. And for an instance all his worries went away. Everyone else disappeared and it was only him and Haley. She leaned on him and one look from her was all it took to ease his stress. He looked forward and saw Graham and Charlotte in front of them. They were happy. They were getting married. They were going to start a life for themselves. As much as it hurt and as much as it troubled him, Nathan would get over it. Charlotte found her guy and he knew that they'd be happy till the end of time.

**OTHOTH**

After the vows and the cheers, the reception started off and Nathan looked around the large tent. It reminded him of his second wedding with Haley but instead of the church gardens, this tent was in their backyard. Charlotte had always wanted it that way. Her parent's yard was plenty big enough and Nathan and Haley didn't mind.

Nathan was talking with Lucas, Peyton, Haley, Brooke, and Julian when the new Mr. and Mrs. McFarland entered the tent. Everyone applauded and Nathan had to take a deep breath. It was going to take a little while for it to sink in.

Charlotte and Graham made their way over to the dance floor and a soft tune echoed through the ivory colored tent. She rested her head on his shoulder and the two waltzed around while everyone looked on.

When the song ended the couple separated and a different song started to play. Haley nudged Nathan's side and looked up to him. "Your turn." Nathan looked down at her and she smiled, "Just like we practiced."

Nathan made his way to the dance floor and saw Charlotte waiting in the middle. She smiled when he stood in front of her, "So? You gonna dance with me or what?"

He laughed at her sarcasm and held out his hand, "If you'll have me."

Charlotte flashed him their trade mark smirk and placed her hand in his. From a distance Haley watched as her daughter and her husband moved across the dance floor and she wiped a tear from her eye. She knew Nathan was having a hard time, but seeing the two of them together was something else.

After a little bit of dancing Charlotte looked up to her dad, "You know you're not half bad."

He chuckled, "It's cause I practiced."

"You practiced?"

Nathan nodded, "With your mom in the kitchen for the last two weeks." He glanced over at Haley and smiled at her, "She's always been good at tutoring me at things."

Charlotte glanced at her mother then back to her father. She wondered if there was anything her mom hadn't taught him. And to answer her question, no. Haley had taught him about life and love, and she was always the one with the answers even when she didn't know it.

Graham was dancing with his mom and after a little bit Nathan realized Charlotte was supposed to dance with her father-in-law. He let Mr. McFarland cut in and watched Haley start to dance with Graham. Nathan walked over and stood next to Lucas.

Lucas glanced to Nathan, "Good job little brother, no broken toes."

Nathan rolled his eyes. Like he would break his daughter's toes. "Jeez, you didn't have any faith in me?"

Shrugging, "Nah, I was just messing with you."

Nathan looked out to the floor, "Well get ready for all this Luke. When Sawyer get's married you'll be doing the same thing."

Lucas nodded and before they knew it Haley was walking back over to them. She smiled when she walked up to Nathan, "You and Charlotte looked great out there."

Nathan felt proud. He had done a good job. Instead of thanking her he stuck out his arm, "Come on."

Haley widened her eyes, Nathan was never the one to willfully ask her to dance, but apparently he wanted to. Random guests and members of the bridal party were scattered around the floor and Nathan and Haley took a place close to the edge.

Haley looked up into Nathan's eyes, "Thank you."

Furrowing his brow, Nathan shrugged, "For what?"

"For all this. For everything. For asking me to marry you thirty some odd years ago. For our children. For this life."

Nathan didn't know how to respond so he just pulled her close. "Well thanks for tutoring me."

It was how it started how it still was. Haley had always been the tutor girl and Nathan had always been the jock. Time didn't change that, it couldn't. They would stay like that forever. Nathan and Haley had withstanded nearly everything, and she was going to be the reason Nathan would get through letting their little girl go. With Haley at his side, Nathan could get through anything.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay so Charlotte get's married. Sweet right? So I had intended to have more Sawyer in there a lot more but this chapter was getting really long, so I had to cut it. Thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter. I never would have thought I would get 33! Crazy awesome!**

**To those of you I can't respond to: ann, Hadley, naleyfan, , Alexis, Becky, Anon, Joan, Danielle, and SJ...thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it!**

**Others:**

**tp404: Disney World is coming soon. However the paparazzi will be included in a different chapter.**

**KC: I'm so glad you caught on to the Karen and Haley two cents thing. I squealed when I saw that you mentioned that.**

**JoJo88: I like the idea of having Naley worry about Charlotte so I'll be adding that to my list of chapter ideas.**

**Kutebloo: As for spoiled brat. I'm not opposed to doing one like that, it's just a matter of if I can make it long enough to really be a full length chapter. Maybe I can figure something out though.**

**Emma: There will be more college chapters soon.**

**MM: It's so nice to hear that reading a chapter makes your day, and there will be more college chapters to come!**

**Again guys thank you all for your kind words. So going by the "rule" you guys get a next day update when I hit a milestone and I think (pretty sure) I'll reach 900 reviews so expect an update tomorrow. Jealous Nathan anyone? Yep, I know a lot of you enjoy those. Guesses as to what might happen? I'm curious as to what you all think.**

**Oh and quick question. A handful of people want to see something set in season 5 while they are apart or Nathan apologizing or something in that nature after the Carria fiasco so what's your vote. Yay or Nay? Let me know what you think so I can veto it or start to plan it out.**

**Review Please!**


	44. Great Expectations

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 44: Great Expectations**

**Disclaimer: I bow down to Mark and co. I wish I had created the show!**

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews. I can't believe I've passed 900! Never in a million years would I have thought that back in November (when I started this), 4 months later I would have written 44 chapters and had such remarkable feedback! At this rate I'll be rewarding you all like every 3 chapters, haha. And speaking of "rewarding" you all, as promised, here's the new one. It ended up more angry/fighting Nathan than jealous Nathan, but I hope you all like it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley's eyes slowly opened and out of habit she reached toward Nathan's side of the bed. As her fingers ran over the cool crisp sheets she remembered that he wasn't home. He was in Charleston. For the last month Nathan had been playing for the Chiefs and she was trying to get used to it, but it was hard. She'd dealt with the same kind of thing when they were in college when Nathan had road games, and now she had to readjust to that old lifestyle. He was after a dream and if Nathan being gone helped him reach it Haley could find a way to cope. She had to.

Turning to look at the clock, Haley saw that the red numbers flashed 5:56am, and she knew that she needed to get up and hop in the shower. Jamie would be up in a little while and it was always best if she was dressed and ready before he got up.

She quickly shed the covers and after a seven minute shower she threw on her robe and started to dry her hair. Once her brown locks were free from any dampness, Haley walked over to the closet to pick out which blouse to wear with her black high waisted skirt. As she struggled with her choices she heard her phone ring.

When she picked it up she smiled at the name that flashed on the screen. Of course it was him. No one else would be calling that early in the morning.

Haley put the phone to her ear, "Hey."

"What are you wearing?"

A blush crept across her face and she shook her head, "Ugh, Nathan you've got to stop that. Jamie could walk in here any minute."

Nathan laughed, "I know. Sorry. It's just funny to hear you get all flustered."

Peeling her eyes she shook her head. He really did know how to get her frazzled, "What are you doing up so early?"

"We've got an early morning practice..."

As soon as he said it, everything clicked, "So that's why you get to come home tonight?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, I'll be home for a couple days."

Haley smiled and bit her lip, "I went ahead and got Jamie situated for tonight. He's spending the night at Andre's."

She couldn't see it, but Nathan was smirking. He loved his wife. "I'm looking forward to that."

That blush Haley had gotten rid of just a few minute ago returned. "Yeah, me too." She maneuvered the phone between her shoulder and ear and held out two blouses. "Blue or green?"

Nathan furrowed his brow, "What? What are you talking about?"

"My shirt. I don't know which one to wear. Blue or green?"

He didn't even hesitate, "Green."

Haley looked at the blouse in her right hand, "Alright then. Green it is." She smiled then heard little feet walk down the hallway.

Jamie stood at the doorway to his parents room with his dirty blonde hair sticking up in all directions. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and climbed onto his parents bed. "Why are you talking on the phone so early?"

Haley let out a laugh and walked to her son, "Because I was talking to your father."

"Dad?" Jamie perked up and held his hand out.

She handed him the phone and walked into the bathroom to finish getting dressed. She cracked the door so she could hear Jamie.

The little boy blinked widely and spoke up, "Dad?"

"Hey Jame,"

Jamie leaned back into the pillows, "Whatcha doing?"

Nathan looked out the car window, "On my way to practice."

"But it's so early." Jamie raised his brow and frowned.

"Yeah I know." Nathan laughed then continued, "But I'll be home tonight."

Jamie nodded, "Mama told me. I'm going to Andre's tonight, but she said we would have all day tomorrow together."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Nathan loved the idea of spending a day with his son. Somehow he had the weekend off and wanted nothing more than to take Jamie to the river court and shoot around.

Haley walked out of the bathroom dressed and looked over to Jamie, "Alright bud, say bye to your dad. You gotta go get dressed then eat breakfast."

Jamie looked up to his mom with a puppy dog face, "But Mama..."

Nathan had heard Haley and spoke into the phone, "Listen to your mom bud. I'll see you later."

Sighing heavily Jamie replied, "Okay. Bye Dad."

"Bye Jamie."

Jamie handed his mom the phone. Haley smiled and then kicked her head toward the door, "Go on to your room and start getting dressed. I'll be in there one in minute." The boy scooted off the bed and walked towards him room. Haley put the phone up to her ear, "Hey, so..."

"One minute? You know I last longer than that Hales."

He did it again. He managed to turn her face beet red. She could feel the heat radiating from her ckeeks, "Nathan!" He didn't reply and all she heard was laughter.

"Sorry Hales, I couldn't hold back. I had to say it." He laughed some more before composing himself. "Hey, I love you."

"Yeah, yeah." Haley rolled her eyes but knew that the second half of his statement was sincere. She decided to do the same, "I love you too."

"I'll see you tonight."

Haley smiled just thinking about it. "I'll see you tonight."

They said their goodbyes and Haley quickly made up the bed. She found herself smiling while doing it. Nathan would be home that night, and they probably would be something entirely different than sleeping in the bed.

**OTHOTH**

After Haley dropped Jamie off she pulled into the parking lot of the school she not only attended but now taught at. When she made her way towards the school she couldn't help but pass the blue rock that had Q's number spray painted on it. He'd been gone a little while now and it was still hard to fathom.

Once she'd gotten to her classroom she went ahead and started to write the notes on the board. Classes didn't start for another twenty minutes but she wanted to keep busy. Just as she finished the last line she heard a knock on the door.

She turned to see a guy leaning in the doorway. He had dark hair, was probably somewhere in his thirties, wore black horn-rimmed glasses, and looked pretty good in his charcoal suit. Haley smiled at him and waved him in, "Come on in Adam."

The man walked over to her, "So I was thinking..."

Haley turned to him and raised her brow.

"I know you run the school newspaper and I was wondering if I could attend the class today. What is it fifth period?"

Haley didn't know why he was asking permission. He had authority over her, he was the principal, or interim principal. Six weeks ago Principal Turner retired and the school board had appointed Adam Bishop as an interim until they found a replacement.

When she didn't answer he shrugged, "It's just that I was on my college newspaper staff and I'd love to sit in on your class and get my hands dirty again."

"Oh yeah sure. Absolutely." Haley dusted her chalky hands off and nodded, "You're more than welcome to."

"Great thanks." Adam smiled, "I've got some ideas for layout and other things, you think you want to discuss it at lunch? That way we can be on the same page before the class."

Haley didn't see why not, "Sure, sounds great. I usually eat outside at those picnic tables so I'll be there."

"Alright, I'll see you then." Adam walked out of the classroom just as Sam walked in.

The snarky young teen arched her brow, "Mrs. Scott and Principal Bishop. Didn't see that coming."

Haley frowned and rested her hand on her hips and her voice was full of warning. "Sam."

"What? I'm just sayin'." She tossed her hands up, "Don't blame me when rumors start to swirl."

A look of disgust washed over Haley's face. Firstly, Adam was married. Second, they were only colleagues, and third, he wasn't Nathan.

Sam shrugged, "I mean I wouldn't blame you. He's hot, and your husbands not here."

"Okay, stop now, or I'll give you a detention." Haley didn't want to hear anymore of Sam's ideas as to why it would be okay to hook up with Adam. None of them would ever be okay. She wasn't even attracted to the guy. Sure he was cute, but she was happily married to a man she loved. It never even crossed her mind.

Sam sat down at her desk, "What was he doing in her anyways?"

Haley squinted her eyes, "Well Miss Mind Your Own Business, he wanted to know if he could help out with the newspaper."

"Oh." Sam realized that she'd been way off base with any of her previous statements. If she'd learned anything from living with Brooke it was that Nathan and Haley James Scott were the epitome of a stable relationships. Yes, she'd heard that they'd had their problems, but didn't all the best ones get through them? As she watched Haley go back to the board she shook her at herself. Principle Bishop up against Nathan Scott. He never had a chance.

**OTHOTH**

It was 10:30am and Nathan was driving home. He was an hour outside of Tree Hill and figured he would be able to surprise Haley at school for lunch. They used to do that a lot together. He'd be working with the team and Lucas, and they'd get to eat together. He missed that. Luckily, Bobby had cut practice short and he was getting to come home earlier than they all thought. Much earlier.

As he drove past the state line he wondered if he should pick them something up or what Haley might have packed herself. He knew that she loved the simple sandwiches she often made herself, but he also knew she would probably love fish tacos from Tower Seven.

An hour later, Nathan had made up his mind. When he got back to Tree Hill there was one place he had to stop by before going to the school.

Just as Haley had done earlier he pulled into the parking lot of the school he used to attend and walked past the painted blue rock. And just like Haley, it saddened him to think of Quentin, of what he could have done with his life, how he would have thanked him for spurring his comeback.

Nathan checked his watch and knew that it was Haley's lunch hour, and since it was a relatively pretty day, she'd be outside at the table they used to eat at.

When he saw her sitting on the bench, she was turned around. Her dark hair was down, he could see her green blouse, the one he'd picked out which looked great with her skirt, and he found himself smiling. That smile, however, turned into a frowny faced stare when he realized she wasn't alone.

He swallowed hard and slowly walked toward his wife. He could tell the guy was older than them. He had glasses, dark hair like himself, he was in good shape but Nathan had no idea who he was. To say it irked him a little would be an understatement. Once he got close enough to Haley he cleared his throat.

"Hales?"

Haley didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The goosebumps on her arms told her exactly who it was, and she'd recognize that voice anywhere. Spinning around her big brown eyes widened when his baby blues met her's. "Nathan?"

He raised the carry out bag from Tower Seven and shrugged, "Hey."

She got up and hugged him, "What are you doing here?"

"Practice ended early so I got to come home."

Haley ran her hand across his cheek, "I missed you."

Closing his eyes at the feel of her touch he nodded, "I missed you too."

She sighed and leaned into his embrace. When she backed away she noticed the bag, "You brought lunch?"

"Fish tacos."

Haley smiled and grabbed him by the hand, "Come on lets sit down." She'd forgotten all about Adam and turned to him embarrassed, "I'm so sorry Adam, this is my husband Nathan." Haley turned to Nathan, "Nathan, this is the principal, Adam Bishop."

Adam cleared his throat, "Interim principal. Just till they find someone permanently." He and Nathan shook hands.

Nathan noticed the newspapers scattered across the table, "You two getting some reading in?"

Haley laughed, "No, we were talking about the school newspaper. Adam's going to be sitting in some of my newspaper classes."

Adam nodded, "Yeah I used to do some of it in college and wanted to see what Haley was up to. I've heard nothing but good things and was curious to see if she needed any extra help or opinions."

"Gotcha." Nathan slowly nodded his head.

Haley patted Nathan's arm, "Nathan's never liked the newspaper. He doesn't like the black stuff getting on his hands."

Nathan got a little defensive. He didn't want this guy to think he was some brainless jock, "That's not true. I read the newspaper."

She smiled, "Right, the sports section." Haley wasn't trying to make Nathan sound dumb, or throw him under the bus, it just came out that way.

Laughing, Adam nodded, "I'd imagine, someone like you probably has more important things to do than read."

It may have not been an insult, but Nathan took it that way. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh, just that a sports star like yourself probably has training and more important workouts to do rather than to check the want ads." Adam laughed a little.

Haley could tell that Nathan was too keen on her colleague so she gently placed her hand on his leg under the table and looked to Nathan worriedly. She tried to change the subject, "Jamie's going to be so happy that you'll be home when he's done with school."

The mention of their son calmed Nathan a little bit, "I hope so. I'll be happy to see him too."

Nathan pulled out two tacos from the bag and handed one to Haley, "I thought you might like something other than a turkey sandwich."

"Thank you." She took the taco and unwrapped it. Haley glanced down at all the newspaper in front of her, "Hey, you don't mind if Adam and I go over some things while we eat do you?"

Nathan took a bite of his food and shook his head. He actually wanted to ask Adam a few questions first. He needed to know a little more about the guy who was eating lunch with his wife. Nathan wiped his mouth, "Where'd you go to school Adam?"

"Penn."

Haley didn't even know that. "Really?"

Adam nodded, "Then I came back here to do a little teaching at UNCW, and now I'm here."

Nathan didn't like that this guy was so smart, "Sports fan?"

"No, not really. I like to read rather than watch sports."

Haley raised her brow, "Who's your favorite?"

The older man swayed, "Uh, I'd have to go with Shakespeare."

Haley almost squealed, "I love Shakespeare. I quoted him in my valedictory speech. There is a tide in.."

Adam knew exactly which quote she was talking about, "The affairs of men. Yeah I love that. Julius Caesar is one of my favorites." Adam turned to Nathan, "You a Shakespeare guy too Nathan?"

Nathan shook his head. Haley looked to her husband and laughed, "I think I'm a big enough dork for the both of us."

"It's the 'in' thing to be a dork these days. Knowledge is power." Adam raised his brow and smiled, "Gotta be proud of that."

Who was this guy kidding. Nathan looked at him and wanted to smack that dumb smile off Adam's face. It wasn't 'in' to be a dork. Maybe being intelligent was something to be proud of but that didn't make up for the rest of things in life to be proud of. Sure Nathan was proud when he played ball, but every time he heard Haley sing, or watch Jamie ride his bike, that was pride. That was love. Nothing was more powerful than that.

Nathan cleared his throat, "So how much longer do you think you'll be the principal here?" His question came out harsh and Haley cut her eyes at Nathan. He was her 'boss', she didn't want to get fired over some lunch chatter with her husband.

"Hopefully for a while. I'd love to stay permanently. Partner up with Haley on the newspaper staff."

Nathan cringed when Adam said 'partner up'.

"I've been here around six weeks so who knows how long it will be." Adam shrugged and took a bite of his food.

Nathan glared at Haley. The guy had been working at the school for six weeks and she didn't feel the need to tell him. They were on a first name basis, were having lunch together. and she didn't tell him anything? Nathan was livid. The guy was an older version, male version, of his wife, and he hated the fact that she'd kept him a secret.

Nathan suddenly got up from the table and looked to Haley, "I gotta go. I just remembered I had to get something at home. I'll see you later."

Haley was caught off guard by his sudden need to leave, "Oh, okay. I'll see you at home." She started to get up to at least walk over to the car with him but he darted off.

Adam raised his brow, "He must have had something important to do."

She sunk down on the bench and glanced over her shoulder, "Guess so."

Haley didn't know why Nathan had abruptly left, but she was really disappointed that she didn't even get so much as a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan drove home he was still fuming about this Adam guy. Haley hadn't made any overtly apparent gesture to suggest that she was even attracted to the guy but Nathan didn't understand why she'd never mentioned him before. He probably wouldn't have been so peeved if he was at home all the time, but he wasn't. He was a three and a half hour drive away most of the time.

He'd gotten home and was met by his mom. Nathan told her that she could do whatever she needed to do the rest of the day, that he was going to pick Jamie up from school.

Nathan had the house to himself for a couple hours and during the time he waited to get Jamie he had received two texts from Haley. He hadn't responded because he couldn't. He didn't know what to say, and didn't want to be mean about anything. It would be better if he just waited till she got home.

Time had passed and Nathan found himself waiting in the carpool line. He couldn't wait to see Jamie's face.

A sea of children poured out of the school and he ran his eyes over the little beings looking for Jamie. It didn't take long because Nathan saw Jamie almost instantly. He could recognize that boy anywhere.

Jamie had been looking for his grandmother's car but when he saw his father's Range Rover he started to run straight for it. He opened the door and smiled when he saw his dad. "Dad! You're home!"

Nathan turned to the backseat and nodded, "I'm home."

The little boy threw his backpack on the seat and started to buckled up, "Did practice get canceled?"

"No, it was an early morning one, and we ended early."

"Sweet."

Nathan nodded, "I know. So what do you want to do? River court? Home? You name it."

Jamie thought about it for a second but knew where he wanted to go. "The river court."

Nathan nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. At least playing with his son would keep his mind busy instead of fretting over Adam whatever his last name was.

For almost two hours Nathan and Jamie played horse and around the world. They shot around and Nathan was impressed at how well his son shot. Jamie was a real natural.

Once they were done, Jamie was pooped. Nathan didn't want to tire him out too much since he was going over to Andre's that night so they headed home.

Nathan made sure to get Jamie into the shower so he could wash up before going to his friends house and Nathan waited for him downstairs. Jamie had successfully showered and put on clean clothes then he made his way downstairs.

"How about it bud? NBA Live till Mom get's home?" Nathan smirked at his son and raised his brow.

Jamie ran over to the couch and sat next to Nathan, "You're going down!"

"We'll see about that."

So began an epic battle. Father vs. son. Jamie was wise beyond his years when it came to NBA Live. He'd been playing since the tender age of four. His Uncle Lucas and Skills would always battle it out with the little guy and Junk, Fergie, and Mouth.

Jamie heard the door open and jumped off the couch, "Mama's home."

Haley walked into the kitchen and put her things down, "Hey baby, how was school?"

"Good. I got all my spelling words right."

Haley smiled, "That's so good Jame, you're so smart."

Nathan took a deep breath and got up. Smart. A word that made him think about his not so fun lunch. He looked at Jamie and smiled though, his son was a mini genius. Jamie was just like Haley in so many ways. He may have looked more like Nathan, but Jamie got all his good traits from Haley.

Moving away from the sofa he walked toward his son and wife, and mumbled a few words, "I'm gonna get in the shower."

Haley turned to say something but Nathan had already headed for the stairs. She felt Jamie tug on her arm so she looked down.

"Wanna play NBA Live?" Jamie flashed his baby blues and she was a goner.

Haley laughed and nodded, "There's nothing I'd rather do."

Jamie ran back over to the game and Haley was right behind him. She knew that Nathan had an awkward encounter with Adam but there was _nothing_ going on. He shouldn't be jealous or mad about anything. Sighing she hoped he wasn't too upset. She just wanted to have a nice night with her husband while he was in town.

**OTHOTH**

After Andre's Mom came to pick Jamie up Haley went upstairs and as she walked into the bedroom Nathan walked out of the bathroom. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and Haley couldn't help but stare. Her husband was drop dead sexy and he was all hers.

Haley walked up to him and put her hand on his sides. "Hey."

Nathan brushed past her and went towards his closet.

Furrowing her brow, Haley shook her head, "Nathan? What's wrong?"

He threw a shirt over his head and then pulled out a pair of sweatpants, "Nothing."

"Nathan." Her tone was warning because she knew that something was off.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it right now."

He walked out of the room and Haley sat on the bed. Nathan was never one to get really upset with her. They had their moments, but he was being really standoff-ish. The night she had wanted and expected was looking more and more unlikely, but Haley was bound and determined to make things right. She got up off the bed and went for Nathan's closet. Haley knew that he loved it when she wore his old t-shirts, so she picked one out and changed into something more comfortable.

When she walked downstairs Nathan was sitting on the couch. He heard her walk into the living room and looked up. She was wearing an old Maryland tee and he loved the way it hung on her. Nathan watched speechless as Haley made her way over to him and sat down.

Just as she always did, she ran her palm over his cheek and gave him a half smile, "Talk to me."

He let out a heavy breath, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She wasn't keeping anything from him. They didn't have secrets.

"That principal." He shook his head and looked hard into her eyes.

"Honey, we were just having lunch. He asked me if he could work on the newspaper. What was I supposed to say, no? He's my superior."

Nathan took a deep breath, "That's not it. Why didn't you say anything about him before. You've been working with him for what, six weeks?"

Haley shrugged, "I didn't think it would matter."

"Lunch? A first name basis?"

"This was the first time it happened. I couldn't say no. It was harmless, and he told all of the teachers to call him Adam at the first staff meeting." Haley sat up and shook her head, "You cannot possibly think that there was anything going on."

"No. But I wish you'd at least told me about him. Do you know how I felt when I walked up to that school and you were there with him, at the table we used to sit with? I'd just gotten back from driving three and a ha..."

Haley cut him off as she kissed him, but it didn't phase him as he continued when they broke apart.

"...three and a half hours to come home and see my family. Then I get to the school and see you sitting across from some guy and my heart stopped. This distance things is..."

Again Haley silenced him when her mouth met his. She laughed when they parted, "Working? This distance thing is working." She pulled him close and kissed him once more.

He shook away her kiss and looked at her with softened eyes, "Is it?"

Haley nodded, "It's fine. We're fine."

"But what about this. I'm freaking out over principals?"

Smirking Haley shrugged, "It's okay You're sexy when you get all jealous."

"I'm being serious Hales."

"I know, I am too. Look..." Haley shifted her weight and put her hands on Nathan's chest, "It's going to be hard, and it won't be easy, but everything will be okay. I love you and nothing's going to change that. No new principle or any distance. It's you and me Nathan. It always will be."

As the words resonated in his head he looked up and smiled, "Always and forever."

Haley nodded and leaned close to his ear, "Now that that's settled." She kissed his cheek and returned to his ear, "Our son's not home, you've been gone too long, and I'd like to go upstairs." Haley crawled off the sofa and raised her eyebrows.

Nathan watched Haley strut over to the hallway and he laughed. He really didn't have anything to be worried about. That principle had nothing on him, the time away seemed to have a certain effect on Haley that he didn't mind at all, and he knew that it was going to be fine. Nothing would ever come between them. He got up and followed Haley's lead.

Her night was going to end exactly as she'd expected. She'd end up curled next to the the man she loved and that's all she wanted. Maybe not all she wanted but close enough.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. I know it was kind of angry/jealous/upset Nathan rolled into one, and I hope you liked it. I really appreciate all the reviews for the last chapter. It's always great to get such good responses! To those of you I can't respond back to, know that I love you all giving me feedback!**

**Shout outs to: Hadley, jojo88, Emma, ann, Joan, , Alexis, mazzy, and Shana.**

**Certain things I wanted to comment further on:**

**NAUGirl2012: I'm a hopless romantic too, lol. I'm all about that kind of thing.**

**Kutebloo: There is defintiely something sexy about a guy in uniform, so I couldn't resist having Graham in one.**

**Dankika: I'm really glad you liked them "re-enacting" that night from 33 years ago. That was one of my favorite parts to write.**

**Naley23: College Naley is coming up soon!**

**And about that season 5 chapter.... Let me just state that Carrie would not be in the actual chapter at all. I hated her. I think a lot of us did! If I did do the chapter it would probably be set right after 5.12 ended. Looking at how they dealt with Jamie coming home. Nathan's first night back. Naley angst and then of course some kind of reconciliation, but not too much like 5.13. I wouldn't want to be too repetitive. But we did miss out on a lot them them talking things out, besides the lame therapy session. So that's basically what it would be centered on. Naley angst. If you didn't vote or thought it was going to actually have Carrie in it, then vote again (you can say no if you still hate the idea). The offer is still on the table!**

**Review Please**


	45. The Wonderful World of Disney

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 45: The Wonderful World of Disney**

**Disclaimer: Mark owns the OTH characters and Walt owns his.**

**A/N: Good googly-moogly! Over ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS! Just wow. Thanks to a new reader who reviewed every single chapter yesterday we inched closer to that milestone and then passed it! Yay! So as promised here's the new chapter. A few of y'all have asked for this so I hope it's how you imagined it! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan didn't get nervous about a lot of things, but after the flight from Tree Hill to Orlando landed he felt his stomach start to churn. That was a few hours ago and now he walking up to the gates of The Magic Kingdom. He'd never been a fan of roller coasters or thrill rides, in fact, the last time he went to Disney World he'd only ridden on the shuttles from parking lot to parking lot. But that was a long time ago. Now he was with his kids. Jamie was twelve and Charlotte was five. He was doing it for them. He was doing it for Haley.

They would be spending a week with Mickey and friends, and Nathan took a deep breath when they walked into the park. It was the first of many they'd be going to and Nathan was taking it step by step.

Jamie turned to his parents wide eyed, "Let's do something fun first!"

Haley laughed, "I don't think there's going to be anything not fun Jamie." She pulled out her park map and looked it over. Haley was always one to be prepared. "Why don't we start with Fantasyland? Dumbo's that way."

"Dumbo!" Charlotte smiled and grabbed onto Nathan's hand, "Will you ride with me Daddy?"

Nathan looked down at his doe-eyed daughter, "Of course."

The family of four made their way to the elephant ride and after waiting in line they all boarded. Jamie and Haley rode singles, and Nathan and Charlotte were in one in between them. Since Nathan was so tall he had a hard time fitting in the little ride and his knees filled up the small space.

They slowly started to move and pretty soon the arms of the ride were fully extended in the air. Charlotte had a tight grip on Nathan's leg and every now and then a 'woo' or 'wee' would tumble out of her mouth.

Nathan bent down and spoke into Charlotte's ear, "We're flying Char."

The little girl extended her hands like she was gliding in the air.

As he watched her giggle with excitement he realized that the rides weren't so bad. Nathan still had his hesitations about the roller coasters and more intense thrill rides but those would come later.

The elephants came to a stop and Jamie jumped out of his, "Teacups next!" He started to get a head of his family but Haley called out to him.

"Jamie hold on, don't leave without us." That was the last thing she wanted to think about. Disney World was a huge place and she'd seen enough Lifetime movies and even experienced it herself to know that a lost or missing child would suck out all the fun of such a wonderful place.

Nathan, Charlotte, and Haley walked up to Jamie. The father looked at his son and shook his head, "You gotta stay with us Jame. Don't go running off. We're going to get to everything eventually. I want you to stay close by." Jamie nodded then Nathan looked down to Charlotte, "You too."

Charlotte glanced up at her father and squeezed his hand tight. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Alright." Haley glanced up from her map and pointed, "That way to the Teacups."

After a short walk a long wait, they all got into one teacup and Jamie raised his brow.

"Dad, the faster we pull on this..." He pointed at the structure in the middle of the cup, "the faster we spin."

"Not too fast." Charlotte slumped against her mom and Haley nodded.

"Yeah, not too fast guys."

Jamie heard the humming noise that meant the ride had begun and felt the teacup start to move. He grabbed on to the wheel and started pulling. Nathan followed Jamie's lead and pretty soon they started to spin around at an alarming rate. Much to Haley's surprise Charlotte wasn't scared but instead laughing hysterically. Jamie started to crack up at his little sister and his parents couldn't help but laugh too. It was an impossibility for them not to.

Once their ride was over Charlotte stood up, "Again!"

Haley laughed, "Baby, other people are in line. We have to wait again, but why don't we go do some other stuff and we'll come back to this later?"

The little girl nodded and Nathan spoke up, "Yeah Charlotte your mom's right. Let's do other things and then come back to it. I know Mom really wants to go to the Hall of Presidents next." His tone was sarcastic and teasing.

Haley peeled her eyes, "Hey! It's not my fault that I like learning activities, but it's inside so we can cool off."

"So is the Haunted Mansion. Can we do that instead?" Jamie looked at his mom with puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, yes. We'll skip the history lesson for now, but I do want to come back to it!" Haley coughed out. She watched as Nathan shrugged his shoulder and started to walk toward the haunted house with their kids.

Haley sighed, "Ugh, wait for me."

The Haunted Mansion wasn't as scary to Jamie as it was to Charlotte but she was sandwiched in between her dad and big brother for protection. They weren't going to let any animatronics get her. When they left the spooky place Jamie saw a white dome looking think in the distance.

"Mom let's do that!" He pointed toward the structure and raised his eye brows.

Haley smiled, "Space Mountain? Well Charlotte's not tall enough but one of us can do it with you."

Nathan quickly cleared his throat, "You do it Hales. I'll do something else with Charlotte and you two can go ride that." His attempt at trying to get out of riding any roller coasters was successful when he saw Haley nod.

"Sound good Jamie?"

The boy nodded and tugged on his Mom's arm, "Come on, let's go."

Haley turned to Nathan, "It will probably be a really long wait. It's one of the most popular rides. I'll have my phone if you need me though."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah me too." As Haley and Jamie turned to walk away he spoke up, "Have fun." They both turned to wave and Nathan looked down to Charlotte, "What do you want to do?"

The little girl shrugged. Charlotte didn't care. She didn't know was available. Wherever her family lead her she followed.

While Jamie and Haley were waiting in line for Space Mountain Jamie looked up to Haley, "Mom, why does Dad not like roller coasters?"

"I don't know bud. Maybe he had a bad experience when he was little?" Haley saw the disappointed look on her son's face, "But hey, I promise he'll get on one today."

"Really."

"Yeah. I think he'll give in."

They moved up a little in line and she knew that she needed to figure out a way to get Nathan on a roller coaster. She wasn't coming up with anything but hoped that something would soon.

Back outside Nathan and Charlotte were walking to a sitting area. He'd just bought a turkey leg and got Charlotte a frozen lemonade. When they sat down he held the leg up to her face.

"It's the same size as your face Charlotte!" Nathan laughed and arched his brow, "You want to try it?"

The little girl nodded and took a bite of the leg. She had a grease smear on her mouth and she furrowed her brow while she chewed.

"You like it?" Nathan was curious. He handed her a napkin and she wiped her face off.

"Uh huh, but my lemonade is better." She scooped up a spoonful of the frozen treat and smiled.

"Really?"

Charlotte nodded and handed her dad the spoon, "Here."

Nathan tried some and nodded, "Yeah that's pretty good."

It only took ten minutes for her frozen lemonade become regular lemonade and when it melted she didn't want it anymore. Kind of waste of seven dollars but that was okay. They rode on the people mover through Tomorrowland and then Nathan got a text from Haley that said they were through.

The family met back up and Jamie looked at his dad, "Mom was screaming the whole time. You should have seen her. It was hysterical."

"I was not." Haley looked a little embarrassed since it was true.

Nathan heard Jaime say that Haley had been screaming and looked worried, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Haley loved that he was so concerned about her. She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. When they parted she grimaced, "Gross what did you eat?"

Wiping his mouth, Nathan laughed, "Sorry. I got a turkey leg and had a bite of Charlotte's frozen lemonade."

Haley stuck out her tongue, "Ew, that was nasty. Salty and sweet, but not in a good way. Definitely not like peanut M and M's."

Nathan grimaced this time, "Sorry." He laughed and really did feel bad.

Jamie looked up to his parents, "What's next?"

Taking out her map Haley looked at the section called Frontierland, "How about Splash Mountain?"

"Is that a roller coaster?" Nathan curiously eyes his wife.

She shook her her head, "No it's a water ride."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's do that!" Jamie started to walk away.

"Jamie!" Both his parents warned. They really didn't want him walking anywhere by himself.

He looked back to his parents, "Sorry. I forgot."

They all headed over to Splash Mountain together and when they got in line they decided that Jamie would be in the front, Haley next, then Charlotte, with Nathan in the back.

When they got into their log Nathan was nervous Charlotte might fall right out because there weren't buckles or any straps. He figured that he could wrap his hands around her stomach just to be safe.

During the ride everything was going well. Just a few splashes here and there but when it came time to go down the big hill someone was going to get wet.

As the crest the top Jamie yelled. "Whoa, this is steep!"

Nathan's stomach flipped, his hands were tight around his daughter's waist and he prayed he didn't get soaked. Haley held her arms up like a true thrill seeker while Charlotte screamed as they plummeted down to the bottom. Jamie ducked right before they hit the bottom and unfortunately for Haley all the water that was supposed to hit him went all over her. And it wasn't just a little mist. It was a full on soaking wet, dripping wet, tsunami of water.

She blinked a few times before realizing what happened. Jamie turned his head and his jaw hung open, "Mom you're soaked!"

Nathan couldn't tell because he was behind her but even the back of her shirt was wet. He could see the outline of her black bra through her now see-through yellow top.

Haley swallowed and laughed, "I'm so glad you ducked Jame. I Really appreciate it."

Jamie couldn't hide the smirk he inherited from his father, "Sorry."

"I bet you are." Haley shook her head in disbelief. She had no idea how she was the only one who managed to get drenched.

They all got out of the boat and Nathan finally got a good look at his wife. Her khaki shorts had turned into a dark shade of brown and he wasn't really liking how her shirt turned see-through. At all.

"Hales, you wanna get a new shirt?"

She looked down unaware of the situation and quickly folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah. Lets' do that."

There was something very funny though. You couldn't tell who was more upset about her soaking wet, Nathan or Haley? Haley wasn't exactly comfortable all wet, but Nathan was really concerned about peeping Toms. There were just some things he didn't want Haley to show off. Even though it was only her bra, that was enough. He walked into the nearest souvenir shop and grabbed the first shirt he saw.

The beating sun had dried some of Haley's dampness away but it wasn't helping in the cover up department. When Nathan walked over to her with her new shirt she threw the purple mass over her head and smiled.

"Thank you."

He nodded welcoming her, but it really was more for him. He didn't want to catch any wandering eyes staring at his wife's chest.

While the family was in Frontierland Jamie pointed to the last of the mountain rides. "Big Thunder Mountain. Dad will you do it?"

Haley cut in, "He'd love to."

Nathan walked over to her and cut his eyes, "Hales, if that's a roller coaster..."

"Honey relax. It's going to be fun. You'll forget about everything when your riding. All you'll hear will be the kids laugh. It's a good feeling. Please do it, for them, for me." Somehow her eyes softened and when she looked at him she knew he couldn't say no.

He sighed, "Alright, alright, let's go."

Charlotte looked at her brother, "Jamie, will you ride with me?"

Taking her hand in his Jamie nodded, "Yeah."

Haley looked up to Nathan and smiled, "So I guess it's you and me?"

He wrapped his arm around her nodded. Nathan had never been on a roller coaster. He'd always been afraid when he was little and never rode one since. "You'll be my first."

As they walked to the entrance Haley couldn't help but smile. There was a hit of irony in his statement, but this time the roles were reversed.

While they waited in line she could tell Nathan was getting nervous. She leaned on the railing and looked at him worriedly, "Nathan?" Haley would happily let him get out of line if he wanted to.

He sensed the concern in his voice and shook his head, "No, it's okay. It's okay." Nathan didn't want her to worry about it. He watched as the train sped past them on the tracks and gulped. He could do this.

Once it was time to board the kids got in the car in front of them and Nathan and Haley got in the one behind them. The safety bar came down and Haley looked to him.

"You ready."

He felt his heart beating out of his chest but nodded, "Yeah."

She leaned over, "Just keep your eyes on the kids. Listen to them. I promise it's great."

Nathan nodded and felt the train start to move. He shut his eyes for a moment to clear his head and was ready for what ever Big Thunder Mountain threw his way.

As they picked up speed he instantly heard the familiar voice of Jamie and Charlotte. Jamie was woo-hooing and Charlotte was giggling. Nathan wasn't entirely comfortable with it all but they sure did help. Not only was it the kids, but Haley was clutching his right arm the entire time. He had his hand on the inside of her left knee, holding it close to him as they dipped and turned and sped through the track.

He couldn't deny the fact that it was fun. It was a blast actually.

As the ride came to a screeching halt he turned and smiled at Haley, "That was kind of awesome."

She laughed, "I told you."

They exited the ride and headed toward their next attraction. Jamie looked at his dad and smiled, "So did you like it?"

Nathan nodded, "I guess now you'll have to decided who you want to ride with on the big ones. Me or your mom."

"Hey, that's not fair." Haley scrunched her forehead, put her hand on Jamie's shoulder, then smirked, "He'll always pick me." She laughed and started walking toward Pirates of the Caribbean.

Nathan frowned but looked to his five year old daughter, "You'll pick me won't you Char?"

Leaning into her dad she nodded, "Uh-huh."

He sighed heavily and put his hand on the side of her head, "Well it's a good thing I got you."

Nathan and Charlotte made their way over to Haley and Jamie, and waited in line to get a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow. The ride was indoors and dark, and by that time they'd been at the park all day. Once the ride ended it was time to head back to the resort and get ready for day two.

Charlotte was riding on Nathan's shoulders as they walked to the shuttle station, and Haley kept looking over her shoulder.

Nathan arched his brow, "What are you looking at?"

Haley put her finger up to her mouth and pointed at Charlotte, "Look, she's about to fall asleep. Her eyes keep bobbing open then close."

Nathan looked up but realized there was no way he could see Charlotte while she was on his shoulders. "She's had a full day, I don't blame her for falling asleep."

"I know, but I don't want her to fall asleep and then off your shoulders." Haley frowned thinking about it.

"I'm not gonna let that happen Hales." Nathan ran his arms behind Charlotte's back holding her steady, "I'll get her down before we get on the shuttle."

A few minutes passed and then they were on the shuttle headed for The Animal Kingdom Villa: Jambo House. Nathan had kept his word, and when they boarded he put Charlotte in the seat next to Haley and sat across from his wife and children. Both of them were leaning against her with their eyes shut.

Nathan hadn't expected for Jamie to be so worn out but to be honest, he was too. Today had been a good day. As he looked at his family he smiled, and when his eyes met Haley's he knew tomorrow would be just as good.

**OTHOTH**

The second day went by fast. They'd gone to The Animal Kingdom and felt like they'd entered an African Savannah. Or so it seemed. The Dinosaur themed rides and the jungle safari's were some of the best but Jamie and Haley had gone on their favorite ride yet. They'd ridden Expedition Everest together and had a ball. Charlotte liked it as a whole but had gotten a little scared when they rode DINOSAUR because at the end a horrifying T-Rex looked like it was going to gobble them up in one big bite. But the night was going to be better for her. Jamie wasn't so thrilled with it because they would be character dining with all the Disney princesses, but he figured away to make it worth while.

"Hey Dad?"

Nathan was sitting on the couch waiting to shower after Haley and turned to his son, "Yeah?"

Jamie sat up a little straight and narrowed his eyes, "Since tonight we're doing girly stuff...when we're done can you and I go ride Expedition Everest?"

"Jame, I don't think The Animal Kingdom will be open that late."

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, cause look." He walked over to his dad and handed him a brochure, "It has magical hours tonight. So it stays open late. We can go then. Mom loved it and I wanna ride with you now."

Nathan thought it over. Jamie had a valid point, but he wasn't so sure about this Expedition Everest thing. He's just gotten over his fear of roller coasters and from what he'd heard, that one was the most thrilling and scary of them all. He'd sat out earlier in the day since Charlotte was too small for that one. "I'll think about it. I need to talk to your mom."

"Please!" Jamie gave his father the puppy dog look but unlike Haley, it didn't have the same effect.

"Maybe, we'll see." Nathan got up from the couch and walked back to the master bedroom of the villa. He saw Haley combing her wet hair. "So Jamie had a great idea."

"He did?" Haley turned to him and saw that he was holding a brochure.

"Yeah, he said that since tonight was girly, he wanted to go ride Expedition Everest with me after dinner."

Haley shook her head, "But won't it be closed?"

Nathan handed her the brochure, "They've got these magical hours where certain parks stay open late so he's got a point."

Haley knew that this Everest coaster was intense, "And you want to go?"

"I think he wants me to. It can't be that bad. I got through Big Thunder Mountain today, Everest is just a step up right?"

Haley widened her eyes. Sure it was. But not just one step up. It was one of the biggest and baddest coasters they had. She half smiled, "Yeah, I think he really wants you to do it with him."

Nathan nodded, "Alright. So is that okay?"

Haley put her hand on his waist and slowly nodded, "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. You'll both have fun."

"Okay." He looked around, "I guess I'm gonna jump in the shower. We have to be there at six thirty right?"

She nodded and so he went on his way to take a shower. Haley finished getting changed and slipped her simple navy dress on. She checked on Charlotte who was watching Beauty and the Beast and then saw Jamie sitting in the living room watching T.V.

"So you're gonna take your dad on Expedition Everest?"

Jamie turned to his mom, "He said yes?"

"Yep."

"Sweet!"

Haley laughed at Jamie's enthusiasm, "And Jamie?" She waited before he looked at her then spoke again, "Thanks for doing this tonight. You're a great big brother. I know Charlotte's gonna love it."

The boy shrugged, "Yeah, it's fine. I think she'll be excited to see Belle anyways."

Haley patted his leg and smiled, "You're a good guy Jamie Scott. You know that?" She got up and smiled.

Jamie smirked, "I try."

Haley laughed again. Her son was a lot like her husband. She smiled as she walked back to the bedroom and saw that Nathan was already out of the shower. He was fastening his belt, still shirtless when he turned around.

"You look..." He couldn't find the words.

She smiled as she walked closer.

"Beautiful. You look beautiful." He'd found his voice and shook his head in amazement. He thought his favorite color on her was green, but navy was cutting it close.

"Thanks." She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed softy, "You look pretty good too."

Nathan laughed. Haley always did like his chest. He looked her over once more and raised his brow, "I get it. I know why you look good. It's cause all those guys dressed up as princes are going to be there. Are you gonna try and impress them?"

Haley smiled, "I don't need to impress them. I've already got you."

He leaned down and kissed her. He couldn't get enough of that woman. There was no possible way. He pulled away when Haley started to laugh.

"What?" He shrugged wondering what was up.

"It just..." She kissed him quickly and then smiled at him, "You taste so much better than you did yesterday."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "I really didn't mean to do that. I forgot that I'd eaten those things." He laughed again and then turned to the door when he saw Charlotte walk in. "Hey Char, you getting ready for the big night."

"Is the Beast going to be there tonight?" The little girl sat on the edge of the bed.

Haley walked over to their daughter, "I don't know. Maybe." Haley ran her hand over Charlotte's hair, "We gotta get you dressed though."Charlotte hopped off the bed and Haley followed.

It didn't take long for everyone to get ready after that. Soon enough they were on their way to Epcot. They'd be eating at castle in the Norway Pavilion and Charlotte couldn't stop talking about how excited she was.

When they entered the banquet hall all the Disney Princess where dancing on the dance floor with their respective princes. Charlotte screeched when she saw Belle and the Beast. Sure Cinderella was cool. Snow white was fine. Ariel was alright. But Belle was her absolute favorite. Even as they took their seats Charlotte's eyes were glued to the characters waltzing. She studied the characters and loved that The Beast was in animal mode, furry face and all. He didn't look scary in real life though.

While Charlotte watched the characters dance Nathan looked over the menu. "Hales you wanna get a bottle of wine."

"Wine?" She looked around, "In Disney World?" It was strange for Haley to think about drinking in Disney World. She wasn't against it, but it did strike her as odd. "Hey, but you are going to be going back to the Animal Kingdom later, you might wanna think about that."

Nathan grimaced, "Right." Expedition Everest and wine were probably not the best of combinations.

After the waiters came and went the family started to eat. Dinner was going great. The characters left the room as dinner was served but the princesses came back before dessert. Charlotte talked to Cinderella, Snow, them all, and of course the last one she got to see was Belle. At first she was a little start struck.

Jamie saw that Charlotte wasn't saying anything. "My sister Charlotte's favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast." Jamie smiled at his little sister then looked to his mom, "And so is my mom's."

Haley blushed a little. She was just over thirty years old and her favorite movie was a cartoon.

Belle smiled, "Really, that's great."

Charlotte scooted up in her seat, "My Mama sings too like you."

It had come out a little random but Belle knew that the little girl was referencing her ability to sing as well as her mom's. Belle looked at Haley and realized that the family she was with was no ordinary family. She'd seen famous people all the time and most of the time everyone blended in, but as soon as she got a good look at them she realized the little girl's mom was in fact a very good singer. Trying not to make it obvious of her new found revelation she nodded, "I bet she is."

Charlotte smiled, "Do any of your other dishes sing? Can you make these?" Charlotte lifted her dessert plate curious.

Belle shook her head, "I'm afraid not."

"Well, is your favorite color yellow?" Charlotte was full of questions.

The princess nodded and looked at her gown, "It is. Yellow is certainly my favorite."

Everyone in the banquet hall turned their attention to the door when they saw the princes come back in. Apparently it was time for the princesses to leave.

A young man with dirty blonde hair that was tied back in a pony tail approached the Scott's table. Charlotte looked to the prince with wide eyes, "Beast?"

He smiled at her and took her small hand in his. He leaned down and kissed is sweetly, "Evening my lady."

Haley's heart melted when she saw it. Charlotte was as wide eyed as she'd ever seen and she knew Charlotte would never forget that moment.

The Beast extended his arm toward Belle and the couple nodded goodbye. For the next hour Charlotte stayed in a trance. She'd not only met Belle but the Beast as well, and he'd even kissed her hand.

Dinner came to an end and when they headed back to their resort Nathan and Jamie boarded a different shuttle. They had roller coaster to ride. Nathan had kissed Charlotte and Haley goodnight and he and Jamie were on their way to conquer the mountain. Jamie had already done it, but the experience was worth going again.

**OTHOTH**

There were significantly less people in The Animal Kingdom at night and the father son duo headed straight for the back of the park. While they were in line Jamie constantly talked about how fast the ride went. After some waiting they made it to the platform and Jamie clasped his hands together.

"This is great."

Nathan had gotten that idea the entire time they waited so he anxious now. "I'm excited!"

Once they were in the train and it started up the first hill Jamie started laughing. Nathan figured there was something his son forgot to mention so he looked around worried.

"What is it? Something happens doesn't it?"

Jamie shook his head and just continued to laugh. "Just hold on Dad. You'll have a good time."

Nathan grimaced. Jamie sounded like his mother. He looked around again and then saw that they were about to go down the first plunge.

"Here we go." Jamie looked to his dad and raised his brow.

Under his breath Nathan mumbled a few words that were unrecognizable. A prayer, cuss words, something. They coasted down the hill at a speed Nathan had never gone before. Jamie was laughing and screaming with delight and then he saw it. The tracks ended. Nathan started to panic, "Jamie! Jamie!"

Jamie turned his head and smiled, "Gotcha!"

Nathan felt the train slow it's pace and then it started to roll backwards. He looked back and then the screaming began. If you'd never been on the ride before, you may have thought that something was terribly wrong. Jamie knew exactly what was about to happen and reached for his dad's arm. "Hold on tight!"

For the next minute they whipped around corners and inverted twist and when they came to a stop Jamie smiled at his dad. "Fun right?"

Nathan nodded, "We're doing that again."

Two hours later Nathan and Jamie quietly made it into their villa. Nathan made sure Jamie got to bed and then crept into the master bedroom. When he realized that Haley wasn't alone in the bed he wasn't all that surprised.

He gently sat down on the bed kissed Haley's forehead. Her eyes slowly futtered open and she smiled, "Hi."

"Hi."

"How was it?"

Nathan smiled, "We rode it seven times." He nodded, "It was pretty great."

Haley leaned back into the pillow and Nathan looked at Charlotte, "You two fall asleep watching Beauty and the Beast?"

"No, she actually woke up upset that the T-Rex from that dinosaur ride was going to get her."

Nathan frowned, "Really?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, but she's been asleep for a while now."

"You think if I move her, she'll wake up?"

"No, I think she's exhausted." Haley turned to their daughter and saw the steady pattern of her chest rise and fall.

Nathan scooted off the bed and walked to the other side. He gently picked up Charlotte and walked to her room. He kissed her cheek before he laid her down and then he pulled the comforter up to her chest, "Night Char. Don't worry about that dinosaur, he's extinct. He won't get you."

Nathan walked back into the bedroom and shed his clothes and slid into bed. He wrapped his arms around Haley and pulled her close. Breathing in her scent, he rested his his cheek on the side of her head, "I'm glad we did this."

Haley moved her arm so it was situated against his and nodded, "And we've still got more to do."

Nathan laughed, "We're going to have to come back in case we don't get to do it all."

She turned to him and smiled, "I'd like to come back. Maybe in a couple years. Charlotte will be tall enough to do the bigger stuff and maybe Jamie could bring a friend."

"Whatever you want." He kissed her forehead and she instantly caressed his cheek with her palm.

"I love you Nathan."

"I love you too Hales."

They both fell asleep thinking about what was next to come. They'd already had a wonderful time and that seemed fitting. It was The Wonderful World of Disney after all.

**OTHOTH**

**So they went to Disney World. Now I realize that this only included a tiny bit of all the things they could have done, but if I included every park this chapter would have been like twenty five thousand words....in other words way to long. If you want to see the rest of in then the maybe I'll do a part 2 to this but I'd rather keep it like it is. There is only so many things you can write about amusement parks. **

**Again I can't thank you all enough for the reviews they really motivate me. But I have a suggestion, or request rather. If you are in favor of OTH having a season 8 head over to Eonline(dot)com and vote for One Tree Hill for their save one show campaign. It's easy. Click on Watch with Kristin and scroll down to the appropriate posting and comment that OTH should be saved! If you are in favor of a season 8 and want it please do it. I'd rather you guys do that than review! **

**To those of you who reviewed last chapter thank you. I really appreciate the feedback on the possible chapter about season 5 as well. Jojo88, NAUGirl2012, Leah, Lia Comfort, bethanyfan23, Hadley, mazzy, Joan, Becky, Alexis, ann, Naleyfan, Kutebloo, and Julie...thank you all so much for the feedback!**

**Certain things I wanted to address:**

**Tasha: Sorry but I don't really have any desire to write a story about James and Joy. They have their own private lives and I would feel akward if I did that. I'll stick to Naley though.**

**BDavis: I don't know if the world stops, but thank you for the compliment!**

**Blurrystars: Wow! Just Wow. Can I give you a hug. And will you please get a user name or send me your email or something so I can respond to everything you said? It would literally be a chapter's length of things I have to say besides thank you. Did I say that yet? Thank you for reviewing every single chapter. As a new reader...who started the fic whenever you did... to take the time to do that and mention certain parts from each chapter was beyond kind of you. I have loyal reviewers who have been with me since the beginning and you're right up there. Thank you so much. I have all kinds of answers to the questions and comments you raised but like I said, it would be chapter...no, a novel length response and I don't think it should be at the end of a chapter. But thank you so much for your kind words. You're the main reason this chapter got posted tonight. Those 44 reviews helped me get to one thousand quick! **

**Review please, or go to E Online...whichever!**


	46. Ready, Aim, Potty Train

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 46: Ready, Aim, Potty Train**

**Disclaimer: Oh Mark...you missed so much Naley goodness when you skipped over the college years! But..it's thanks to him that I can add in these missing moments.**

**A/N: Happy Monday guys. It's one month away till we get our show back, gah it feels like it's been forever. I've been trying to help you guys out with the updates over this hiatus and I'm hoping it's been doing the trick. You reviewers make my day. Literally! For the last 20 chapters I have gotten over 20 reviews for each and I can't tell you how good that makes me feel! I know a lot of you like the college time frame and guess what? This is one of those! It deals with a bit of a "dirty" topic but every parent has to deal with it at some point, so sorry if any of you find the subject matter gross.**

**OTHOTH**

It was mid July and instead of battling the North Carolina heat outside, Nathan, Haley, and two year old Jamie Scott were inside in an very refreshing air conditioned childrens store. They would be moving to Maryland and cooler temperatures in about a month, but today they were beginning the all important task of potty training.

Haley was pushing the shopping cart down the isle looking for the things they would need when she heard Nathan call out for her.

"Hales, look at this." Nathan held up a box but Haley had no idea what it was. He walked a little closer and smiled, "It's a bouncy riding toy. He can sit on it and bounce up and down and it rolls." Nathan flipped the box over and saw what type of animal the toy represented, "And look, it's a turtle too, like Maryland's mascot."

Smiling, Haley took the toy from Nathan's grasp and looked it over. She didn't know if Nathan was more excited about finding a toy with Maryland's mascot, which was actually a terrapin, or if he secretly wished it came in an adult size. She glanced at him as he studied the toy with wide eyes. Then Haley turned to look at her son and noticed that he wasn't all that impressed with it so she started to laugh.

Nathan furrowed his brow, "What? What is it?" He was oblivious as to what Haley was laughing at.

"It's just..." She looked at her six foot two husband and shook her head, "They don't come in your size honey."

Nathan's eyes went to the box and he shrugged, "I know, but Jamie might like it." He looked down at his son who was sitting in the cart paying absolutely no attention to his father or the toy Nathan desperately wanted. Nathan slumped a little and put the toy back on the shelf, "Or maybe not."

Haley laughed as they turned down the next aisle. There was an array of training potties, seats, Pull-ups, books; all kinds of things. She had an idea as to what she wanted so she pushed the cart ahead. She sighed heavily as she stopped in front of the little kid potties. Haley had done her fair share of research on the things. And from other moms and her own, she knew that potty training was going to be a daunting task.

Nathan stood next to her and one potty in particular caught his eye. It was orange with black stripes and the sports theme had him hooked. He picked up the item and turned to Haley, "This is the one we should get."

Haley turned to Nathan and it looked like he was holding a basketball. She loved how involved he was with everything but she didn't know if a potty in the shape of a basketball would actually work for educational purposes. Haley looked it over and saw that it had a squishy comfortable seat, and from the box, it seemed like it would be the perfect height for Jamie but she wasn't convinced.

Holding out the potty Nathan looked to his son, "What do you think Jame?"

The little boy saw the familiar looking thing and pointed, "Ball."

"I don't know Nathan. Maybe we should get one that looks more like a conventional potty. He's going to think it's a toy." She looked at the price tag and saw that it was almost forty dollars. "It's kind of expensive too, let's keep looking."

Strike two for Nathan. The bouncy rolling turtle he wanted was a no go, and now the basketball training potty was out. He slowly put the toilet back on the shelf and saw Haley looking at a simple white one. Nathan walked over to her, "Baby Bjorn? What is that, French?"

Haley scrunched her forehead, "Uh, Swedish I think."

Nathan smiled, Haley knew everything. He looked at the plain white potty, "So you want it?"

"I've read all the reviews online, and I think this is the best one." Haley turned to Jamie and showed him the potty, "What about this one buddy?"

"My potty." Jamie smiled wide and wanted to hold it.

Haley looked at Nathan, "I guess this is the one."

"Yeah I think so." Nathan got down a box and handed it to Jamie so he could look at it.

Once they'd successfully picked out Jamie's training potty Haley picked out a bag of Pull-Ups and then they made their way over to the clothes section. That was the less than thrilling part for Nathan. He didn't mind shopping for toys, or accessories, but clothes were something that Haley normally did by herself.

Haley looked to Nathan and saw that he was muffling around, "It'll only be a sec." She knew that Nathan wasn't keen on shopping for clothes, but they weren't shopping for cute shirts or shorts. Haley looked down to their son, "We're gonna get you big boy underwear right Jamie?"

Jamie looked down at his pants and pointed, "Big boy!" Jamie tugged on his diaper and Haley quickly shook her head, "Baby don't take that off." She made sure his hands were away from his waistband and heard Nathan laugh.

"I think he's ready for this whole potty training thing."

Haley nodded, "Yeah." She pushed the cart into the center of the aisle and looked at the different styles and colors of little boy underwear. There were so many to chose from. She didn't know what he would like best but figured she would get little briefs and boxer briefs.

Nathan picked up a package of colorful briefs and smiled, "Batman!" He looked at Jamie and then at the package again, "I remember when I used to have some of these. I think I had all the superheroes."

Haley laughed when she heard her husband speak. Imagining Nathan in character themed tighty-whities was hysterical.

Nathan looked up and fumbled for some words, "I mean when I was like six, not now."

Haley smiled, she knew he didn't wear them now. She knew exactly what kind of underwear he wore. He'd have his days when he'd where boxers but lately he'd been a boxer brief kind of guy.

Walking over to his wife and son he showed Jamie the package, "You want Batman bud? He is super cool." The little boy nodded and then Nathan noticed Haley pick up a package of boxer briefs. "I think he likes these Hales." He held up the package he had picked out.

"Yeah, and we're gonna get them, but I think it would be nice for him to have a pair or two that look like yours. It might make him feel special. That is, unless you want me to get you some briefs with Batman on them." She wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.

He nervously laughed, "No, I'm good." It had been a while since he'd worn full on briefs and he shuddered at the idea. He would look ridiculous in them.

Once they'd picked out Jamie's new underwear they headed for the check out lane. With a potty, training pants, and big boy underwear, they were ready to tackle the messy task of potty training.

**OTHOTH**

When they'd gotten home Nathan set up the potty and put it next to the big one in the bathroom, and together, Nathan and Haley showed Jamie what it was.

"Look Jame." Nathan stepped over to the potty and pointed, "Now you can go potty like a big boy."

"You wanna try it out buddy?" Haley looked to her little boy hopeful he'd want to.

Jamie already was pushing his pants down and Nathan laughed at his eagerness. Both Nathan and Haley made sure Jamie situated himself correctly on the thing and were standing around waiting for something to happen.

"Uh, shouldn't he be standing. Guys pee standing up Hales."

Haley cut her eyes, "I know, but they say that you should teach boys to sit first, then move on to standing later."

Nathan wasn't fond of that idea. Sitting was for girls. "Are you sure? Maybe we should stand him up to see what happens."

Turning to her husband Haley shook her head, "I really think we should just do it how the books say."

Rolling his eyes Nathan sighed, "Fine." After a few minutes of nothing happening Nathan looked at Haley, "Okay, what's the book say to do now?

She shrugged, "Ugh, maybe I should turn the water on. The sound might help him have to go." Haley turned on the sink and looked at Jamie. He was sitting down clicking his feet together and the young parents didn't know what they should do.

"What if we both left. I mean it's not normal to have people staring at you when you do this."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, maybe." They both left the bathroom and cracked the door just enough to see what their son was doing.

Jamie wasn't doing anything. He was just patiently waiting, not knowing what to do either. After a few minutes Nathan walked back in.

"Hey bud, did you go potty?"

Jamie stood up and looked in the empty bowl. He turned back to his dad and frowned.

"That's okay Jamie. We can try again next time." Nathan bent down and helped Jamie pull his pants back on. He picked up his son and they walked out to the bedroom.

Haley smiled and raised her shoulders, "Anything?" Nathan shook his head."Oh, well that's okay. It's gonna take some time." She watched as Nathan put Jamie down and looked to her husband. "I'm going to get his training pants."

"Alright." Nathan scooped Jamie back up and put his son on their bed. Jamie was stomping on the comforter and wanted to jump, so the little boy grabbed onto Nathan's hands and started bouncing on the bed. Nathan knew that Haley would kill him if she saw Jamie jumping on the bed but they were having fun. He was supervised.

When Haley came back to the bedroom with Jamie's Pull-Up in hand she narrowed her eyes. She cleared her throat and Nathan nervously looked back.

"Uh, we were um...he wasn't uh.... He um..." Nathan was trying to figure out what to say so Haley wouldn't be mad. She'd never been one for jumping on the bed. When she was little she and Taylor did it all the time but she was the one who ended up with stitches. Taylor actually pushed her off, but Haley didn't want the same fate for their son. She wasn't ready to have one of those trips to the hospital yet.

Nathan figured it was best to change the subject so he looked back to Jamie and raised his eyebrows, "Ready for your training pants Jame?"

The little boy plopped down on his bottom and Nathan laughed. "Bud, you gotta stand up." He lifted Jamie to his feet again while Haley walked over to them.

She got Jamie's new training pants on and gently patted his bottom, "You'll feel something cold if you need to go potty bud. These training pants help let you know if you need to go."

Their son seemed to understand what was going on so Nathan put him down and watched him run toward the living room. He couldn't believe Jamie was growing up so fast, pretty soon he'd be able to do almost everything on his own.

Haley leaned into Nathan, "He's getting so big."

"Yeah, I was just thinking that."

She looked up to him, "You think we're doing a good job?"

Nathan nodded, "You're doing a great job. Haley you are the best mom out there."

He felt her palm against his cheek. "You're a pretty great dad too."

Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her close, "Well, I think we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah we do." Haley lifted up on her tiptoes and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "I love you Nathan."

"I love you too." Nathan kissed her again then he saw Jamie run back in to room.

The little boy pointed at his pants, " Me wet."

Nathan and Haley both laughed. This whole potty training thing was going to be harder than they thought.

**OTHOTH**

It was a few weeks later and Jamie was still in the process of learning. He'd gotten much better but he still needed a little practice. It was almost 1pm and Jamie was taking his after noon nap. Haley was out buying some things for their big move and groceries, and Lucas and Nathan were at home playing NBA Live. Over the last two years they'd mastered playing the game and being quiet at the same time.

In a whispered hush Lucas looked to Nathan, "I'm killing you!"

"Whatever man." Nathan hit his controls and watched his team turn the ball over.

Looking back at his brother, Lucas smiled, "Nice."

Nathan watched as Lucas scored again and then he thought he heard something. He shushed Lucas and turned his attention towards Jamie's room. He'd been asleep for over an hour. When Nathan heard the familiar sounds of his son he turned to Luke, "Sorry man, can't finish the game."

"Oh come on. There's only a minute left on the clock."

Nathan threw up his hands, "Sorry, but duty calls." He walked towards Jamie's room smiling. At least Lucas would have to turn off the game and it wouldn't be saved on the memory card.

Nathan made it way over to Jamie and saw that he was wide awake. "Hey buddy."

When Nathan picked him up he instantly felt to see if Jamie was wet. He wasn't so they went straight to the bathroom. Nathan sat Jamie on the potty and waited to see if Jamie needed to go. He saw Jamie reach between his legs and Nathan knew that Jamie was pointing down just as he and Haley had told him.

After hearing that Jamie was done he smiled at his son, "Way to go. You did it." Jamie pulled his pants up by himself and Nathan lifted him to the sink so he could watch his hands. "Mom's gonna be so proud of you when she get's home."

Jamie clapped his hands together under the sink and Nathan made sure that they were clean. Once they were done he set down his son and gave him a high five.

They walked out to the living room and Lucas looked back to them, "How did it go."

"He was perfect. No squirting me, no leaks, no poop anywhere. Well, he didn't go poop but..."

"Okay, okay." Lucas raised his hands. He wasn't wanting a full length description. Lucas turned to his nephew, "Good job Jamie."

They all heard the door open and Jamie went running out of the living room to the front door.

Haley had her hands full with bags and felt something, or rather someone, wrap around her legs. She looked down and saw her little boy at her feet, "Hey baby."

Nathan walked up and took some of the bags from her hands and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Haley picked up Jamie and he immediately put his head down on her shoulder. She looked at Nathan with a raised brow, "Did he sleep well?"

"Yeah." Nathan put the bags on the counter and nodded, "He just woke up so he's probably a little tired. We did go to the bathroom though."

Haley perked up, "Did you use the potty Jamie?"

Jamie lifted his head off of his mom's shoulder and nodded.

"Aw, I'm so proud of you buddy." Haley kissed the side of Jamie's head and smiled. She walked into the laundry room and sat Jamie on top of the washing machine while she was getting things out of the dryer.

Nathan was still in the kitchen putting things away when Lucas walked up to help out.

Haley pulled out the clothes and started folding things. Two black pair of boxer briefs stood out and she laughed. Holding them side by side she held them up to Jamie, "Yours are a lot smaller than Daddy's huh?"

Jamie's eyes went wide. Haley laughed again and put Nathan's in the basket and held Jamie's in her hand. "I'm gonna get ya..." She raised the little underwear over Jamie's head and laughed, "I'm gonna get ya." After she successfully slipped the waist band over his head she nodded, "Nice look Jamie, go show Daddy."

Haley got Jamie off the washing machine and watched him run into the kitchen with his new head gear.

Nathan and Lucas both looked at the little boy and laughed.

Nathan smirked, "Nice hat Jamie. I think you're mom had one just like it."

Lucas nodded, "Yeah it was green right?"

Haley heard them from the laundry room and huffed, "Very funny."

Nathan picked up Jamie and pulled off the little black boxer briefs, "These are supposed to go on your bottom. Mom's silly."

Haley walked out to where the boys were and threw Nathan his pair of his black boxer briefs, "Here, now you'll match."

Nathan wasn't about to put his underwear on his head, but he saw Jamie trying to slip the underwear over his dad's head. Nathan pulled away and shook his head, "Don't do that to me." He moved his mouth to Jamie's ear and whispered softly.

Nathan turned to Lucas and set Jamie on the ground. "Let's get him bud."

Jamie started to run and Nathan was right behind him. Lucas wasn't gonna be able to find a way out of this one.

**OTHOTH**

It was their second week in Maryland and when Haley woke up she found that she was alone in the bed. She slowly opened her sleepy eyes and they adjusted to the morning light. She rolled over and saw that it was seven something so she kicked the covers off and walked into the bathroom.

She stopped she she got to the doorway and she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Nathan was standing in front of the toilet in his gray boxer briefs, and Jaime, in his gray boxer briefs, was standing in front of his little potty. Both of their shirts were on the floor and Haley assumed it was easier for Nathan to show Jamie what to do without their shirts in the way.

Nathan leaned over to the sink and pulled out a few Honey-Nut Cheerios from a bag and threw one in his toilet then Jamie's. "Okay bud, aim at the Cheerio. It's the target."

Jamie took a step up and squinted. He watched was Nathan was doing and tried to do the same. It wasn't exactly perfect but he didn't get anything all messy.

"There you go Jame. Good job." Nathan looked down, "This is how the big boys do it." Nathan finished up and turned to Jamie. "Now when you get tall enough to uses this one you gotta remember to raise the toilet seat." He pointed at the seat, "Mama doesn't want to sit on a dirty seat."

Jamie nodded and Nathan smiled. "Then you have to put it back down, or she'll fall in."

Jamie covered his mouth, "Yuk."

"Yuk is right." Haley walked into the bathroom and leaned on the counter.

Nathan looked up and saw Haley walk in, "Hey, how long have you been up."

She shrugged, "Long enough to see you teaching our son how to pee standing up."

"He's a big boy now." Nathan looked down and Jamie and smiled, "Right buddy?"

"Wight." Jamie walked over to his mom and got on the step stool to wash off his hands. When he was done Haley dried his hands off for him and watched him walk out of the bathroom.

She turned to Nathan and smiled kindly, "You did amazing. You're such a good Dad."

Nathan laughed, "I just thought he'd get it better if he saw me do it." He leaned down to pick up his and Jamie's shirt.

Haley ran her hand over his chest before he put his on, "He's really coming along."

"Yeah."

Laughing Haley looked down, "And thank you for telling him about lifting and putting the seat back. I'd hate to have a repeat of when we were first married."

"Hey that wasn't my fault." Nathan grimaced.

"Right, me falling in the toilet was my fault?"

"No, well.." He was changing his mind, "You didn't look beforehand." Nathan shrugged.

"How was I supposed to know I was supposed to look. I'd never shared a bathroom with boys. My brothers had a bathroom to themselves."

"Well I never had to share with a girl."

Haley tilted her head, "So it was fifty fifty."

He nodded, "Fifty fifty." He pulled Haley close to him and looked into her brown eyes, "And it hasn't happened since."

"I know, and I'm glad." Haley laughed and kissed him quickly, "You really did do a great job with Jamie though."

Nathan smiled, "It's all yours when we have a little girl though." He kissed her forehead and walked out to see where Jamie went.

Haley sighed and nodded to herself. It was true. Whenever they had a girl, if they had a girl, she'd take over when it came to potty training her. They'd done a really good job at doing it together, but there came a point where Nathan had to take over. There were just some things Haley couldn't show or help Jamie with. It was a guys thing and she was thankful every day that Nathan was such a good dad. She never doubted that he wouldn't be, but watching him and seeing him do it, made her fall in love with him over and over again.

**OTHOTH**

**So I know this was on the short side, but I didn't want to have to get too descriptive about them potty training. I hope you liked it though. If any of you guys have more college Naley ideas send them my way. Those and high school Naley are the hardest to come up with. Which is weird since I've already been through high school and am currently in college now. So guys, help me out. What other things do you want to see?**

**To my awesome reviewers I love you. Those without accounts: Hadley, tasha, Sarah, ohhsogreys, jojo88, Joan, Becky, and ...thank you all for your reviews. They mean the world**

**Certain things I wanted to comment on:**

**jaclyn: I hope you liked this chapter. It was kind of in that area you requested. If you have any more specific idea about what you want to see don't be shy, I love to hear what it is my readers want. **

**Mazzy: I'm sorry you haven't been able to experience Disney World or Disneyland. Maybe one day you'll be able to.**

**Blurrystars: Thank so much for getting back to me with an email address. I will be sending you an email (or a couple) as soon as I find the time. Hopefully one day you'll get to come visit the States cause Disney World and (from what I've heard) Disneyland are awesome!**

**UPDATE ON E!s SAVE OUR SHOW: Thank you to any of y'all who voted for OTH to be nominated because it was. The first round started to today and OTH can use all the votes it can get. E! Has been good to OTH and helped save them before (really, so this is a legit thing) so if you are interested or want a season 8 vote! Just go to Eonline(dot).com, click Watch With Kristen and find the appropriate posting. Every vote counts people...lets get a season 8!**

**Review please!**


	47. I'll Take Care of You

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 47: I'll Take Care of You**

**Disclaimer: Okay I own nothing. Nathan and Haley do not belong to me. Same ole', same ole'.**

**A/N: Again the reviews have just kept my figures busy lately. I love you all for letting me know what you think. This story has been so much fun to do and I can't thank you all enough for all the support!**

**OTHOTH**

It was just before 5:00pm and Nathan was pulling into the driveway after a practice with the team. He didn't have an actual team yet, but he was working on it. Ever since Q had died he'd promised himself that he would get that comeback his friend was always talking about. Skills had been helping him at the river court, and Lucas had been kind enough to let him run through the varsity drills and practices. He was going to make it to the NBA one day.

He opened the front door and five year old Jamie went running to his side. "Daddy! Look what we did at school today." Jamie held up a piece of yellow construction paper that had Popsicle sticks glued in various positions.

Nathan didn't want to be mean, but he honestly had no idea what he was looking at, "What is it bud?" He took the paper in front of him and studied it hard. He'd never been one to see things from an abstract point of view. He wanted clean edges and preferably for someone to be able to tell him what it was or how to do it. And more preferably, that person to be Haley.

Jamie scrunched his little forehead and took his work of art back into his hands, "It's our house Daddy. Look..."

Jamie went on to point out the features of the house and Nathan still didn't see how in the world that was their house. But he was proud of Jamie. He always was. "That's really good Jimmy Jam." Nathan ruffled Jamie's hair and then noticed that his wife had been absent the entire time he and Jamie were talking. "Where's your mom Jame?"

Twisting his mouth, Jamie raised his fingers to his lips, "Upstairs, I think."

Nathan nodded and started to head for the stairs. He was looking forward to seeing Haley. She was the best part of his day.

When Nathan made it to the bedroom he saw that Haley was lying on the bed. He thought she was reading so he didn't think anything of it. Nathan walked toward the bathroom so he could shower before dinner, and when he took another look at Haley he noticed she wasn't reading but actually sleeping.

She probably had a hard day. Tussling with hormonal teenagers was never easy, but she did it with such grace that he had to hand it to her. Haley really was some sort of superhero.

He quickly hopped in the shower and as soon as he was out and dressed, he moved over to the bed and climbed next to her. Nathan moved his face so it was just above hers and he smiled while looking down. He had no idea how he ended up with such a beautiful wife. Haley stirred a little and Nathan began to pepper sweet kisses on her face.

Haley's eyes slowly opened and when she saw the face above her she winced and pulled the blanket she had sprawled over her body up to her nose.

"Hales?" He laughed and leaned down to kiss her again.

Mumbling, Haley shook her head, "Ew, Nathan don't."

"What do you mean? I just took a shower." He wasn't all sweaty from practice and he smelled all fresh and clean. Nathan ran a hand over the side of her head and looked down at her, his eyes full on concern.

Haley shook her head,"No, it's not you. It's me. I think I'm sick."

"You feel bad?" His eyes grew larger as the concern built. She didn't speak a word, instead Haley just nodded. Nathan gently placed his hand on her forehead, "Do you think you have a fever?"

Haley sighed heavily, "I don't know, but you probably shouldn't be so close. I don't want to give you what I've got. Then Jamie will get it and..."

Leaning down closer, he smirked and kissed her on the lips. Nathan didn't care if he got whatever it was she had. He smiled and his blue eyes reflected the kindness in his heart.

"Nathan!" Their lips parted and her jaw flung open, "What...what did you do that for?"

He smiled, "Because I love you. Because I don't care if I get whatever you have. I'll be okay. It's you I'm worried about."

Haley felt a surge of pride and love and everything in between rush through her veins. Sometimes the things he said made her heart melt. If she didn't feel like absolute shit she would have kissed him, but her head was pounding and she just wanted to sleep.

Before she had the chance to say anything she saw him get off the bed and walk into the bathroom. He reemerged with a few things in his hand. He got back on the bed and showed Haley the thermometer.

"Here." He handed her the thermometer and watched as she regretfully stuck the thing in her mouth. As they waited Nathan put the bottle of Tylenol on the beside table just in case she did have a fever.

A minute passed and she handed the thermometer back to Nathan, "What's it say? Am I hot?"

Nathan couldn't help the smirk that passed over his lips. He knew she wasn't talking about that kind of hot, but he couldn't deny it. Haley was hot with or without a fever. Nathan looked to Haley and nodded, "Ninety nine point seven."

"Ugh!" She threw the blanket over her face and shook her head. Of course she was sick. It was her luck. Working in a high school was great and all, but it came with it's downfalls. The place was like a germ hot zone, it was just a matter of time before she caught this weeks nuisance.

"Hey's it's fine. You stay put. I'll handle everything, dinner, Jamie, you name it. I'm on it." Nathan tugged the blanket over Haley's face so he could see her.

She sighed heavily and nodded, "Thank you."

He would have kissed her but he figured he'd get a nice smack on the face or shoulder if he bent down, so he spared himself the pain and instead smiled and nodded, "I love you Haley James Scott."

Haley opened her eyes a little wider and smiled, "I love you too."

Nathan got up off the bed and watched as Haley turned to her side. She'd probably be asleep within a matter of seconds. As he started for the stairs he raised his eyebrows. Dinner was all on him. He could do it.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie was in the living room rolling a toy car across the coffee table when he saw his dad come down. Nathan walked over to his son and sat down on the couch.

"So what do you want for dinner Jame?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't know?"

'I don't know'. That wasn't helpful to Nathan at all. "Well do you want me to pick us something up or for me to cook?"

"I don't care."

Jamie normally had all the answers but this dinner thing was something he hadn't mastered yet. He didn't know what he wanted or seem to really care.

Nathan furrowed his brow and shook his head, "Come on Jamie, help me out here. Any thoughts?"

Jamie looked up from his toy and over to his dad, "What's Mama doing?"

Haley. She was the one who normally did all that and he wished she was feeling better but Nathan knew that he could handle things. He was a grown up. "She doesn't feel good. I'm going to get her some soup, but what about you. You want soup too?

"Chicken noodle!" Jamie perked up and smiled wide. "But make sure it's got..."

"Extra noodles, I know. You're just like your mom." Nathan laughed thinking about it. Jamie liked almost if not all of his food just like Haley did. Maybe one day Jamie would catch on to prime rib, Nathan was still working on that one.

Jamie was satisfied with soup for dinner but then it dawned on him that his mom was sick, "Is Mama gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's gonna be fine. She's just got a fever and feels bad."

Jamie nodded and started to get up, "Can I go up and see her?"

"I think she's sleeping bud." Nathan shook his head, "And if she's got a fever, she wont want you to get sick too."

Jamie narrowed his little blue eyes, "But you went and saw her. I just want to read her the book."

"What book?" Nathan had no idea what Jamie was talking about.

"The Handsomest Husky. She reads it to me when I'm sick."

The image of Haley reading to Jamie while he was sick had Nathan smiling. She was the best mother in the world. He'd have to remind her of that later.

"Jaime, why don't we wait and do that later. Maybe her fever will go down and then you can go see her."

"But Dad." Jamie wasn't a whiner but he was playing his cards in that direction since he couldn't go read to his mom.

"Jamie, she's sick and asleep. I know you're just trying to help but what if you get sick too? You don't want to do that." Nathan walked over to his son and squeezed Jamie's shoulder, "Your mom's strong, she'll get through it. Give it a little time and she'll be back to good in no time."

"Then will you read it to her?" Jamie wasn't giving up without a fight. He was going to get his mom that book if it was the last thing he did.

As Nathan looked down at his son he saw his puppy dog eyes, the adorable smile, that little boy had the biggest heart around. There was no way he could say no to that face. "Alright. I'll do it."

Jamie smiled and ran up to his room to get the book. Nathan followed his son and when he walked into Jamie's room he saw that Jamie was searching through his shelf.

"Where is it? Where is that book? Jamie was quietly asking himself questions as his eyes roamed over his book shelf.

Nathan stood next to Jamie and started to help him. For the next three minutes they continued to search but their efforts failed. They couldn't find it anywhere. Jamie looked like he was going to get upset but Nathan shook his head, "We'll find it."

If Jamie ever couldn't find his coat, or Nathan misplaced a bag, there was always one person who knew where it was.

Jamie was still looking furiously in his room but Nathan had another idea. If she was asleep he wouldn't bother her, but maybe she'd be awake. Nathan slowly opened the door and peeked his head into the room. The steady rise and fall of Haley's body let him know that she was probably sleeping. He took a few steps in the room and walked over to the side of the bed. Her face was facing the opposite way and just before he could lean over and get a good look he heard her soft voice.

"You trying to spy on me?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "How do you feel? I'd thought you'd be asleep."

Haley turned over, "A little better, but I keep over thinking things to get any sleep."

He grimaced. She was probably worried about dinner, and what Jamie needed, what Nathan might need. "Hales, no one's stopping you. I've got dinner handled. You don't have to worry about anything. It's all covered."

She sighed heavily and snuggled closer into her pillow, "You're great, you know that?"

Nathan smiled, "Before you go saying that, I uh, I actually need some help." He paused and clinched his jaw together, "Do you know where The Handsomest Husky is?"

Haley started to sit up, "Is Jamie starting to feel bad?"

"No, he's fine. He actually wanted it for you. He wanted to read it to you."

Haley's could feel her heart swell deep inside her chest. Her little boy was so sweet. "Nathan..." She was nearly on the verge of tears, moved by the thought of what Jamie wanted to do, "...he shouldn't be in here. I don't want him to get sick."

Nathan nodded, "I know, I know, and I told him that." He looked down and shook his head, "He asked me if I would read it to you though, but we can't find it."

A chill ran up Haley's arm and she shivered, "I think it's downstairs. Check in the living room." She pulled the blanket close to her chin and gave Nathan a half smile.

"Thank you. He was so upset we couldn't find it."

Haley nodded and watched Nathan leave the room. She had a wonderful family. Jamie was growing up into a little gentleman and Nathan, Nathan was the love of her life and she couldn't ask any more of him. He was great. He was everything. He'd had his moments they'd both rather forget but even through the rough patches they made it out better than ever.

Haley closed her eyes and thought about how far they'd come, how far they'd go were all she had spinning in her head.. It really didn't matter where they ended up, as long as they were together that's all that mattered.

Sweet thoughts swept through her mind, and her body aches and the pounding in her head seemed to subside as she drifted off to sleep.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Jamie had gone to the store and picked up a few things and when they got back Jamie ran to the kitchen.

"Can I help."

Nathan laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I'm gonna need all the help I can get."

Jamie smiled widely, "Just don't put it in the microwave again."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Hey, that was a one time thing."

"But Mama's never done that, Nanny Deb never does it."

The older man shrugged, "I know, and right now Mama's in bed and Nanny Deb is out with...Skills. It's you and me bud. We're doing this right."

Jamie nodded and climbed up on the stool then pushed his sleeves up. "I'm ready."

Nathan laughed. They weren't cooking anything extravagant. In fact, opening a few cans, pouring the soup in the pots, and heating it up wasn't rocket science. It wasn't free throws or shooting drills either, but it wasn't that hard.

When the boys had successfully gotten the soup to simmer at an appropriate temperature Nathan looked over to Jamie, "Hey, go look over in the living room, that book we were looking for is probably in there."

Jamie ran over to the room and when he saw the book he yelled over at Nathan, "Dad! I found it." Jamie clutched the book in his hands and scurried over to his father, "Look."

Nathan glanced down at the book and nodded, "The Handsomest Husky."

"How'd you know it was there?"

Shrugging his shoulders Nathan smiled and looked down, "A little bird told me."

Jamie didn't know what that meant but that didn't matter. He was happy he found his book. "Will you take it up to Mama?"

Nathan reached up to get out a some bowls and nodded at his son. He pulled out a tray and then opened up the drawer full of cloth napkins. "I got a better idea." Nathan took out a white napkin and folded it in half diagonally,"Come here."

Jamie curiously walked over to his dad and stood a foot away.

"Alright, I'm gonna tie this around you and, then you and I are gonna take Mom her dinner." Nathan pulled the napkin tight against the back of Jamie's head and laughed a little when his son turned around. He looked a little like a bandit.

"This will protect me?"

Nathan tilted his head back and fourth, "Good enough." He put the bowl and spoon on the tray and then Jamie held out the book, "Yeah, put it on."

Once they had the tray all set up Nathan kicked his head to the side, "Head on up there. I'll be right behind you."

Nathan and Jamie walked up the stairs and Jamie pushed the bedroom door open. They both quietly went into the room and crept closer to the bed. Jamie extended his arm and ran his hand over Haley's back.

She opened her eyes slowly and the pressure she felt on her back was familiar, but far to small to be Nathan. When she rolled over she smiled at Jamie's mask, "Hi baby."

"Hi Mama. We brought you soup."

Nathan nodded, "Chicken noddle..."

"Extra noddle." Jamie added. "That's how I like it too."

Haley knew that. She loved it. It was things like that, that made her smile. The fact that Jamie liked the same foods she did, how he has some of the same mannerisms she did, always pulled at her heart strings.

When Nathan set the tray down on the bedside table Jamie picked up the book, "We found the book. You want me to read it to you? It always makes me feel better."

Haley smiled, "That would be great."

Jamie opened the first page and started to read the first line, "Once upon a time there was a dog named Andy and everybody loved Andy..." Jamie was smart for his age but he'd heard the story enough times that he basically had it memorized. When he finished the book he set it down on the table and looked at Haley, "Feel better?"

"Much better, thanks little man."

Nathan put his hand on Jamie's head and cleared his throat, "Hey Jame, why don't you go on down stairs and I'll be down in a minute."

Jamie headed downstairs and Nathan sat down on the bed next to Haley, "How you feel?" He ran his hand over her side and looked at her worriedly.

"Okay, my head doesn't hurt as bad but my throat's starting to feel funny."

Nathan picked up the bowl of soup and then spoon, "This should help with that."

Haley slowly sat up and met Nathan with kind eyes, "Thank you. Really, I don't know what I'd do without you."

He wanted to kiss her, but he resisted, so he just smiled and nodded in appreciation. The truth was that they both needed each other. It was how it always was had been, how it always would be. There was no Nathan without Haley.

"I'm gonna go get the boy situated and eat with him, you'll be okay?"

She raised the spoon to her mouth and swallowed a mouthful of noodles, "Yeah, I'm good."

"Let me know if you need something."

Haley nodded, "I will."

Nathan got up off the bed and went down stairs. Jamie was sitting at the bar and smiled when he saw his dad, "I'm starving!"

"Hold your horses bud, I'm coming." Nathan grabbed the two other bowls he'd set out and filled them to the brim. He carefully walked over to the counter and set the bowls down, "Dinner is served."

**OTHOTH**

Once Jamie had gotten his bath and picked out his pajamas it was about time for bed. Jamie wasn't exactly tired so when he got in bed he looked to his dad, "Will you tell me a story?"

"What do you want to hear?"

Jamie leaned back in the pillows, "How about when you were little." Jamie looked around the room and when his eyes landed on Chester he smiled, "Did you ever have any pets?"

Nathan shook his head, "I had a couple gold fish but they never lived long."

"What happened?" Jamie's face contorted in fear.

"Uh, I don't know. They don't live very long."

Jamie scrunched his upper lip and nose together, "Why not?"

"You ask a lot of questions you know that?" Nathan laughed and gently shook Jamie's shoulder.

"Mama says it keeps me thinking, that I'll be smart."

Nathan nodded, "Your mom's right." Thinking about Haley and then looking at Chester, Nathan glanced back to Jamie, "You know your mom had a bunny."

"She did?"

"Yeah, that's why she wanted to get you Chester. Her first pet was a bunny."

Jamie yawned and rubbed his eyes, "What was it's name?"

"Bunny."

Furrowing his brow, Jamie cocked his head, "Bunny?"

"Yep."

Wondering why in the world his mom named her bunny, Bunny he twisted his mouth in confusing, "Why'd she do that?"

"I think it was the first thing that came to her. Kinda like how you named Chester. It just popped in her head." Jamie yawned again and seeing his son do it caused Nathan to do the same, "You're making me tired bud."

"Sorry." Jamie sunk his head into the pillow and pulled his comforter up.

Nathan realized that Jamie was ready for bed so he leaned over the bed and smiled, "Night Jame."

"Night Daddy."

Moving off the bed, Nathan walked to the doorway and hit the light switch. Jamie's room went dark and he started for the master bedroom. Nathan saw that Haley was lying on his side of the bed and smiled. Maybe it was helping her get over whatever bug she'd caught.

He lifted his shirt over his body and slid his pants down his legs. He found some pajama bottoms and quickly pulled them on then slid into bed.

Haley felt the shift from Nathan's added weight and opened her eyes. She did feel a little better but really didn't want him to get sick. She was about to suggest that he sleep in the guest room, but when she felt his strong arms wrap around her middle she couldn't find the words.

With her back to him, he couldn't see if she was ready to protest, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep next to his wife. His hands had a firm grip on her, and he wasn't letting go. He could feel the slight vibrations of her skin from her shivers and he wanted to keep her warm. Nathan slipped his fingers to the hem of her shirt and started to push it up.

Haley was wide awake now. She hadn't minded all that much when he'd wrapped his arms around her but pushing her shirt was not what she had in mind. "Nathan?"

"Hales, you're freezing." He continued to push the shirt up her back.

She knew that, but if she was so cold why was he taking her clothes off? "Nathan, I know you care but how does this help?"

Nathan told her to lift her arms and even though she wasn't too sure on how it was helping she did as he asked. Once her top was off he pulled her bare back into his chest, "Body heat Hales. Best kind of heat there is."

Haley's back fit perfectly against his chest and she felt herself shiver again, but his time it wasn't because she'd been feeling bad. Nathan just had that way about him.

As they lay together as they always did Haley suddenly felt a lot better. She didn't know if was was one of those 12 hour things or if it was overcast by the adoration she was feeling for her husband.

She loosened out of his grip and Nathan opened his eyes, "Where'd you go?"

Haley picked up the thermometer and stuck it in her mouth. She turned so Nathan could see what she was doing and he nodded.

"You still feel bad? You want some water or something?"

He had no idea that she was feeling so much better and the concern he had for her had Haley's heart racing. As soon as she could, she took the thermometer out of her mouth and read the number, 98.8. That wasn't much of a fever.

"I feel fine. Better, at least." Haley threw the thermometer back on the beside table and then rolled over to Nathan.

"You sure? I'll get you something if you need it."

Haley couldn't take it anymore. Wasn't he aware of the fact that she only wanted him? Even if she still had a slight temperature she figured he'd been around her long enough that he would either get it or not, there was no reason to try and stay away now. Haley moved a little closer and pulled down on his neck.

Nathan was a little take back by her efforts but was fully cooperative. He wasn't going to deny Haley of anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't still worried. Once he' d kissed her and when they parted he shook his head, "Are you sure you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I feel so much better than I did this afternoon and I would like it if you kissed me."

"Haley?" He raised his brow, "Don't you think we should sit this one out. If you're sick then maybe it's not such a good idea."

Haley started to sit up, "Nathan. I'm not a hasty or impetuous person. I think I know myself pretty well and I'm feeling fine. If it's you who doesn't want to do this then that's another story. Just because I was feeling bad a little while ago doesn't mean..."

As he'd done on countless occasions, he silenced her ramble with a kiss. It was just what she wanted.

Nathan moved over so he was hovering over her and when they parted Haley smiled, "I was rambling wasn't I?"

"You were rambling." He leaned down to kiss her again, "But I love it."

She laughed and her arms traveled across his chest, around his sides, and then she desperately clung on to his back. When he felt Nathan's lips move across her jaw line and down to her neck she sighed heavily. There was always a certain spot he'd hit, just below her ear that always made her moan.

After watching all he did that day, to take care of her, to take care of Jamie Haley had decided she needed to get sick more often. Having Nathan take care of her and seeing how concerned he was, was something she still had to get used to. They'd been married nearly seven years and he never ceased to amaze her. All those years ago he'd told her that he would always protect her, that he'd always be there for her, and he had been. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**I know a few of y'all wanted to see this kind of scenario and I hope it was how you imagined it. Again, to my reviewers. THANK YOU! To those of you who don't have accounts, you all get shout outs: mazzy, Hadley, Becky, Kutebloo, jojo88, Emma, Danielle, bethanyfan23, and Joan thank you for your feedback and support!**

**A few specific things I wanted to comment on:**

**naley3: Oh the brothers.... They were something I always kept shying away from. But when I ever come back to this I'll be sure to do a chapter with them. I was thinking about your idea and another one of my reviewers suggested that maybe one of Haley's brothers friends reemerges (one who Haley had a serious crush on as a kid) and then play into that. Would that be something a long the lines of what you would have wanted to see?**

**BDavis: I like the idea of Lily and Jamie having a play date while Nathan and Lucas kind of watch over them. The image of those two guys with babies/toddlers is cute. But, writing small children is always hard. They don't do much and I'd have to have a lot of description (IMO, the worst part of my writing) But...I still like the idea.**

***Keep those votes rolling in on Eonline. Maybe we'll get a season 8. This hiatus is torture and not knowing if it's coming back is even worse.**

**Important: Sadly I have bad news to relay. Little Moments has met it's end. Yeah, I know you didn't get any notice or a head up, and some of y'all probably thought I was going to be posting more chapters, but life has gotten in the way of things and I just can't continue. Boo, I know. But I can't thank you guys for all the support and feedback. This was my first story and I never would have imagined the response to be so positive. I don't think any of you will know just how much that meant to me. Maybe one day I'll pick this back up, maybe one day soon, but as of now I've hit pause. I know that I said I wanted to help you guys get through the hiatus and I'm bummed that I can't give you your Naley fix. I'm so sorry for the short notice but maybe after a little while I'll be able to come back. Who knows. Thanks again for all the support. It's meant the world!**

**I'd still love it if you gave me your thoughts on this chapter or overall comments.**

**-ReeseHolden**


	48. Call Me a Fool

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 48: Call Me a Fool**

**Disclaimer: It all belongs to Mark and co.**

**A/N: APRIL FOOL'S!!! Bhahaha, I got you didn't I? Did y'all really think I'd just stop like that, hang it all up and not write another little moment? I couldn't do that, and I won't. I have no intention of stopping this fic anytime soon. Actually, as long as my review count is up and people are still interested, this thing will always stay in progress. And speaking of reviews thank you all for such nice messages, you all were so nice and supportive! So, Happy April Fool's guys. I hope you all enjoy this holiday themed chapter, I promise I won't prank you all again. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

April weather was always pleasant in North Carolina. The azaleas were in bloom, Spring claimed what was rightfully her's, and Winter hid away while sunlight and blue skies painted a beautiful landscape. There was one thing that wasn't always so pleasant however, April Fool's Day.

As long as they'd been together, almost eight years, Nathan and Haley had been one upping each other each year with the pranks. For the most part Nathan always came out victorious, but change was in the air. Today Haley was going to get him back.

In typical Nathan fashion, he was going to start off easy, and then build off of that. He'd woken up first which presented him with an ideal position. All he needed was some shaving cream.

Slipping out of bed and quietly walking to the bathroom, Nathan squirted a dollop of mint smelling Barbasol into his hand. Once he was happy with the amount he looked in the mirror and childishly grinned. Still looking at himself, basking in the glory he was about to receive, he raised his brow, "Here we go."

Nathan crept back into the bedroom and saw that Haley was lying comfortably on her back and he smiled. She was in the perfect position. He dropped the white fluffy foam onto her hand and used his finger tip to lightly patterns on her cheek.

Haley started to squirm and then he saw it. Her cream covered hand was heading right for her face. With a splat Haley did just as he'd wanted. She'd tried to scratch her face and since Nathan put the shaving cream on her hand the result was priceless.

Startled by what she felt Haley slowly opened her eyes. He was met with his smiling face.

"Morning Hales."

Opening her eyes a little wider, Haley raised her hand and noticed that it was covered in white stuff. She touched her cheek and found that it was frothy to the touch. "Ugh!"

Nathan leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "April Fool's Hales." He looked down at Haley and laughed, "Score one for me."

She shook her head in disbelief, but when she looked up and saw that sexy smirk plastered on Nathan's face she knew she couldn't stay mad at him. Haley sat up in bed careful not to get any more shaving cream on the comforter and shook her head. "You couldn't even wait till I was awake huh? You just had to be the first."

He nodded, "You know me, I try and win em all."

Haley laughed and nodded. He was right. Nathan tried his hardest at any and all competitions. Their April Fool's day pranks weren't really a competition but Nathan did love to have the upper hand.

He walked over to the door and looked over his shoulder, "Why don't you wash up and I'll get Jamie."

Haley silently nodded. She really wanted to get all that stuff off her. When Haley went into the bathroom he made sure she'd shut the door and laughed. He was just getting started. Nathan walked to Jamie's room and knocked hard on the door frame.

Jamie pulled the covers over his face, "Can't a guy just get some sleep?" They boy grunted which caused Nathan to laugh.

"You might wanna be up for this though bud."

Flinging the covers off his body Jamie turned his head quickly to his father, "Oh yeah, April Fool's. Have you gotten Mama yet?"

Leaning further into the door frame Nathan nodded, "Got her with the shaving cream just a minute ago."

Jamie's shoulders started to rise and fall and he was laughing. It was always fun to see what happened between his parents on April Fool's Day. "Where is she now?"

"In the bathroom."

"Oh." Jamie sounded a little defeated. He wanted for his dad to have something else planned. At least, so he could get in on the action.

Nathan walked closer to Jamie's bed and displayed what he had hidden behind his back, "She'll probably be in there for a while." Nathan held out the bathroom door knob.

"You took off the knob?" Jamie's eyes were wide with anticipation.

Nodding, Nathan laughed, "Yep."

A faint banging echoed through the house and then they both heard Haley yell.

"Nathan! Nathan I know you're out there. Let me out right now!"

Both father and son where keeled over laughing as they heard Haley shout some more.

"Jamie? Are you up? Honey go get your father!"

The little boy's grin widened and he had to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter. Once he'd calmed down he looked to his dad, "Maybe you should let her out."

Nathan smiled, "Yeah, I guess I should."

Jamie hopped out of his bed and followed Nathan into the master bedroom. As they walked in the room they could here Haley still calling out.

"Someone please let me out!"

Nathan nudged Jamie forward and the little boy cleared his throat, "Morning Mama."

"Oh, Jamie, thank God. Look, I'm stuck and I need you to go find your dad. He took off the inside knob and I can't get out."

Jamie looked up to his dad and shrugged. Nathan raised his finger to his mouth and started to use hand signals for what he wanted Jamie to say.

"Jamie? Hello? Are you still out there?"

"Yes." Jamie smiled and spoke again, "Daddy went for a run. He said he'd be back in a little while but that the bacon would be done soon."

Haley was frantic. "Bacon? Did he leave bacon cooking on the stove?" Haley imagined their kitchen covered in smoke and that their house would catch on fire at any minute.

Jamie's belly started to shake as he laughed a little, but he was able to keep quiet. He collected himself and spoke up, "I don't know but the pan is sizzling and popping."

"Oh God. Jamie listen to me. You've to got to get me out of here. Are you sure you don't know where the knob went."

"Maybe it's downstairs." Jamie ran over to his room for a sec and then ran right back. His dad was smiling wide listening to Haley pace the bathroom floor.

Nathan figured he better not let her worry too much so he held the knob out for Jamie.

"I got it Mama."

Haley took a step closer to the door and sighed, "Okay..." She was trying to think of ways he could get her the knob but then she realized she didn't even need it. "Buddy just open the door from the outside." She didn't know why it had taken her so long to realize she didn't need the inside door knob.

Jamie looked over to his father who nodded so he opened the door.

The first thing Haley did when she got out of the bathroom was make sure Jamie was okay, then she raised her nose to the air and realized it didn't smell like bacon, or smoke, or anything at all.

"Should I call the fire department." Nathan sarcastically asked Haley.

She whipped her head towards him so fast her whole world was spinning. "Nathan! I thought you were gone!"

"April Fool's Hales." Nathan got up from the bed and walked over to her. He had the inside knob in his hands and held it out in front of him. "I guess I should put this back huh?"

Haley scowled at him, "That really wasn't very nice. I'm locked in the bathroom and then I think you left burning bacon downstairs. Do you know how worried I got."

Nathan clicked the door knob back in place and walked over to her, "It was a joke. You know I'd never do something that dumb."

Shaking her head Haley sighed, "But still..."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out."

Jamie hopped up on the bed and looked at his parents. "So what's the score now?" He knew all about the game, the competition, and was curious as to who was winning.

Nathan smirked and looked at Haley, "I'm up two to nothing. Looks like your mom's gonna have to make a comeback."

Haley cut her eyes at him. If he only knew what she had up her sleeve. He'd just have to wait and find out.

**OTHOTH**

It was hard to believe that even with all the craziness from the morning, Haley was able to get Jamie to school on time. He'd made a pact with his dad that he would get to help out later and Nathan agreed. Jamie also mentioned that he was in the safe zone, that his dad wasn't allowed to do anything to him. Nathan also agreed to that but the likely hood of him keeping that promise was not probable. It was April Fool's Day, nothing was off limits.

Haley got back home from dropping Jamie at school and saw Nathan eating a bowl of cereal and sat down next to him. She had a coffee cup in her hand and slid it over to him. "Three to nothing."

Nathan started laughing, "How many people did you drive by that were pointing and telling you to stop."

Haley cut her eyes, "I think all of the Mom's in the carpool line did." She shook her head, "I think I was the only one in line who has a husband who puts magnets on a coffee cup and sticks it to the roof the car."

"You know you love it." He took a bit bite of his cereal and saw her walk over to the sink.

She turned to him and nodded, "I do." She leaned on the counter and looked him over. He was dressed in a basketball shorts and a Chief t-shirt and she bit her bottom lip. "You know I was thinking..." She walked over to him and smirked, "Since I'm currently unemployed, you're home, and we have a lot of counter space..." Haley moved her hand across the buttons of her shirt and undid the top one, "Maybe we could fool around?"

Nathan dropped his spoon in his bowl and the loud clank made Haley laugh. He got up off the stool so fast that she didn't have time to breath before his lips landed on hers. If only he'd heard what she said.

When Haley felt Nathan's hands roam over her back she knew he was going to be terribly disappointed with the way things were going to end. He quickly made work of her shirt and she was left standing in her bra and khaki shorts. Haley ran her hands over his chest and without thinking about it, he pulled his shirt over his head so the playing field was even.

"You're beautiful." Nathan looked at Haley and it almost shook the sense out of her. The way his eyes followed her curves, the way his fingers felt on her skin, the way she felt in his arms; they were things that had her reconsidering her idea in the first place.

She kissed him and as their bodies pressed together she could feel the heat radiating from his chest and a little bit lower she could tell he was excited about their impetuous rendezvous. When she felt his fingers at the edges of her bra she knew she had to act fast.

Haley moved away from their kiss and when Nathan looked at her with a furrowed brow she smiled and kissed his cheek. Taking a step away from her husband and gathering up her shirt Haley arched her eyebrow.

Nathan was standing in the kitchen shirtless and dumbfounded that Haley put a stop to things.

"Hales?"

Slipping her hands through her sleeves Haley shrugged, "Three to one baby. Three to one."

Haley walked out of the kitchen and as soon as she left the kitchen she laughed out loud. How she'd managed to pull that one off, she'd never know. But the good thing was that she got a point. It was nothing compared to what would happen to later, but it was a start.

Nathan was still standing in the kitchen and he shook his head, "You've got to be kidding me." He was talking to himself and he shifted his weight at the uncomfortableness of the situation. There was nothing worse than getting into things and then have something ruin it all. As unfortunate as it was, Nathan had to hand it to her. She'd gotten him pretty good. He felt the stiffness below his waist and grimaced, she'd gotten him really good.

**OTHOTH**

Lunch rolled around and when Haley walked into the kitchen was surprised to see Nathan preparing sandwiches.

"Whatcha doing?"

Nathan looked up, "Making a sandwich, you want one?"

Nodding, Haley smiled, "Actually that sounds really nice."

Haley took a seat at the counter and watched as Nathan got out two more pieces of bread. She picked up the magazine that was lying next to her flipped through it. She glanced at Nathan and saw that he was spreading mustard on his sandwich.

"You know what that makes me think of?"

Nathan looked up and shrugged, "What?"

"High school."

"High school?" Nathan laughed and arched his brow.

Haley nodded, "Yeah, you worked at that pretzel place and there was always mustard around. I think you even smelled like mustard one day you came home."

Grimacing Nathan frowned, "Sorry." He laughed and shook his head, "I think I'm happy that my pretzel days are over."

"Well the NBA's next." Haley smiled his way and nodded, "It's just a matter of time Nathan."

It was a true statement. It was just a matter of time before he got that call. Nathan loved how optimistic Haley was. She was always behind him one hundred percent and he couldn't be more thankful. She'd gone to every game she could and she'd been the one to push him back on the court.

Nathan put the final touches on their sandwiches and took the plates over to Haley. He set hers down in front of her and then sat next to her. They'd been having a nice moment, a nice lunch, and he was about to ruin it all.

He bit into his sandwich and waited for Haley to do the same. Once she did he kept his eyes glued to her.

Haley took a bite but something was off. Something was really off. The meat or something had been a lot tougher than she'd imagined so she really had to bite hard. It was when she started chewing that she realized Nathan had done something. She turned to him and saw him laughing and enjoying his perfectly okay lunch.

Afraid to swallow what she had in her mouth she put her sandwich down and started to take it a part layer by layer. The bread looked fine. Nothing was wrong with it. The turkey was alright too. Underneath the turkey, however, was the problem. The cheese. She picked it up and tossed it on his plate.

Nathan laughed and watched as Haley got up to get a napkin. Once she spit her food out she shook her head. "Really?"

Shrugging Nathan looked at her with that Scott smirk and sarcastically winced, "Sorry, did I forget to take the wrapper off the cheese?"

Haley peeled her eyes at him. "Yes."

Picking up his own sandwich, he took a huge bite savoring the normal texture and flavor. he smiled. "Four to one Hales."

Haley folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. She was going to have to step up her game.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Jamie were waiting in the foyer looking out the door waiting on Haley to show up. Jamie had binoculars pushed up against his face and Nathan was looking out the window.

"Okay bud, you know the drill right?"

Jamie lowered the binoculars and looked up to his dad. "Yeah, act cool. Don't cause a scene. I got it."

Nathan tried not to laugh at his son because he'd just gotten him. Jamie didn't know it yet but Nathan pranked him too. Nathan had lined the rims of the binoculars with eyeblack so when Jamie pressed into the binoculars he was getting black lines around his eyes.

It was all part of Nathan's plan. He was going to get Haley and Jamie both at the same time.

Raising the binoculars to his face Jamie looked out the window and saw Haley's car pull up. "Mama's home."

Nathan smiled, "Alright I'm gonna go sit on the couch and you act like you just came down the stairs." Jamie nodded and they both waited for the front door to open.

Haley had been at the studio for the majority of the afternoon and had a very nice prank-free rest of the day, but as soon as she walked in the door she knew something was bound to happen. When she stepped inside Jamie came down the stairs and Haley looked at her son worriedly, "Jamie what happened?"

"I'm fine." He didn't know why his mom looked worried.

"Honey, you have stuff all over your face."

Scrunching his forehead Jamie looked at Nathan, "Dad!"

Nathan knew it wasn't the nicest of things to do when Jamie had asked him not to, but he couldn't help it. Nathan got off the couch and walked toward his family. He looked at Jamie and rubbed the little boy's head, "April Fool's Jame."

Haley frowned and lead Jamie into the kitchen, "Why don't we get that washed off?"

Jamie climbed up on the counter and sat waiting on his mom to wipe him clean of whatever he had on him.

As Haley got out a paper towel she walked over to the sink and looked at her son. "You know, he's gotten me four times today?"

Nathan was standing a few feet away and smiled when she said that. It was about to be five.

Haley turned the water on but instead of coming from the faucet it shot out of the sprayer and the cold wetness was landing right on Haley's chest.

The water took her breath away and Jamie looked on as his mom got soaked. He wasn't so concerned with his new face paint but was baffled by what was happening next to him.

It took Haley a second to regain a right mind set, and when she did she immediately turned the sink off.

Cold from the shower she'd just received, she turned to glare at her husband. But there was that smirk again, that sexy smirk she'd fallen in love with all those years ago.

Nathan shrugged and smiled at Haley, "Five to one Hales, looks like I'm pulling away." He walked out of the kitchen and left his wife and son in soak up what just happened.

Jamie's mouth was open and he didn't know what to do. His dad was good.

Haley looked down at her sopping wet shirt and laughed, "Wow, wasn't expecting that." She looked over to Jamie and smiled at the mess of his face. Nathan had gotten them both.

"Have you gotten him yet Mama?"

"I have, but it wasn't anything like this." Haley took a damp paper towel and started to wipe of Jamie's face.

"What did you do?"

Haley finished Jamie's left eye and looked her son over, "Um...nothing really." She moved to his right eye and wiped it clean. "You're all good bud."

Jamie hopped off the counter and ran towards the stairs. Haley sighed and tugged at her wet shirt. She cleaned up any of the excess water that had sprayed onto the counter and floor then made her way upstairs as well. After dinner, later that night, Haley would get her chance. Nathan was in for a world of hurt.

**OTHOTH**

Haley needed for Nathan to get out of the house for a little while so she suggested that he take Jamie to the rivercourt for a little while. It would give her enough time to figure out her game plan and make sure everything was set up.

They boys had been gone close to forty minutes when Nathan called to tell her that they were on the way home. Once Jamie was bathed and in bed Nathan walked into the bedroom and sighed.

"So I guess I win? You kind of flopped this year Hales."

Haley walked into the bathroom and smiled. He was speaking way too soon. "I know, I just wasn't feeling it." Haley squirted some moisturizer in her palm and ran her hands over her face. She looked to the shower and smirked.

Nathan walked in the bathroom and pulled his shirt over his head. "I'm gonna rinse off then I'll come to bed."

Haley nodded and turned to the door, "Take your time." She couldn't hide the smile that was quickly spreading over her face.

Nathan stepped out of his shorts and then opened the shower door. He turned the handle and felt the water rush over his body. All was well until he smelled the faint aroma of fruit punch. He'd had his eyes closed and and when he opened them he saw that the water was not clear but red. He gasped in fear and stepped away from the spray.

"Haley!"

When she'd heard the water come on she knew he was going to freak. She'd managed to unscrew the shower head and dump a nice amount of Kool-aid mix into the head so a fruity rained down on him.

"Haley, what the hell!"

She silently laughed and she heard him call out again.

He'd let the water run for a while until he was sure all the powder had been washed away. "Where's my shampoo!?"

Nathan looked at the water running from the shower head and shook his head, "Haley!"

Slowly getting out of bed Haley grabbed the bottle off the dresser and walked into the bathroom. Nathan stuck his head out of the shower.

"Do you have my shampoo?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah, but since you got all fruit punchy you'll need to let this soak for like five minutes. It'll get all the sugar and artificial ingredients out." She laughed and handed him the bottle.

Nathan rolled his eyes and took the bottle. He quickly squirted a handful in his hand and ran it through his hair. It smelled a little strange and he looked at the bottle. It was a plain black without writing so he was a little concerned.

"Hales, what is this stuff? Is it organic or something." He yelled her way hoping she would say yes.

Haley laughed and shrugged, "Yeah, remember to keep it in for five minutes till you wash it out."

Nathan made sure to wash when he was supposed to, and when he was finally done he was free of fruit punch and anything else that had accumulated over the day. He turned the water off and grabbed a towel. Once he was dry he wrapped the towel across his hips and walked into the bedroom.

Haley glanced up from her book and her jaw about hit the floor. Obviously he hadn't checked the mirror yet.

Grabbing a pair of underwear he put them on and then walked back into the bathroom.

Waiting for his response, Haley sat on the edge of her seat.

Nathan walked to the sink and put on his deodorant then glanced up. "What the...HALEY!!"

Haley bit her lip and got up off the bed. She slowly walked into the bathroom and saw Nathan picking through his hair.

"What did you do?" Nathan turned around and his dark raven hair was no longer dark, it was light brown.

"April Fool's." She walked up to him and smiled.

He shook his head, "Please tell me I can wash this out."

Haley stood next to him and wrapped her arms around his frame. She leaned her cheek against his bicep and could smell him. He was so caught up with his hair he failed to realize that she'd also scraped the top of his deodorant and replaced it with cream cheese. "It'll only last a week or something."

He shook his head and sighed heavily. As he looked in the mirror he realized he would never make it as a light haired person. He didn't have the skin tone for it.

Haley leaned into his side and laughed.

"What now?" He looked down and furrowed his brow.

She giggled and patted his chest, "Might want to check your deodorant." Haley walked out of the bathroom and left Nathan to himself.

"Ugh, Haley!"

As she slipped back under the covers she smiled. He was still in the lead but probably not for long, that hair dye had to be worth ten points alone.

When Nathan walked back into the bedroom he climbed into bed next to his wife. She turned to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"You look really different."

Nathan closed his eyes and nodded, "I can't believe you managed to get me to do this."

"I'm a genius." She rolled closer to him and kissed him sweetly. "You look kinda like Lucas with that hair." She laughed and kissed him again, "I've always wanted to know what Lu..."

"Stop! Don't you say that. The last thing I want to hear is how you...how you've wanted to know how....."

Haley laughed and put her hand on his cheek, "April Fool's Nathan." She kissed him and smiled, "I don't want anyone but you."

He took a deep breath and smiled. That was exactly what he'd wanted. Nathan pulled Haley closer and kissed her again.

With that last little joke that bumped Haley to five. She'd gotten him good but the best part about it all was that they'd laugh about it tomorrow. Both of them had forgotten about the competition and that was how it always went. Every year they'd start out vying for that top spot, but in the end it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was how the day ended, and it was always the same. Nathan would pull Haley close and they'd both fall asleep thinking about each other.

Love was funny sometimes. Nathan and Haley Scott just took it literally.

**OTHOTH**

**So Nathan and Haley goof around a little, or maybe a lot, but it's cute right? Again, I'm sorry for leading you all on last chapter but the idea came to me and I was like...whoa, I wonder how that would go...so I did it. I'll be busy over Easter weekend with family stuff but I'm gonna try and update asap. I know I'm only a few away from a milestone but since I updated four times in the last six says I figured I might could get a pass. Don't worry though, you all know me...I won't be gone for long. The next chapter will be up soon.**

**To my lovely reviewers: Wow, all the response was so nice. They really do mean everything. All of y'alls words literally propel my mind and fingers to type away. Rachel, Joan, SJ, mazzy, Hadley, Diana, Tabby, Kellie, naley3love, and MagicalNaley23, Thank you so much for the reviews!!**

**Kutebloo: I actually will be posting my first "real" story (not a collection of oneshots) in the next few weeks so I hope you look out for that when I post.**

**MM and tasha: You both have things to read when you get home or are on the train now, yay!**

**Bethanyfan23: Congrats to you because you're the only one figured out the April Fool's thing!!**

**Again guys, I can't tell you all how much the feedback means. You are all so nice. I wish I could give you something in return, more chapters will have to suffice**. **If any of you have chapter ideas, scenarios feel free to send them my way. I'm all up for what my readers want. And new readers/people who've never reviewed..don't be shy, let me know what you think! Thank you all for the support!**

**Review!**


	49. Just Remembering

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 49: Just Remembering**

**Disclaimer: I am not one of the producers/writers/creators of OTH so sadly I don't own anything.**

**A/N: Happy Monday! Hey guys, I hope you all had a nice weekend. I did, and I'm back and ready to give you all a new chapter. First off, thank you all for the reviews. If I hadn't been busy with family stuff I would have been more than happy to get this chapter out faster. This one is high school Naley. It will begin with a scene from an episode we are all very familiar with and then have flashbacks to the good stuff. Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

The constant pounding of the rain echoed through the house and the lights had gone out a little while ago. They were about to begin to talk about all the big issues that surrounded their relationship, but before Haley could speak, her stomach did the talking for her. Nathan glanced at Haley and raised his brow.

"Are you hungry?"

Haley looked a little embarrassed that her stomach was louder than her mouth so she shyly nodded.

They both walked into the kitchen and Nathan pointed out all the food that happened to be missing consonants. Eventually they both settled on cereal took their seats at the counter. The conversation had been minimal because as Haley scarfed down her food as Nathan looked on curiously.

Haley slurped the remaining milk from the bowl and set it down. She noticed that he had a funny look on his face. "What? Yes, I had a second bowl, I was hungry."

Laughing Nathan shook his head, "No it's not that. I was just remembering."

She turned her kind eyes to him, "Remembering what?"

Nathan looked at Haley and it all came flooding back, "Your hair. You wore it that way the first day you tutored me."

Haley's mouth fell open a little and she chuckled, "You remember how I wore my hair the first time I tutored you?"

With a nonchalant nod, Nathan looked to her, "Of course."

Haley felt her chest tighten and her heartbeat increase, "What else do you remember?"

"I remember that ugly ass poncho that you wore." He laughed and then smirked to the petite girl to his right.

Haley's eyes widened and she shook her head, "Oh my God, yes, you've made your feelings for that particular item of clothing very clear." She smiled shaking her head. Nathan was right though, it was ugly. Her mom had made it for her so it was personal, it was unique, it was Haley. She turned on her stool to face him and pulled her legs up on his thigh, "Come on, tell me really."

Nathan's hand instantly held tight to her knee and he ran his hand along her pants, "Well, um, let's see. These jeans, you wore them the day we feel asleep in the park together." He smiled thinking about it and ran his hand down her leg and onto her boot, "And these shoes, you wore these the day we got stuck at the DMV for five hours while we waited for your new license with my last name on it."

Haley sighed and her lips curled into a smile. She looked down and then back to Nathan, "What about my shirt."

He paused for a moment and then looked straight at her. "You wore that shirt one morning and you sat in the living room playing that Beatles song on your guitar." Nathan took a deep breath and the glow from the candle light sparked his memory, "The sun framed your face so perfectly."

"Blackbird." Haley watched Nathan smile, "That was the name of the Beatles song I played."

Nathan nodded. That was it. He loved that song. He turned his attention back to his wife and his eyes softened, "I remember more than you think."

Haley didn't know if she would be nervous about that or not. She thought about it and knew that while they'd had their off moments, the majority of their relationship was filled with good ones. Those would be memories she'd one day tell her children, and her children's children.

**OTHOTH**

_The March air was cool and sweet. It was a random Sunday, but just because it was the weekend didn't mean that tutoring was on hold. Nathan needed all the help he could get, and Haley was never one to turn down an opportunity to help him. Instead of going to the library or staying at the apartment, Nathan and Haley decided that they'd give the park a try. The weather was nice, Haley had her books, and Nathan was ready to learn. Sort of._

_They walked hand in hand over to a grassy spot and sat down. Haley opened up her backpack and tossed Nathan his copy of The Great Gatsby. His book looked brand new compared to hers. Haley's had sticky notes and highlighter marks on nearly every page. It was going to be a long day._

_Haley sat with her legs underneath her and picked up her copy of the book, "So what page are you on?" Nathan looked up and smirked. Haley knew that look. He had multiple versions of that smirk but the one she was looking at now meant 'I haven't read any of it'. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "Nathan! The test is in a few days!"_

"_But I've got you." He was trying to play sweet with her because he knew he should have started the book a month ago._

_When she heard him say that a smile crept across her lips and she couldn't help but blush. She looked down at her left hand and saw the small golden band on her ring finger. He was right, he did have her. Hook, line, and sinker; but that didn't make up for the fact that he'd failed to do his reading assignments._

_Nathan could tell that she was disappointed in him, "It's a short book, Hales. We can knock it out in a day or so."_

_Haley scrunched her brow, "A day or so? Who do you like I am. Superwoman?"_

"_Something like that." He playfully smiled and scooted over to her. "You probably know all the secrets and signs anyway."_

"_Do you mean themes, motifs, symbols?" She corrected him._

"_Yeah, all that stuff." He shrugged as if he'd never heard those words before._

_Haley took a deep breath, "Nathan, you've got to know these things." She saw that he was nodding, "Let's just start from the beginning." Once more he nodded so Haley opened up to the first page. "Okay so Nick, Nick Carraway, he's the narrator. He starts off by telling us a little background and..."_

_Nathan looked at her confused, "Wait, Gatsby's not the narrator?" He turned his book around and looked at the cover, "It's called The Great Gatsby."_

_Laughing Haley shook her head, "Just wait a minute, we'll get to Gatsby. He's mentioned in the first chapter."_

_Nathan listened as Haley went on to describe the differences between East and West Egg and Nathan thought those were ridiculous names for places. He got a some background about Daisy, Tom, and Jordan and then he saw that Haley started to get more serious. She started to read out a little bit of the book and looked to Nathan._

"_So Nick gets a glimpse of Gatsby, but the important part is the green light on the dock."_

_Nathan smiled as he saw Haley using her hands to explain her enthusiasm, "A dock huh?" Maybe Nathan would like this book more than he thought. For the small amount of time he and Haley had been together docks were special to them._

_Haley smiled at him but shook her head, "No, the light. It represents everything Gatsby wants. His dreams, his goals..."_

"_Daisy?" Nathan looked at Haley with a curious eye._

"_Yes, exactly. She is his dream. Essentially Daisy Buchanan is Gatsby's American dream."_

_Nathan smiled as he thought about it. This book was nothing, he was going to ace the test. Why? Because, he already had something he could relate to. Nathan hadn't told her yet, and it would be years before he did, but Haley was his dream._

_For the next hour and a half Nathan watched in wonder as Haley helped him through the next few chapters. She really had a way with the whole tutoring thing. _

_After Haley had finished going over chapter 5 she turned to Nathan, "We're over halfway, you wanna stop for a minute?"_

_Nathan laid down in the lush grass and nodded, "Yes, please." He sighed heavily as his back met the soft greenness around them. Nathan lifted his head up and shielded his eyes from the sun. "Come here." He waved his hand at Haley and used his head for extra emphasis._

_She put her book down and scooted over to him. He opened his left arm and she laid her head against his shoulder. Haley could feel Nathan wrap his arm around her and she instantly felt comfortable. There was something about lying next to him, her head on his shoulder, or by his chest, and the way it made her feel that was perfect. Maybe it was the way he smelled, or the fact that whenever they laid like that he'd always put a protective arm around her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was something she'd come to love._

_He had his eyes closed and Nathan felt the same way Haley did. There was just something about having his girl in his arms. The fact that she was so close, that he could smell her shampoo, the idea that she was his and no one else's did a number on him. It was one of the best feelings he'd ever had._

_The afternoon light was beginning to change colors and Nathan felt his eyes start to feel really heavy. He ran his hand up and down Haley's arm and felt her bury her head further into his body. For the last month he'd learned that was the tell tale sign that she was about to fall asleep. It was crazy the amount of things someone learned about another person when they lived together. _

_Nathan never imagined that his junior year would include vows and finding the love of his life, but as he felt Haley stir against him he wouldn't change a thing. Yeah, they were young but love knew no age. It didn't matter that they'd gotten their marriage certificate before their high school diplomas. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled, "I love you Haley James Scott."_

_She didn't say anything back but the steady rise and fall of her chest and the soft murmurs that echoed off her lips gave him the mild suspicion that she was asleep. With all the talking and teaching she'd done in the last few hours Haley probably was tired. Nathan closed his eyes and soon enough the young couple were both lost in sleep._

_It had been about an hour and Nathan felt something tapping his shoulder._

"_Young man? Young man, you two might want to wake up." An elderly woman looked to the sky and and grimaced, "Looks like rain will be rolling through."_

_Nathan blinked a few times and saw that the thing that had been taping him was a cane and that a sweet looking old lady was hoovered over both him and Haley._

"_Rain I said! You two might want to head on home." The lady nodded her head and went on her way._

_Nathan thought the situation through and smiled as he laid his head back on the grass. He looked to the sky and saw that the clouds were turning more and more gray but the light outside was already starting to fade. They'd need to go soon, but if within the next fifteen minutes it rained, that would be perfectly fine. A little rain wasn't going to kill them._

**OTHOTH**

_Three days after they'd gotten married Haley woke up at 6:00am. For a school day that may have been normal but it was a Saturday. She needed to be one of the first in line because the lines at the DMV __were notoriously long. Renewing licenses, getting licenses, tags, and registration; all that stuff happened in one building with one teller. Yes, they had multiple lines and other employees who could work the other counters but strangely enough it didn't work like that. The state department must have made it a rule that all people at the Department of Motor Vehicles had to spend the majority of their day stuck in lines._

_Nathan rolled over in bed and knew that he was alone in the tangled sheets. He opened his eyes and saw Haley brushing her hair in the bathroom._

"_Hales? What are you doing up so early?"_

_She frowned and tiptoed to the bedroom, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."_

_Nathan sat up and rubbed his eyes, "It's fine, but what's up?"_

_Walking over to the closet Haley grabbed her brown boots and looked over to Nathan, "I'm going to the DMV."_

_He knew exactly why she was going and a sudden rush of pride ran through his veins. Nathan tossed the covers off his body and walked over to her. He grabbed her by the hips and smirked, "You're that eager to get your license changed?"_

_Haley glanced up to him and nodded. One look at her brown eyes had him in knots. He couldn't believe they were married. Before Nathan even realized what he was doing he felt his lips connect with hers. Haley dropped the boot in her hand and instantly wrapped her arms around his sides. _

_Nathan couldn't get a hold of himself. Knowing that Haley was going to change her name on her license was the sexiest thing he could ever think of. Haley James Scott, it had a nice ring to it. The thoughts about Haley being his and only his ran through his head and he pulled her over to the bed._

"_Nathan..." Haley was breathless but she didn't seem to be complaining. "I gotta go...."_

_He either wasn't listening or didn't care. His hands guided her down onto the bed and he looked at her as they both hit the sheets. "Hales...it can wait."_

_She couldn't get in a word because she was silenced by his kiss, but when they parted she shook her head, "Nathan I want to get this done." As much as she wanted to spend the day with him in bed she really wanted to get to the DMV. She'd have to wait till next weekend if she didn't go now._

_Nathan sighed heavily and nodded. He understood. If he was in her shoes he'd want to do the same thing. "Alright, but I'm going with you." Nathan kissed her once more and walked straight into the bathroom. He'd have to hurry if they wanted to miss all the crowds._

_It felt like butterflies were flapping away in Haley's stomach. She didn't know if it was because of what had almost happened a second ago or if it was the fact that Nathan wanted to go with her to the DMV. While she thought about it, she was pretty sure it was the latter of the two. It was such a simple task, going to the DMV, but he wanted to do it with her. They were a team._

_Nathan emerged from the bathroom fully clothed and ready to head out. "You ready Hales?"_

_She was surprised at his speed and quickly put the boot she failed to put on before on the right foot, "Yeah, I'm good let's go."_

_He waited for to her walk over to him and they left the apart side by side. He still had his Mustang so they both got in and Nathan drove towards their destination. Nathan reached his right hand over the console and opened his palm. Haley put her hand in his and he used his thumb to run it over her fingers. He could feel her ring and he got the chills. It wasn't like he was afraid of it but that it was real. Her ring was a smaller version of the one he had on, and if what they were about to do wasn't any inclination that it was real those two bands were._

_Pulling into a parking spot, Haley quickly jumped out and headed towards the doors. Nathan laughed at her antics but he knew she just wanted to get a good spot in line. She'd disappeared among the crowd and when Nathan entered the building his eyes bulged, "Damn." There were probably close to two hundred people in the lengthy line._

_Haley waved Nathan over and when he stood next to her an older man glared at him. Haley saw Nathan cut his eyes and she wanted to avoid any confrontation, "Oh no sir, he's just here to keep me company. He's not breaking in line."_

_Nathan felt Haley's hand on his back and kept his mouth shut. He didn't appreciate the look the guy was giving him but he knew better than to cause a scene._

_The older man rolled his eyes and whipped out the newspaper at his side._

_Haley looked at Nathan and tried not to laugh because the older guy was acting like a little kid. Haley was standing in front of Nathan and she felt him lean down close to her shoulder._

"_That guy's a prick."_

_Her eyes went wide and she quickly turned around, "Shh!" She pointed at the guy and shook her head. Her voice changed into a whisper, "He's right there."_

_Nathan smirked and laughed it off, "Don't worry about it Hales. He may be older but I've got at least three inches on him."_

_The next thirty minutes went by rather quickly but after that time seemed to drag on. They had only moved up a couple people and Nathan was starting to get antsy. He leaned down to Haley again, "Wanna play a game?"_

"_What kind of game? I spy?"_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head. I Spy was for five year olds. What was it with Haley and kiddie things? Her favorite food was something off the kids menu and the first game she thinks of was I Spy "No, not I Spy." _

_Haley shrugged, "What is it then?"_

"_Slap."_

_Haley furrowed her brow, "Slap?"_

"_Yeah, you know the hand slapping game." He extended his hands in front of him and waited for Haley to place hers over his._

_She was hesitant to put her hands down, "Nathan, don't do it hard."_

"_I won't, I'd never hurt you Hales." He smiled and nodded his head, "So come on." He wiggled his fingers and smirked._

_Haley held her hands over his and watched diligently for the sign that he was ready to slap. Every time he flinched she flinched. He'd push his fingers to her palm and tap them trying to tease her. After a little bit he kept flinching and once she started to laugh he knew it was the opportune moment to slap her, so he did. It wasn't hard but Haley's face showed all of her disappointment._

"_Nathan! That wasn't fair. I wasn't looking. You made me laugh."_

"_Sorry Hales, your turn." He held his hands out with his palms facing the floor and Haley put hers underneath. _

_She bit her lip and smiled. Haley took a step closer to him and used her nails to scratch his palms. "I think you've underestimated me?"_

_Nathan scrunched his brown and shook his head. Just as he did that, he felt the soft collision their hands made as she hit him._

"_Gotcha."_

"_Wait a second. That wasn't...you were asking me a question."_

_Haley shrugged and smiled up at her husband, "All's fair in love and war."_

_Nathan shook his head, "Who is that Shakespeare?"_

_Laughing, Haley shook her head, "Nope, John Lyly."_

_He had no idea who that was or if he was supposed to know him but he loved hearing Haley talk like that. He'd never met anyone so smart. He was sure that she knew everything there was to know. She'd taught him more than he'd ever thought possible. He learned about love, and life, and kindness, and maybe how to correctly use affect versus effect. Nathan had never been one for school but he was looking forward to the next sixty years of his life. As long as there were things to be learned Nathan had it in the bag, he'd married his tutor after all._

_Haley had turned to face the front and while Nathan was thinking about how much Haley taught him he felt her lean into him._

"_How much you want to bet that we're here for at least another hour?" She laughed and then turned back to him._

_He nodded but made an even more extreme guess, "I'd say more like two hours. This line has hardly moved since we got here."_

_Haley sighed heavily, "Well if you hadn't been so...friendly this morning, we maybe could have left earlier."_

"_Hey I didn't see you stopping anything."_

_Haley cut her eyes and nodded, "I tried, but it wasn't like you weren't making it easy for me."_

_Nathan smirked. That was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to hear. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Haley, "I can tell you right now I'd rather be home than here."_

_Haley blushed the deepest shade of red she was sure she'd ever turned, and the fiery feeling in her face shot up to a million degrees. It had only been a few days since the first time they'd actually been intimate with one another, and ever since, both of them had a hard time resisting each other._

_Nathan knew it and whispered seductively in her ear, "Maybe our friend behind us can save our spot and we can go to the bathroom or the car..."_

_Haley's face remained beet red and she smacked Nathan on the shoulder, "Nathan! My face is going to stay like this if you don't quit it."_

_He smiled, "I kind of like it." It was the truth. The good girl thing was something he admired._

_She didn't say anything else for fear Nathan would throw some comeback her way, so after a little while her face returned to normal._

_They'd kept busy for a while and once they were at the end of the line they both groaned when they realized they were directed to another, equally as long, line._

_Once Haley had made it to the front the time had elapsed to almost four and a half hours. It was a ridiculous amount to time, but the end result would be worth it. Haley ran her fingers through her hair and walked up to the counter and paid the fee and had the papers that would confirm her name change._

_A woman in her fifties was behind the counter and smiled at the young girl. "Your here to get a new license?"_

"_Yes ma'am." Haley handed her her the form and papers and smiled, "I'm getting my new name on my license too." The worker looked at the sixteen year old girl. Haley was beaming and stole a glance Nathan's way, "I got married."_

"_No kidding." The woman looked to the line of people and Haley pointed at Nathan._

"_He's the one in the red shirt and dark hair."_

_The woman saw the young man and nodded, "You've got yourself quite the catch." _

_Haley nodded and then saw the woman typing in the new information. Haley took her spot on the 'X' on the floor and looked at the camera. _

"_On the count of three honey." The woman counted and a flash emitted from the camera. A temporary paper copy of her license popped up from the printer and the employee handed it to Haley, "Here you go, Mrs. Scott. You should be getting your permanent one in the mail in a few weeks."_

"_Thank you. Thank you so much." Haley walked back over to Nathan and held out her temporary license._

_Nathan studied the little card and laughed, "Five four?"_

_Haley shrugged, "What?"_

_They walked out of the DMV and Nathan shook his head, "Haley, there is no way you are five four." He stepped close to her and laughed, "I'm six two and we've got at least a foot height difference."_

"_Well, everyone fibs a little on their license." Haley grimaced, "Right?"_

_Nathan was still laughing, "Maybe with those boots you hit five four but there is no way..."_

_Haley suddenly got insecure about how short she was, "You hate it don't you?"_

"_What?" Nathan heard the concern in her voice and didn't know why her tone had changed._

"_You hate that I'm short don't you?"_

_Shaking his head, Nathan handed the paper copy of the license back to her, "Are you kidding?" He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest, "You fit perfectly right here and I don't even mind that I have to lean down to kiss you. I be sixty five with a bad back, but I don't care."_

_Haley instantly lifted herself with her toes and pulled on Nathan's neck, "I love you."_

"_I love you too Haley." He kissed her once more and looked into her deep brown eyes, "Haley James Scott."_

_They both smiled at the way it sounded. It was definitely a good name. It was her name now and it always would be._

**OTHOTH**

_Nathan walked out of the bedroom and heard the familiar sound of Haley's guitar. He'd heard her play the song before and it was always something he loved hearing. He made it way to the living room and heard the song more clearly._

"_Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life. You were only waiting for this moment to arise." Haley plucked the G and then an Am7 and continued to strum through the rest._

_Nathan watched from behind her and knew that she had no idea he was there. It was the best way to watch her, to listen to her. Sometimes she got a little nervous in front of people but when it was just her and her instrument nothing got in the way. Nathan took a step closer and Haley turned around when the floor creaked. Her face met the warm sunlight as she faced Nathan he was sure that she never looked so beautiful._

"_You sounded great." Nathan walked over to her and sat down on the sofa._

_Haley put her guitar down, "How long have you been back there?"_

"_Not long." Nathan shrugged and looked at her guitar, "Keep on playing. I love it when you sing." He did. He knew that her voice was going to take her places._

_She picked her guitar back up but had a better idea. "Here." Haley handed him the guitar and smiled,"Wanna try it."_

"_Uh..." He didn't have a choice. She'd already put the guitar in his lap and scooted closer to him. "I don't think I'm going to be good a this."_

_Haley put her pointer finger on the second string on the second fret and her middle finger on the string below it. "This is an E minor." She took her fingers off the guitar and had him put his hand how her's was._

_He wasn't accustomed to the strings so pressing into his fingers and it was kind of painful. Haley saw him wince and laughed, "It'll go away after a while."_

_Nathan ran his right thumb over the strings and the sound that echoed out was less than pleasant._

"_Let's try this." Haley ran her hand over his right one and then her left over his. "Just relax. I'm gonna guide your movements."_

_Nathan felt her fingers on his and he suddenly felt a rush fire through his body. Her right hand helped him strum all six strings and she smiled when the sound came out. "See look, you're doing it."_

_He nodded and looked at her, "Anyone ever tell you you're a good tutor Haley James Scott?"_

_Haley laughed and ran her hand over his ear, "Maybe."_

_Nathan kissed her and nodded, "Well you are"_

_Haley put the guitar on the floor and then turned her attention back to Nathan. She reached for the fabric of his shirt and balled it up when she pressed her lips to his. Haley felt his finger's at the hem of her brown shirt and then his soft touch as they went up her back, and she smiled. Nathan may not be the next Slash, but he had great fingers. _

**OTHOTH**

Haley looked through the darkness and saw Nathan smile. The storm outside was still raging but through all the mess Haley knew one thing was certain. She and Nathan were going to come out of it all right. Haley got off the stool and took her bowl to the sink. Nathan was watching what she was doing and raised his brow.

Haley looked at him and waved her hand, "Come in here."

Nathan got up and headed toward the living room of his mom's house. Haley threw a few pillows on the floor and pulled the blanket off the couch. She hadn't asked him to do it, but Nathan walked over to the fireplace and turned a knob.

A flame started and Haley turned to Nathan curiously.

"Gas logs." Nathan sat down on the floor and laid his head back. He felt Haley's head on his stomach and smiled.

Haley was picking at her nails, nervous almost, and spoke up, "Tell me more. What else do you remember?"

Nathan sighed and he, out of habit, reached over with his left hand to lightly play with her hair, "I don't know, what do you want to hear?"

"Anything. Everything."

The twosome laid perpendicular to one another and Haley listened as Nathan told stories from their past. Some of them made her laugh, and some of them had her regretful, but no matter what emotion attached to each memory, it was the fact that she was with Nathan that was important. They were on their way back to being the couple they used to be. It would only take a little more time.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. High school Naley. I hope you all liked it. I'm not sure how I feel about the chapter. As always, thank you all so much for all the reviews for last chapter. They mean so much. Becky, tasha, Diana, Anon, Hadley, Alexis, Emma, and . Thank you all for the nice words!**

**Naleyfan: Happy tears right? And don't worry I don't have any more plans on tricking you guys again.**

**Jojo88: Nathan and Haley are total dorks, but they're cute right? I love the senior skip day and them taking a family trip to NYC, adding them to my list now!**

**Diana: Yeah, Nathan with light brown hair would be interesting, but I don't think I'd like it, haha.**

**Rachel: Oh, I'm sorry. It really was all in good fun. Don't be mad. But don't worry, I don't plan on pranking you guys again.**

**Kutebloo: I liked the fruit punch and cream cheese pranks too. My other story will probably be posted in two weeks so get ready. I know you've been looking forward to it. I hope I don't let you down.**

***In other news: OTH made the top five for E!'s SOS, so congrats guys. Yay! Voting for this round ends Wednesday so vote as many times as you can. We need E to save our show. They even have a video of Mark thanking the fans for voting. Obviously it's affecting the bigwigs, so vote some more guys! Visit Eonline(dot)com and click on SOS "Save Our Show" and vote! Every vote counts!  
**

***Big Chapter 50 next! It's going to have a bunch of Naley "throwbacks" in it!! I wonder what it could be?!**

**Review Please!!  
**


	50. The Best of the First Ten Years

**Little Moments**

**Ch. 50: The Best of the First Ten Years**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned a little piece of the OTH pie but I don't. Boo on that.**

**A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in between chapters. I had a family emergency I had to tend to, so I had to abruptly go back home so this and all other things had to be put on hold for a while. Sorry bout that. But now all is well and I can get back to filling this awful hiatus with Naley moments. Just 11 more days people, we can get through it!**

**Anyways...1, 2, 3, 4, blah, blah, blah, 50! Guys, I really can't believe that Little Moments has made it to chapter fifty. FIFTY. Whew, I gotta take it all in for a minute.... I started this five months ago and it blows my mind that I've found the time to write all these one-shots. The reviews are what motivate me and I can not explain just how grateful I am for all of the kind words. I appreciate it to no end! This chapter is one I've been meaning to do for a while now but kept putting it off. I thought it would be fitting having it as the big 5-0, so I hope you like it! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

As Haley put in her second earring she couldn't help but feel the excitement rush through her veins. She was anxious and nervous about what they might be doing, where he might be taking her, and why he was being so tight lipped about it all.

It was Nathan and Haley's tenth anniversary and Nathan had gone out of his way to make sure Haley was taken care of. He luckily was able to get away from Charlotte and had planned an eventful evening, but Haley didn't know anything about it. She didn't even know what she was supposed to wear. She'd called Nathan a few times asking for a few details about the night, but he kept quiet and told her to wear whatever. Well, whatever was not something she could pull out of a drawer or off a hanger. After taking a good thirty minutes and wondering if she should call Brooke for advice, she decided on an eggplant colored dress and then chose her black peacoat in case she needed it. It was February after all. If they were going to be outside for any length of time she'd want some type of jacket.

Just as Haley studied herself in the mirror she heard her phone buzz. She shuffled over to her bedside table and read the text she'd just received from her husband.

_Traffic blows. Running late. Be home ASAP._

Haley could feel herself frown as she read the message. She didn't want them to miss their reservation. If there even was a reservation. Maybe the roads would clear up soon.

Checking the clock she shrugged and decided she might as well go ahead and drop Charlotte off at Brooke's. It was getting close to five but with Nathan's estimated time of arrival to be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour she figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get Charlotte to Brooke.

The young mother of two walked over to the pack n' play that was set up in the master bedroom and looked down. Her nine month old daughter was busy playing with colorful blocks and sliding them through the right slots. Charlotte glanced up at her mom and held out her hands. Haley smiled and picked up the little girl then kissed her on the cheek.

"You ready to go to Aunt Brooke's?"

Charlotte didn't say anything of course, so Haley went ahead and gathered the diaper bag and other things Brooke would need. After Haley got Charlotte settled into the car seat she drove towards the beach.

It wasn't a long drive, and when Haley made it to the front door, Brooke met them with a smile.

The raspy voiced brunette's eyes shot open and she clasped her hands together, "My favorite little Scott!" Brooke held her arms open and took the small child as soon as she could. While Haley and Brooke both walked into the house Brooke lowered her mouth to Charlotte's ear, "You better not tell your brother or Sawyer you're my favorite Scott?"

Haley laughed because she knew that Brooke didn't pick favorites and at the fact that Charlotte was only nine months old. She most certainly wouldn't be saying anything. "I think your secret's safe with her Brooke."

Brooke looked to her friend and furrowed her brow, "So where is Jamie anyways? Is he getting too old to want to hang out with me?"

"No, no. He's over at a friends house for the night." Haley could tell that her answer wasn't exactly what Brooke was looking for, "Don't worry Brooke, Jamie still loves you."

Julian walked up to the girls and smiled at Haley.

Haley returned the gesture, "Hey Julian."

Brooke turned to her fiancee and passed Charlotte over to him. He was great with kids, and it was always great practice whenever they babysat any of their friends kids but Brooke wasn't trying to give Julian more practice, she just needed to pull Haley into the kitchen. Using her hands to wave Haley over she motioned toward the kitchen and the two women headed that way.

Haley didn't know why Brooke was acting a little weird, but followed her none the less.

Picking up a white envelope, Brooke turned to Haley with a large grin on her face. "I've got something for you."

Haley arched her brow and took the envelope from Brooke's hand, "And what's this?"

"I don't know!" Brooke shrugged her shoulders, "I was only told to give it to you before you left."

Haley studied the envelope and didn't know what to make of it at first.

"Well open it!" Brooke was growing impatient with each passing second.

Sliding her finger through the paper, Haley took out the note and smiled when she recognized Nathan's handwriting.

"So what does it say?"

Laughing, Haley shrugged,"I don't know. I don't read _that_ fast." Haley slid the small piece of paper out and both she and Brooke heard the sound of something metal hit the floor.

Brooke immediately bent down to pick it up an held the small object in her palm, "It's a key."

Haley cleared her throat and started to read what Nathan had wrote, "One letter leads to the next..."

"Ah, it's a serial date!" Brooke's smile was so wide it took over the majority of her face, "It'll be like what you guys did in high school. You know, like the one I set up?"

How could Haley forget? She didn't and looked over to Brooke, "The one you set up after you so kindly called me out at that party?"

Brooke grimaced, "Okay, admittedly that was bad. But look at you and Nathan now. Ten years later, two weddings, and two kids, everything's great."

Haley nodded. It was true. She looked down at the note in her hand and sighed to herself. Ten years. Ten years of love and laughter, with a little pain and heartbreak, but she wouldn't have changed any of it.

"So where do you go next?"

The sound of Brooke's voice broke Haley's trance and she continued to read what Nathan had written. There was no address at the end just a clue for her destination. "It was the first time we spoke, and you didn't want to help me. Look for the next envelope and I'll be there waiting. Use the key if it's locked." Haley felt her stomach flip and knew exactly where she needed to go.

Brooke on the other hand didn't know where in the world Haley was supposed to go but she wasn't supposed to. She knew a lot about Nathan and Haley's relationship but not all the little details. Instead of asking more questions Brooke took a step towards her friend and handed her the little metal object.

"You might wanna take this."

Haley nodded and took the key in her hand, "I guess I better go, huh?"

Brooke raised her eyebrow and with a smirk, nodded.

Reaching for her purse, Haley quickly walked over to Charlotte and said goodbye to her daughter.

Brooke walked Haley to the door and smiled, "I want all the details tomorrow!"

Haley laughed and stepped outside, "I know, you and Peyton both."

Brooke nodded once more and before she shut the door, left Haley with a playful smile, "Go get him Tutor-Girl."

**OTHOTH**

As Haley drove to her destination she felt her stomach flutter once again. She couldn't help but be nervous. What if she was going to the wrong place? What if she was wearing the wrong thing? Why did Nathan have to be so sneaky? None of those were bad questions, because if she was being honest with herself Haley knew for a fact that she was going to the right place, her outfit was killer, and a little part of her loved that Nathan was being so mysterious. It was kind of sexy.

Pulling into a parking spot, Haley looked to the familiar building and sighed. Was it breaking and entering if you had a key? Hopefully not. She didn't need another strike on her record.

After she collected her self she opened the car door and headed to the entrance of Tree Hill High School. The front entrance was unlocked so she made her way inside. Walking through the familiar doors, Haley looked at the walls of lockers that flooded the halls. Haley's memory was jogged with thoughts of her younger days, of her days as a teacher, but when she approached the Tutor Center only one thought came to mind. Nathan.

She gently pushed on the door but with no surprise, it was locked. Using the key she had tucked away in her hand, she unlocked the door and walked into the room. It was dark and the room seemed to be vacant. Haley thought Nathan was going to be there, but he wasn't. So she decided to look for the next envelope. Walking over to the book shelf, she started there.

Nathan walked down the hall and was smiling at himself. He couldn't take all the creativity points for thinking about what to do, since Brooke had done it first, but tonight was all him. Everywhere they went was his doing, and he was excited.

He had seen her pull into the parking lot and was going to give her a minute in there by herself then follow shortly after. He saw that the door to the Tutor Center was open and he slowly walked in and could see that Haley was looking diligently at the book shelf.

He took the next envelope out of the breast pocket of his coat and walked over to her.

"Hey."

Haley turned her attention to the voice and smiled, "Hi."

Nathan gave her a boyish smile, "Haley James, right?"

They way he said her name made her fall in love with him all over again. It was like they were right back where they were ten plus years ago. That boyish grin, those good looks, and a presence that made her heart skip a beat.

Haley reached out for the envelope in his hands and nodded, "It's Scott by the way. Haley James Scott." She looked at the envelope she held with her left hand and noticed her ring. "And it always will be."

He smiled and took one step closer, "Always and forever?"

She reached for his sides and stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his lips, "Always and forever." Haley looked at the envelope and then back to Nathan, "So where does this one take us? Or is it going to say that we are having dinner here?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at the empty tables in the room.

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Open it and find out."

Haley gently tore open the envelope, "Go to fourteen twenty three River Street and on the way I'll tell you three things I love about you." She looked up to Nathan and blushed, "You got this one from Brooke didn't you?"

"Maybe." He extended his hand and she folded her fingers between his. He did happen to take their next destination from Brooke, but it was going to be beneficial to them both in the end. Or that was the plan.

As they strolled out of the Tutor Center together Haley leaned into Nathan, "So what's with the serial date thing?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't know. I thought it might be kind of fun. Take us back to a few places."

"Where else are we going?"

"You'll have to wait and see."

Haley looked up to her husband and arched her brow, "Am I free to bail whenever?"

Nathan turned to Haley, "You trust me?"

Of course Haley trusted him. She trusted him with everything she had. Instead of answering him she simply nodded and tightened her grip on his hand.

As they made their way outside Nathan wrapped a protective arm around Haley's waist as they started for his car. They would park in a pay lot and then continue their little adventure downtown.

**OTHOTH**

"You're patient." Nathan spoke up as he offered Haley a hand getting out of the car.

"What?"

Nathan cleared his throat, "The things I love about you. I love that you're patient. I love that you've put up with me for so long." He looked down at Haley and smiled, "And the look on your face when you're thinking things over. You don't rush into things." He laughed again, "Well, besides marrying me."

Haley wrapped her arm around his bicep and leaned into his arm, "Best decision I ever made."

Nathan nodded and continued, "Your good will. You are the least selfish person I know. Always putting everyone else in front of you. You never think twice about making sure you've done everything you possibly can to help out in any way. You've always been there for me."

Even when things got bad, Haley was always at Nathan's side. Whether it was the drug debacle in high school, the point shaving scandal, him falling into a deep dark depression after his accident, or his struggle to get into the NBA, Haley was always by his side.

"Nathan, I..."

He cut her off, he wasn't done. "You're the best mom in the world. Jamie and Charlotte are lucky to have you. I don't know how you do it."

Haley looked up to Nathan and was about to cry. It was the way he said things, things like that, that had her eyes gloss over and made her heart swell. There was was nothing about that man she didn't love. "Okay my turn."

Nathan turned to her and smirked, "Well I know you love my good looks."

Laughing and rolling her eyes, Haley nodded, "Maybe a little." She paused for a moment, "I love that you're so protective over me and the kids. You'd do anything for us." Haley squeezed Nathan's hand a little tighter, "I love the way you let me in. How you let your guard down when I'm around...."

As Nathan listened to his wife go on he thought about what she was saying. Letting Haley in was both the hardest and easiest thing for him to do. She was a great listener and treated him like he wasn't stupid, he could trust her, but it wasn't always easy. He was afraid of letting her down sometimes and kept things to himself, but eventually she'd break through that wall he'd always built up.

Haley was still going on about the previous topic but then looked up to his face, "Your smile. The way you light up when you see the kids, or when you get home after a road trip."

Nathan flashed her that smile and nodded, "What about when I come home to see you?"

That grin and those blue eyes had her in a trance, "Uh-huh, and I love the way you look at me."

Nathan stopped walking and pulled on her wrist, "Oh yeah?"

Brown were staring at blue and she nodded, "Yeah."

"And what if I do this?" He leaned down to her cheek and gently kissed it. Haley bit her lip and nodded, a slight uh-huh echoed from her mouth. Nathan moved to the other side and kissed her other cheek, "Or this?" Haley closed her eyes when his lips touched her skin and she was sure that she trembled at his touch. Nathan pulled away and raised an eyebrow, "Or what about..."

Haley beat him to it and pulled down on his neck crashing his lips to hers. She may have been patient about most things, but others, not so much.

Laughing as he moved away from her, Nathan looked at Haley, "We're here."

Haley glanced up at the sign and blushed a little, "So am I supposed to pick something for you? Do we have to look for the next envelope?"

Nathan nodded. It was just like what they had done on Brooke's serial date back when they first went out. "But we don't have to look for the next card." He patted his jacket pocket, "I've got it right here."

Haley furrowed her brow, "So what's the point of coming here if you've already got the card?"

Nathan put his tongue in his cheek and arched his brow, "I just thought, we could get something for later."

Rolling her eyes, Haley shook her head and walked into the lingerie shop. She knew exactly what she was going to get him.

When they were both done they met back at the entrance of the shop and Haley handed him the small bag, "Here."

Nathan couldn't be sure what she got him but the bag was light feeling. He pulled out the gift and raised his brow, "Socks?"

"What? I was playing it safe!"

"Safe? We've been married ten years." He laughed and held his bag out for her.

Haley took the bag and pulled out a thin silk robe,"Nathan! What...what is this?" She studied the soft cream robe and looked to him. She thought he'd be getting something else entirely.

He looked at her and laughed, "Playing it safe."

"I love it."

Nathan smiled, "Well what do you say we get something to eat?"

"Sounds perfect." Haley wrapped her arms around his and leaned toward him, "Where are we going anyway?"

He just shrugged and led her toward Water Street. It was a place they'd been before.

**OTHOTH**

When they got to the entrance of the restaurant Haley instantly recognized it. It was a staple downtown and also happened to be the same place they gone to all those years ago. The chilly temperatures made it too cold to sit outside but that wasn't a problem, inside was just fine.

Before they sat down, Nathan needed to make a call. Haley was led to a table by the hostess an a waiter approached the table.

The guy smiled and introduced himself, "Evening, my name is Aaron and I'll be serving you tonight. Can I get you anything to drink?"

Haley knew that she would get a glass of wine but wondered what Nathan would want. There were so many options and he hadn't said before he stepped away what he wanted, so she ordered two glasses of red wine and hoped he didn't mind.

Aaron took the order and smiled, "Any appetizers?"

"Um, you know, I think I'll wait." Haley looked up from the menu and saw Nathan walking over to the table and smiled.

Nathan sat down and ran his hand over the front of his shirt, "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I ordered you some wine."

He nodded appreciatively, "That's perfect, thanks."

Haley started to read off the list of appetizers but Nathan couldn't pay attention. He'd drowned out everything she was saying at was looking right at their waiter who was staring at Haley's chest.

Nathan quickly cleared his throat and looked at their waiter, "Why don't you give us a minute or two to decide?"

Haley looked up and scrunched her brow, "I was ready to order."

"Sorry, it's just that guy was bothering me."

"What? Aaron? Our waiter?"

Nathan cut his eyes when Haley said his first name. Apparently they were on a first name basis. He nodded, "Yeah, he was staring at you."

Haley let out a laugh and shook her head, "He was probably just waiting for me to order."

Nathan wasn't enjoying the fact that Haley was defending the guy so he turned defensive, "With his eyes on your chest?"

Blushing a bit, Haley looked at Nathan and teased, "You want me to put my jacket back on?"

He wanted to say yes, but that would have been a little much. Nathan couldn't really blame the guy, if he'd been the waiter, he'd stare at Haley too.

Instead of dragging it on, Nathan changed the subject, "So what are you thinking about getting?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

Nathan smile and shook his head, "No." After ten years together he really didn't need to ask because it was always the same. Haley would want macaroni and cheese, and Nathan would want prime rib.

Aaron came back to the table and when he took the order Nathan could have sworn he saw the waiter wink at Haley. As Aaron took off toward the kitchen Nathan rolled his eyes

"Jackass." It came out louder than he had wanted.

"Nathan!" Haley raised her brow.

He just shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry." Nathan knew that he shouldn't have said it out loud but at least the waiter didn't hear him.

Haley took a sip of her wine and looked at her husband, "So, was this part of the plan?" She laughed and arched her brow, "You get all jealous and then want to storm out of here."

"What? No! And I'm not jealous. That guy just..." The veins in Nathan's neck were starting to bulge and his cheeks were bright with color.

"Well if you remember, back in high school I was the one who got up and left."

"I remember, but you weren't annoyed with our waiter. It was me." He looked at her and grimaced, "I was an ass."

Haley didn't want to agree too quickly, it might hurt his feelings, but it was true. Nathan was a complete and utter asshole back then. She turned around and started looking throughout the restaurant, "Tim's not gonna pop up is he? You didn't get him in on this too?"

Nathan laughed out loud and shook his head, "No, we're good. He won't show up, or at least I didn't plan on him doing that."

She smiled and then saw that Aaron was walking over with their food. This time she tried to notice if he looked at her differently.

"Here you two go. Let me know if there's anything else, anything at all, I can get you." Aaron looked from Nathan and Haley before walking away.

Haley noticed the young waiter's eyes lingering on her, so she kicked her foot under the table and her heel hit Nathan's shin.

"Ow, Hales." Nathan's forehead furrowed and he winced, "What was that for?"

"You were so right. He was totally looking."

Nathan was nodding his head and then got a little cocky, "Yeah, I know. I'm always right."

Haley cut her eyes and raised her brow, "Always right? Then why did you need a tutor in the first place? I'm pretty sure with Math and English you weren't always right."

"Well no, but..."

Haley was getting playful, "But what?"

"I...It was just that...ugh, I don't know." He was losing his train of thought.

"See you can't go around saying you're always right when...you're not. You were a C student, I think that hardly qualifies you as a Mr. Know it All."

Nathan frowned, "Hey...C plus! Why do you always have to remind me of that? And I may not have been right in algebra or diagramming sentences, but I was right when it mattered." He nodded and took a deep breath, "I was right about us."

As soon as the words echoed through Haley's head she felt a surge of heat run through her body. She wasn't expecting him to say that.

Nathan knew that he caught her a little off guard because she hadn't said a word back. He rested his arms on the table an nodded, "I knew from the very beginning, and actually that reminds me." He pulled out the next card and handed it to Haley, "After we eat, it's our next stop. If you don't want to do it, that's fine. I know it's cold outside."

Haley studied the white envelope in her hand and shrugged. She didn't care where it led, or how cold it was outside.

**OTHOTH**

After they ate and got up from the table, Haley slipped her hand through the paper and pulled out the contents and read it out loud, "I was late and you were pissed..." Haley looked to Nathan and laughed. "...but I brought you coffee and the breakfast of champions..." Haley didn't even need to read the rest, she knew where to go. Wrapping her arm around his back they walked outside.

The frosty air bit at both their noses and Haley realized why he had mentioned that it was alright if she wanted to skip out on this one, but she couldn't. It was their spot. The beginning of it all.

They just had a little bit to walk and during that short distance Haley ran her hand down his arm and interlocked their fingers. They fit perfectly together.

Nathan watched Haley sit down at the bench and he walked over to the vendor selling coffee. Once he was done he walked back over to her and set her drink down. "It's freezing out here."

"Yeah." Haley had to agree. It was really cold.

As much as he loved the bench, and what it meant to them Nathan was sure that they would end up with frost bite if they didn't leave soon, "So I'm taking precedent and gonna cut this short."

Haley took a sip of her coffee and frowned, "Oh, it's not that bad out here." Haley looked around and realized that no one else was out, "Or, maybe it is."

Nathan reached into his coat pocket and instead of a card or envelope he handed her a key and smirked, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

Haley couldn't hide the smile at his use of that line. "So where does this key go? Back to the Tutor Center?"

He didn't directly answer her, but got up and extended his hand. "You'll see."

They both quickly walked back to the car and Nathan pulled out of the pay lot downtown and headed for their last destination. He looked over and saw Haley's eyes roaming the sky. The indigo colors made it hard to tell if there were clouds but he'd checked the forecast. Rain was a probability.

Haley turned to Nathan and held the key out, "So you won't tell me where we're going?" He shook his head, leaving her with more questions, "Okay, well what if I guess until we get there?"

"Fine with me." Nathan turned onto the main street and nodded.

"Well I don't think it's a hotel room since it's not one of those card swipe things."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. It definitely wasn't a hotel room.

Haley looked at the key, "Is it a door key? Like a house key? Is it the house key to my parent's old house? Are you gonna throw rocks up at the window, and..."

Haley started to ramble so Nathan politely cut her off, "Hales, it's not that."

Frustrated that she'd been wrong she looked out the window and it was then that she put the pieces together. She knew where the road was taking her. Haley didn't know if she should blurt it out or wait till they got there but when she saw the white apartment complex she smiled.

Nathan pulled into a parking space and cut the ignition, "Looks the same huh?"

Haley leaned toward the window and nodded, "Yeah, it does." Her eyes roamed over the complex and then she looked back over to Nathan, "How did you manage to pull this one off? I mean I figured with the Tutor Center you could have gotten that key from Luke but..."

"Turns out, the manager of this place is a big Bobcats fan." Nathan smiled and looked at his wife.

"So which one did you get?"

As Nathan started to answer he heard the sound he'd been wishing for the entire night. Small pellets of water started to come down from the sky and splattered on the windshield, "Ours."

Haley's mouth fell open, "Ours? You got our old apartment?"

Nathan unbuckled and pushed the door open, "Yep."

The icy cold water was stinging his forehead while he waited on Haley to get out of the car. Once she shut her door, he extended his hand and she placed hers in his. Before they made it to the stairs, Nathan stopped. He pulled Haley to him and smiled, "Come here."

Haley loved the way he said that: 'Come here', it had been something he started doing every once in a while before they kissed. So in the most convenient of ways, Haley lifted up on her tiptoes and grabbed a hold of Nathan's neck as their lips met.

For most, the weather would have put a damper on anyone's mood, but not for Nathan and Haley. They'd always been big fans of the rain.

Nathan didn't know how long they'd stood their, wrapped in each other's warm embrace, but long enough to feel the soaking wet material of clothes start to cling on his body. He pulled away from Haley and smirked, "We're gonna catch pneumonia if we stay out here all night."

Out of breath and completely over the moon, Haley nodded and followed Nathan up to the old apartment.

It was some sort of miraculous coincidence that apartment 11 was vacant when Nathan needed it. It didn't have any furniture but he'd managed to get a bed and a few other things in there. Nathan had gone by earlier that day to make sure everything was right so he couldn't wait to see Haley's reaction.

When they approached the door Haley slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Nathan turned on the battery operated lantern by the door and they both walked in.

They living room was empty but on the kitchen counter something caught Haley's eye. It was a small vase of little purple flowers. She turned back to Nathan and smiled, "You got flowers."

He nodded and pulled at her waist, "Purple flowers."

Haley kissed him again and pushed her hands under his jacket causing it to fall to the floor. Haley laughed and walked backwards toward the bedroom.

Nathan didn't realize that things would progress so quickly, "Listen, we don't have to do anything, alright. That's not why I brought you here." He walked over to her and shrugged.

Haley furrowed her brow and laughed, "You've got to be kidding me!" She threw her arms around him and kissed him, simultaneously unbuttoning his shirt.

Nathan felt her pull him into the bedroom and she slammed the door shut. As soon as she got away from that door, her hands were back on Nathan. She tugged his shirt off of him and then went for his belt.

Meanwhile, Nathan's hands were roaming over Haley's dress trying to find the zipper.

"The side. It's on the side." Haley pulled the leather through the loop holes and felt Nathan's hand on her zipper. She pushed her mouth to his and let out a soft sigh each time she breathed. When she shimmied out of her dress Nathan caught a glimpse of that number on the small of her back and an instant jolt of energy surged through his every being.

Her dress fell to the ground and she stepped away from it, then she heard the clink of Nathan's pants and belt as they too fell to the floor. They both stumbled over to the bed and their bodies were pressed together as they continued to feverishly kiss.

Haley laid down and rested her arm above her head and Nathan stood there in the darkness taking it all in. He'd memorized every line, every curve, every little aspect of that woman's body. He slowly climbed on the bed and he lowered his mouth to her neck.

Haley had closed her eyes and ran her hands over Nathan's beautifully sculpted back, "God I love you."

Nathan kissed her lips and nodded, "I love you too, Hales." He pressed his whole body into her's and heard Haley echo a soft moan. Completely satisfied with the current situation, he kissed her again, "Happy Anniversary Hales."

Clinging to his body, Haley nodded, "Happy Anniversary, Nathan Scott."

The two met again as their lips crashed together and after ten years of marriage, not much had changed. They still loved each other as they had in the beginning, needed each other, wanted each other. Some relationships where meant to withstand the test of time and Nathan and Haley James Scott were a perfect example. It was the way he loved her, the way she loved him that made it all worth while. Together, Nathan and Haley James Scott, made sense.

**OTHOTH**

**American, Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, string cheese? No guys, that was Naley cheese. Eat it up! So, i hope you all liked the chapter. There were tons of throw back lines, items, places, that I hope you all caught. I tried not to make it too cheese-a-licous, but it's Naley. They can be cheesy, cause it turns out to be cute. Or so I hope! Again, I can' t thank you enough for the reviews, and I am so sorry for the delay between updates. Like I said, it was a family medical emergency so I had to take time off, but I'm back and ready to update regularly!**

**To my anonymous reviewers: Hadley, mazzy, Emma, blurrystars, SJ...THANK YOU!**

**jojo88: You are definitely right, there is nothing worse than sitting in the DMV. It's a total suckfest.**

**BDavis: I love The Wind that Blew My Heart Away too! Such a great episode. As for the double date idea. I like it but I'm not sure it would end up being well written. I don't think I write the other couples (Brucas, Leyton, Brulian...) well at all so it might make the chapter bad, but I'll think about it.**

**Joan: Oh, you're so sweet. However, I don't think Mark is looking for any new writers. If he was, I'd jump on that bandwagon and tell them to hit the sprinklers or rain machines ASAP!**

**Becky: I hope you like the little tid-bit referencing the tattoo!**

**Kutebloo: Future Naley is up next! Get excited!**

**KC: It's perfectly fine that you haven't reviewed in a while. Nobody has to do it, it just helps me with the writing process.**

***Review Please! Let me know if there are certain things you want to see while this hiatus is still with us.  
**


	51. Game Over

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 51: Game Over**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

**A/N: As always, thank you all so much for the reviews. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a big number and with that big number I passed a milestone. And you all know what that means: next day update! So Saturday night sometime I got that 1200th review and now you get a new chapter. Awesome, right? This one has been requested a few times and takes place when everyone's older. I hope you like it!**

***Flashbacks in italics**

**OTHOTH**

Haley looked out the window from the driver's seat and wondered if outside was as quiet as it was inside the car. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw that her nine year old daughter was busy watching a movie. She glanced to her sixteen year old son in the passenger seat who keep his eyes glued to the trees passing by. His iPod headphones emitted a soft buzz and he'd been silent the entire ride from Tree Hill to Charlotte. Haley wanted to ask him how he was, but it would be no use. Ever since he found out his dad was retiring from the NBA, Jamie had kept to himself. He looked so sad; broken almost. His mom wanted nothing more than to get through to him but she realized it wasn't that simple.

Jamie had invested a lot in his dad's career. He loved going to the games, cheering him on, hanging up the jerseys, and seeing his dad on SportsCenter's top ten plays. For as long as Jamie could remember, his father and basketball had always been one in the same. Now it was coming to an end. The hurt he felt, the betrayal, stung Jamie to his very core. He couldn't get over the fact that his dad was done. He couldn't rationalize the thought. Nathan was still strong, and in great shape, so in Jamie's eyes there was no reason for him to quit.

The family of three were twenty minutes from Charlotte and Haley hoped that Jamie would have a change of heart about going to the game. He'd made it perfectly clear that he wasn't supporting his father's decision, but Haley made him go to Charlotte anyway. It was Nathan's last game as a professional basketball player.

A part of Haley knew exactly how Jamie felt. She'd been through it too. She went to the games, cheered him on, from both the sidelines and the stands, and she had to deal with all the repercussions with Nathan's struggle to make it. Of course there were huge advantages and wonderful things that came out of it, but there was no doubt it was an emotional and touchy subject.

It was three months ago when she'd found out Nathan was ready to give it up, and it was a day she'd never forget.

***

_Nathan was tired and the drive from Charlotte to Tree Hill seemed longer an longer with each trip. Wasn't it supposed to be the opposite after so many years of driving it? Shouldn't it seem like a quick blink, and he was home? No, not anymore at least. For the last ten years he'd driven the same roads and it felt like he was driving on a conveyor belt going the wrong direction. His wife was at home, his son and daughter too; he was missing pieces of their life and it was beginning to wear on him._

_After what seemed like an eternity, Nathan finally found himself pulling through the gates to the house and sighed a heavy sigh when he put the car in park. There was nothing better than being home. He quickly got out and headed for the front door._

"_Hales?" Nathan walked to the kitchen and heard footsteps coming from the stairs_

_Haley stepped off the last step and walked to her husband, "You're home."_

_Nodding, Nathan smiled and felt Haley's petite frame against him. Her arms wrapped around his back and she breathed him in. He gently kissed the top of her head and looked down, "Where are the kids?"_

_She looked at the clock on the wall and squinted, "Charlotte's at friend's house, and Jamie's at basketball practice."_

_There it was: basketball. Nathan took a deep thoughtful breath and had second thoughts about his decision._

_Haley nudged her head further into into his chest, "You're being so quiet."_

_After running his hands across her back and down her arms, Nathan took a step back._

"_Nathan?" Haley looked up to Nathan and saw that the wrinkles in his forehead were scrunched together and that he was shaking his head, "Honey, what's wrong?"_

_He rested his hands behind him on the counter and looked to Haley, "I think I'm ready to give it up?"_

"_What?" She immediately walked closer to him and her worried brown eyes met his blues, "Basketball? The Bobcats?" Haley couldn't believe what was coming out of her husbands mouth. They'd talked about the possibility of him retiring, but she thought it would be further down the road. "Is it your knee? Are you hurt?" In Haley's mind the only reason he'd suddenly decide it was enough was if he was hurting._

"_No, I'm fine." Nathan walked over to the fridge and saw the random pictures that were held up by colorful magnets. There was one of Charlotte with her costume from her first school program he'd missed. There was one of Jamie and Lucas on the river court, and he knew that it should have been a picture of him and his son, not a picture of his son and his uncle. Sure, there were pictures with Nathan in them but it didn't make up for the fact that he wasn't in the others, or had been away when they were taken. He turned around to face Haley, "I'm tired of missing it all."_

_Haley felt her heart break a little at his words and she saw that he was fumbling with his wedding ring. "Nathan, you don't miss everything."_

"_A lot of it." He paused and shrugged, "I've missed the majority of Charlotte's life. You were pregnant with her my first year in and now she's nine. I mean God Haley, I missed her first day of kindergarten because of training camp, her first steps because I was in Atlanta...."_

"_So you've missed a few things. It doesn't mean you're a bad father." Haley walked up to him again and rested her palm against his cheek, "You're the best dad I know."_

_Nathan wasn't buying it, "And Jamie.... He was what, six, my first year and now he's two years away from going to college. If I play any longer he'll be gone when I retire." Nathan moved away from Haley and closed his eyes, "I just don't want to see him go away to school and then that's it. He's off at some university and we won't see him. I won't see him."_

_She wanted badly to walk up close to him and wrap her arms around him and tell him that it was all going to be okay, but he kept moving away from her embrace. Instead, Haley glanced back to Nathan with a silent mouth. She couldn't find the words to ease his pain._

_Realizing that Haley had said nothing, he shrugged, "And why are you against me coming home?"_

"_No, I'm not." As she had before, Haley walked right up to him and rested her hands at his side, "It's just that this is a big decision. You've worked for the NBA your whole life and I think maybe you should think about it some more. I don't want you to commit to it, then realize that you wish you'd kept playing."_

_Nathan sighed, "But that's the thing, I have thought about it. I wanna see Charlotte graduate from elementary school, I want to actually play with Jamie in the father son game. I want to be here." He took a deep breath, "I want to be here with you."_

_The way he looked down at her made Haley's stomach fill with butterflies. To most, it would have been surprising that he still held that power, the power to make her feel like a young lovesick teenager, but even after eighteen years together it was still the same. They both got that feeling. It wasn't just Nathan's doing. Haley's presence did the same to him._

_Haley let the butterflies settle, then looked to him,"If this is what you want then I'm behind you."_

_It was those words he needed to hear. He needed to know she was supporting him, to know that he could trust himself through her. If Haley was at his side, Nathan Scott could do anything. He bent down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "I love you Haley James."_

_Haley felt those butterflies kick into gear when he called her that. Clutching the back of his neck she pulled down, "I love you too." Haley kissed him again, and soothingly ran her thumb across his cheek. Truthfully, she couldn't be more happy. Once the season was over she'd never have to wake up alone again. _"_When are we gonna tell the kids?"_

_Nathan hadn't thought that far ahead. "I guess, I'll just tell them tonight during dinner."_

_He felt Haley nod and tightened his embrace around her. Haley had been supportive of the decision, now it was up to the kids. Nathan felt confident that both Jamie and Charlotte wouldn't mind too much. Wouldn't they want their dad home?_

_***_

_When Jamie got home he saw his dad's car in the driveway and felt a boyish grin spread across his face. He quickly went inside and saw that his father and Charlotte were outside in the backyard._

"_Hey Jamie." Haley called out as she saw her son walk by the piano._

_Jamie hadn't seen his mom there and was sort of startled, "Oh, hey Mom." He couldn't help but notice that she was sitting on the piano bench waiting to play a melody. "What's going on?"_

_Haley knew that she had a tendency to wear her emotions on her sleeve but there was no way Jamie could have guessed anything from her just sitting at her piano, "What do you mean?"_

"_You're about to compose right? Something's always up when you're about to write."_

_She hadn't thought about it, but he was right. If something happy ever happened, or something depressing, she'd always take to her piano and after enough years, obviously Jamie picked up on the pattern._

_Haley cleared her throat and looked outside towards Nathan and Charlotte, "No, everything's fine. I'm fine."_

_Jamie nodded and headed for the door. He wasn't sure if his mom was telling the truth, but maybe she didn't want to tell him what was on her mind. He'd probably find out eventually._

"_Dad!" Jamie walked out by the pool and waved at his father._

_Nathan threw the ball over to Charlotte and watched as their five year old Lab, Gatsby, ran towards the little girl. The dog almost knocked Charlotte over, but didn't so Nathan let out a laugh. It was the little things like this, that he'd missed while on the road. He looked to the house at the sound of his son's voice and smiled, "Hey Jamie."_

_Gatsby's ears perked up at both Jamie's name and voice, and darted over to the teenager. Jamie reached down and patted the dog's head, "Hey, boy."_

"_Jamie, throw the ball back down here." Charlotte had her hands on her hips and a stern look painted on her face. _

_Jamie laughed at his sister's demeanor and tossed the ball her way. He watched as Gatsby ran after the ball and then walked over to Nathan. "So, you're here until the team flies to Boston tomorrow?"_

_Nathan nodded, "Yeah. I figured I'd get in a visit cause the next nine days I'll be on the road."_

"_The Celtics, Nets, and Sixers. Boston, Jersey, and Philly." Jamie repeated back to his dad. He knew the Bobcat's schedule better than half of the material he'd been learning in school. "But you play San Antonio at home after that. We'll come and see you then."_

_Nathan felt a part of his pride swell. He did love that his family always tried to make it to every game. "Yeah, I hope so." He sounded a little defeated when he said that only because he realized just how much Jamie cared about him playing. _

_Both guys heard Haley call that dinner was ready to they rounded up Charlotte and Gatsby and all went inside._

_Throughout dinner Nathan was trying to find the best time to break the news but he never could muster up the courage._

_Jamie shifted the conversation from school to basketball, "So dad. What's the deal with Tyson's contract? He's a free agent after this season right? Do you think he'll resign with the Bobcats?"_

_Nathan bit down hard on his chicken and wiped his mouth before answering, "I don't know. I mean he loves playing but he might get a better deal somewhere else."_

_Jamie thought it over then looked to his father, "What about you. You're a free agent this year. Have they offered you a contract extension?"_

_He couldn't hide it now. Nathan was going to have to say something, "Uh, actually..."_

_Before Nathan could finish Jamie lit up, "Has someone else offered already? Are you going to play for a new team." Jamie's face was beaming, "I think it would be pretty cool if you played for L.A."_

_Nathan couldn't let his son go on to describe his dreams for him so he cut in, "Actually I've been thinking." Nathan set his napkin down and looked to Haley, who gave him a reassuring smile. He glanced to Charlotte then back to Jamie, "I've had a great run with the Bobcats. I've had a great career. You know how much I love the game, and respect it, but I think after this season I'm going to retire."_

_Jamie sat in silence but Charlotte smiled, "So you'll be home?"_

"_Everyday."_

_Haley could tell that Charlotte was happy about it but the uncomfortable stillness that echoed from Jamie's chair had her worried. "Jamie, honey?"_

_The sixteen year old cut his eyes and shook his head, "You're quitting!"_

_The word's Jamie chose stung Nathan, "I'm not quitting, I'm retiring."_

"_It's the same damn thing!"_

"_Jamie!" Haley warned as his tone became hostile._

_Charlotte covered her ears, "Language."_

_Nathan frowned at his son, "Jamie, I'm not quitting."_

"_Sounds like it to me." Jamie threw his napkin on his plate and started to get up, "You know what? I'm not hungry anymore."_

"_Jamie, sit down." Nathan watched as his son shook his head in disappointment._

"_No!" Jamie pushed his chair in and it slammed against the table, "You know Dad, I thought you were great. I thought you were someone to look up to. But now...you're just like the rest of them. Giving up when it gets hard. Way to be a role model."_

_Haley felt her chest tighten and the things her son was saying had her on the verge of tears. She knew that he wouldn't take it lightly, but she never imagined he'd be so upset."_

_Jamie started to walk upstairs but Nathan scooted his chair back to walk after him, "Jamie." The boy was still walking with his back to his father and Nathan raised his voice, "James!"_

_Jamie turned around and lifted his arms, "What?" He was waiting for his father to finish whatever it was he wanted to say but when Nathan remained silent Jamie started to speak. "Dad, you are healthy, you're strong, you're on your way to the basketball hall of fame, and now you're gonna blow it all away because what...you're tired of it?"_

_Nathan wasn't expecting Jamie to fully understand, "No, listen. I'm not retiring because I'm sick of the game. I want to be home. I want to be here when things go on. Do you know how much I miss while I'm in Charlotte or playing in some other arenas hundreds or thousands of miles away?"_

_He'd never thought about it really. Jamie knew that his dad was away a lot but Nathan was doing something he loved, that Jamie' loved. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "You've done everything to play in the NBA. You came back from a spinal injury for God's sake! I've seen what you can do. You turned your dream into a reality and now...it's for nothing?"_

_Nathan knew all he had sacrificed and been through to get where he was, but he wasn't giving it up for nothing. What Jamie didn't understand was that he was giving it up for them. His family was worth more than some game. "I understand where you're coming from, but it's not like that...."_

_Back at the dinner table Charlotte looked to her mom, "Why's Jamie so mad? Daddy's gonna be home."_

"_I don't know Charlotte." In reality Haley had a pretty good idea why her son was so upset. Ever since he was a little boy he was the one who would go to the river court with his dad to shoot around. Jamie had been the one who told him what number to wear, the one who called Nathan's Charleston coach to talk some sense into him. Basketball was a huge part of Jamie's relationship with Nathan. Haley looked to her daughter and sighed, it was a little hard to explain it all to a 3rd grader._

_Haley heard Nathan walk over to the table and then he sat down. He looked at Jamie's empty chair and shrugged, "I don't know what to say to make him understand."_

_Nodding, Haley sighed, "It'll take time. He just found out."_

_Charlotte looked back and forth from parent to parent, "I don't mind Daddy. You'll get to see me play in my soccer games, and you can help me play basketball. Jamie tries, but you'll do better."_

_Nathan's heart ached as Charlotte talked. His little girl had the right idea, but his son hadn't seen the positive things that would come of it. Nathan would get to be home and that was all that mattered now. Basketball had given him so much, but it had taken so much away too. It was at the same time, his best and worst friend. _

_Haley looked across the table and saw Nathan's expression. It killed her that the thing he wanted most was hurting one of the people he loved. He hadn't meant for that to be the case at all. Haley saw Nathan rub his temples and hoped that things would smooth over between him and Jamie. It was just a mater of time._

_***_

Haley was knocked from her trance when she heard Jamie speak up. It was the first thing he'd said all trip.

"We get off here. You need to get in the left lane."

The moment she thought she was going to get some head way with her son had been shattered when she realized that he was only telling her not to miss their exit. She looked to him and smiled, "Thanks."

He went back to looking out the window and didn't say another word.

Charlotte took her headphones off her head and stretched a little, "Mom, we're almost there right?"

Haley nodded and looked in the review mirror, "Yep, just a few more minutes and we'll be there."

"Is Daddy already at the arena?"

Looking at the clock, Haley shook her head, "No, he should be at the loft when we get there. His game doesn't start for a few more hours."

Haley got off highway 74 and turned in the direction of downtown. It didn't take them long until they reached Nathan's building and when they pulled into the parking deck they gathered their bags and Charlotte pushed the button on the elevator. They were greeted by a familiar face when the door opened.

Reggie, the security guard for the building, was riding the elevator and smiled when he saw the family, "I guess y'all are here for Mr. Scott's big game tonight?" He held the door open as Haley, Charlotte, and Jamie got in.

Charlotte nodded at the man, "It's Dad's last game."

"I've heard. He's done mighty well here. I thought he'd make it too the record books."

Jamie let out a huff and Haley cut her eyes at him. It was one thing to be mad at Nathan at home, but he didn't need to act like that in front of people who still looked to Nathan as a great player. Haley smiled kindly at Reggie and agreed, "Who knows, maybe he'll get a record tonight?"

"Oh, I hope so. He sure does deserve it. I think I can speak for most Bobcats fans and say that he's made us very proud over the years."

The elevator dinged and Reggie moved to the doors, "Send him my best when you get up there. I'll be rooting from my couch tonight." He dipped his hand in his pocked at pulled out a sucker, "Here you go."

Charlotte reached out for the treat and smiled politely, "Thank you."

Haley watched the old man walk to his small desk and wondered, hoped, that the majority of Bobcats fans had the same appreciation for Nathan's playing days as Reggie had.

The three Scotts rode the elevator up to Nathan's floor and when the doors opened Charlotte ran to the front door and opened it. Haley watched as Jamie slowly made his way to the apartment, but her worries were taken away for moment when she heard Nathan's voice.

"Hey Char." Nathan bent down to his daughter and gave her a nice big bear hug.

"Look, Reggie gave me a sucker."

Nathan saw the candy in his daughter's hand, "Well that was nice."

Haley walked up to them and agreed, "It was, and by the way, he said he'll be rooting you on tonight."

Nathan stood up from his crouched position and smiled at his wife, "Hey."

She set her bag down and quickly kissed him hello, "Hi."

They both watched as Jamie walked passed them and straight into the his bedroom. They heard the dorm slam shut and Nathan sighed heavily, "I'm surprised he even came."

Haley didn't want to tell Nathan that she'd practically forced Jamie to come. "He'll come around."

Charlotte walked over to the couch and opened her sucker, "Are you gonna score a lot tonight Daddy?"

Nathan took his attention away from Haley and over to his daughter, "I hope so."

"I bet you will." Charlotte said matter-of-factly.

He felt a hand on his chest and he looked down at Haley, "You will."

Nathan shrugged and started to walk toward the balcony. He stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. Haley followed him out there and slid the glass door partially shut.

"Hey..." She wrapped an arm around him and arched her brow, "Talk to me. What's going through your mind."

He shook his head, "It's not about the points, Hales. I don't care if I score anything. I'd rather have my family there. All of my family behind me tonight."

"Honey, you gotta realize that Jamie's just having a hard time letting go." She looked out over the city street and then back to Nathan, "This was his childhood. He's been watching you play since he was born. Since before he was born." Haley laughed a little thinking about her days as a pregnant cheerleader.

"But that doesn't mean I'll stop playing. We'll still go to the river court, and I'm taking that coaching job and UNCW. Basketball won't be gone, it'll just be under different circumstances."

Haley nodded, "I know, but to him...I think he just feels like he should have found out sooner. That maybe you should have asked him."

"Should I have?"

Turning to walk towards the edge, she tilted her head back and forth, "I don't know maybe. You talked about it with me, but you never did with him really. He wasn't given a heads up and he's been there since the beginning." She saw that Nathan winced and spoke up, "I'm not saying you did the wrong thing. I don't think there's a right way to go about this kind of thing. It's just a lot for him to take in."

Inside, Charlotte had her head perched on the top of the sofa cushion trying to hear what her parents were saying. Jamie walked over to her and flopped down on the couch, "What are they arguing about."

"You."

Jamie looked at his little sister, "Me?"

Charlotte nodded, "Dad's upset that you're still upset."

Jamie stole a glance in the direction of the balcony and watched his parents talk outside. Over the last few weeks he'd thought about his dad's decision, it made some sense, but he couldn't help but think that his dad still had a few good years left in him.

Charlotte sank down on the couch and looked at her older brother, "I think it's a good thing Daddy's retiring."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Why's that?"

"He'll be home all the time. We won't have to drive so far to see him." Charlotte curled her legs underneath her and shrugged, "Don't you want him home? You're going to go away for college soon and if he keeps playing that means it will only be me and Mom at home."

For the first time Jamie started to get it. It wasn't about the games, or the fact that Nathan was throwing his dream away, it was because his dad wanted to be closer to his family. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to realize it but that was a the heart of Nathan's decision. He looked at his little sister and smirked. For only being nine she was pretty smart. It really wasn't all that surprising though. Jamie was too, but in this instances his stubbornness had overruled his smarts.

Jamie tussled Charlotte's hair and shook his head, "Thanks Char." He smiled at her and wondered what it was about his sister's words that made it all clear.

Arching her brow she raised her shoulders, "For what?"

He got up off the couch and walked back to his room, "For that little heart to heart."

Not really understanding what that meant, Charlotte smiled anyway.

Meanwhile, Nathan and Haley were still talking outside. Nathan was leaning on the railing and he looked at his watch, "Maybe I should go a head and go the the arena?"

Haley didn't want him to go, but knew that he would have to eventually, "Okay." She walked over to him and put his hands on his waist and smiled, "You'll do great." She threw a smile his way, "I brought a green dress."

He laughed and bent down to kiss her, "Thanks."

Haley smiled and nodded, "Uh-huh." She kissed him once more and when he turned to walk back inside she couldn't help but smack him on the butt. He turned around and raised his brow. Haley threw her hands up and laughed, "Pre-game ritual."

Nathan laughed out loud and walked straight over to Charlotte, "Hey I'm gonna go ahead and go to arena but I'll see you later okay?"

The little girl scrunched her forehead. His game didn't start for a long time, but if he wanted to go she couldn't stop him, "Alright."

Leaning down, Nathan kissed Charlotte's forehead and looked down the hallway to Jamie's room. He thought about telling him he was going, but instead walked in the other direction. Charlotte saw that her dad didn't say anything to Jamie or even go towards his room and wanted to tell her dad that Jamie wasn't upset anymore, but it was too late.

Nathan shut the door and made his way to the Time Warner Cable Arena ready to play the last game of his professional career.

A few minutes later, Jamie came out of his bedroom with his khaki Dockers and a Bobcat blue button down shirt. Haley was on the phone with Lucas, telling him directions when she saw Jamie come out from the back.

"Yeah, at the second light take a left." Haley's eyes followed her son as he sat down and spoke into the phone, "I gotta call you back." She set her cell phone down and looked at Jamie.

He noticed her stare but it wasn't unkind or insincere, it was actually the opposite. She looked happy. He looked around the room, "Where's Dad?"

Haley was trying to get over the shock that Jamie had suddenly changed his mind. She softened her eyes, "He left."

"He left!?" Jamie glanced at his watch, "He's got a while before his game."

"I know, but he needed to clear his head. Get ready."

Jamie suddenly felt like everything was his fault, "I gotta go see him."

Haley heard the desperation in her son's voice, "We can't go now. We're waiting on Lucas and Peyton and everyone to get here." She saw that Jamie looked disappointed. "It won't be long."

Jamie let out a heavy sigh. He hated that he'd been so short with his dad about everything. He'd finally realized the real reason his dad was retiring and now it might be too late.

**OTHOTH**

It was forty minutes 'till game time and Nathan was walking out of the trainer's room. He couldn't count the number of hand shakes, nods, and great compliments, he'd gotten since he'd arrived at the arena. They were nice, and definitely a mood stimulator, but it wasn't quiet like hearing your own family say the same things.

He sat down by his locker and started to put on his shoes. The first pair of shoes he'd worn in the NBA he'd written his son's initials and as he looked down at his current pair he saw three sets: HJS, JLS, and CMS. They were the three people who helped him get where he was and then his hand instantly went to the chain around his neck. Somewhere underneath his jersey at the end of that chain, was his wedding band that he'd worn in every game he'd ever played.

Assistant Coach Brown, walked over to Nathan and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "All those people who come tonight are here for you. You've been an incredible asset to this Bobcat team and it's been a real treat to have you."

Nathan stood up and shook his coach's hand, "Thank you sir, I feel the same way." Nathan watched as his coach walked toward the office and he sat back down to tie his other shoe. A few of his teammates passed by giving him the all powerful fist bump and then the he saw the junior public relations manager walk up to him.

"Mr. Scott you've got a few reporters who want to ask a few questions after the game, is that alright if we schedule a press conference?"

"Sure, that's fine." Nathan nodded.

The guy started to walk away but then stopped, "And you've got a bunch of kids waiting for you outside with signs, I think they want an autograph."

Nathan smiled. There was nothing better than seeing the smile on some child's face when he handed them a piece of paper or ball with his name on it. He was proud that kids looked up to him.

After his laces were tight and he made sure he could spare a few minutes before warm-ups began, he walked out to the tunnel. The kids that were waiting on him weren't ordinary kids. That PR guy didn't realize who the kids were. Three boys, and two girls. The youngest of the boys, five, had dark brown hair and was standing really close to his raspy voiced mom and famed movie producing father. Two others stood in front of his brother and sister-in-law holding posters that read: _Go Uncle Nathan!, _and _We Love #12_. Peyton had obviously helped with the pictures because they looked really good. But the other two kids were the ones he smiled at brightest. In between them was a woman in a beautiful green dress and he felt his heart swell. Jamie was next to her and Charlotte was on the other side. He walked right over to them.

"Hi." Haley smiled sweetly at her husband and kissed his cheek.

"What are all you guys doing here so early?"

Jamie cleared his throat and extended his hand, "We wanted to wish you luck. To tell you that you've have a phenomenal career, and that the Bobcats were lucky to get you for so long; but that you're stuck with us now."

Nathan laughed, and instead of shaking his son's hand he hugged him.

While he was wrapped in his dad's hug Jamie smiled, "You're gonna do great Dad. The Pacers don't stand a chance."

Haley heard every word exchanged between father and son, and had to wipe away a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

After Nathan and Jamie embraced, Nathan bent down to Charlotte. Her brown eyes looked just like her mom's and she smiled, "Score lots of points."

Nathan nodded and kissed her cheek, "I'll try." He stood up and took a step closer to Haley. "You okay?"

Haley wiped another tear off her cheek and nodded, "Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to be so emotional."

If she had looked to her left she would have seen that Brooke and Peyton were in the same boat. It was hard not to get emotional.

Nathan used his thumb to wipe another tear away, "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Haley put her hand on his chest and felt the hard circular ring underneath his shirt, and the streams fell at a faster rate, "I love you so much Nathan."

"I love you too Hales," He kissed her sweetly and rested his forehead against hers.

Haley's breath caught in her throat, "Have fun."

"I will."

She kissed his cheek once more and took a deep breath. She really hadn't meant to get so upset but it was an end of an era for them. The more she thought about it the more she realized that basketball was something they'd shared. If he wasn't on the team in high school, he may have never needed a tutor, which meant they never may have met. As much as their relationship was about the two of them together, basketball played a helping hand.

Nathan thanked everyone else for coming and before he walked back to the locker room he glanced back at his family. He'd always loved basketball, but the game had nothing on the three people he was looking at. Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte were his world and nothing could come between that.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: There you go guys. So as much as Nathan loves to play, his family means more to him. Oh and I know I threw their dog in there which may have seemed random, but honestly there have been two chapters that he would have fit in the time line for and sometimes dogs just aren't necessary. But, just so you know, I didn't forget about him. So, I know those of you who don't like future chapters probably didn't enjoy this so much but good news. JEALOUS NATHAN is next!! It will be set in the future but not far a long at all. Naley will be like 26ish. On another note I wanted to thank you all. I meant to do it last chapter on big number 50 but forgot. So thanks for reading. Thanks for reviewing. Thanks for showing me so much support through this all. I know I've lost readers/reviewers over the course of this , but for those of you who've been on board since the beginning...thank you. Even for those of you who are reading this for the first time today, or maybe last week, or last month: thank you! Every time I see the view/hit/review count for these chapters climb it really makes me feel good. It's my first story and the support has been incredible! So yeah, thanks for all that! Enough with all the mush, and thank you's right? I know, sorry. It probably get's a bit repetitive but I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate it. **

**For my anonymous reviewers: Hadley, mazzy, ann, tasha, Rachel, Alexis, Becky, Amy, and Danielle...thank you so much. I really appreciate the feedback**

**Naleyfan: It's a great compliment to hear that you were smiling like an idiot. I do that too when I watch the eps!**

**BDavis: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and about your idea: I think we will be seeing a lot of how Naley deal with the after math of Lydia's death on the show so I don't know if I'm going to need to do a chapter about that. But that's not to say I won't. I may watch 7.19 and hate how it played out and want to put my own spin on it. I also loved how you quoted the show when you were talking about my sticking with the story. You're right though. I'm not going anywhere!**

**blurrystars: My goal was to keep people entertained while the awful hiatus dragged on so I'm glad to hear it's working for you. You are right when you say that the Utah footage has helped a little, but they need to show more of James and Joy! Oh and I agree, I love it when Nathan calls Haley, Haley James. I have it the story a lot! And I know exactly what scene you're talking about from season 6... I'm pretty sure it's after a Slamball game and he comes in the kitchen shirtless. **

**Joan: Wow you counted all the throwbacks! 33 is way more than I even thought I'd put in there, haha. Thanks for the diligent reading! Keep it up!**

**Emma: I have decided on a season 5 chapter. The response was overwhelmingly for it so it will come up soon. It'll be within the next handful of chapters.  
**

***Heather: I am so sorry this is a late review response. Somehow I managed to leave your reply out. As for Dan not really being in the story, it's actually an accident. It's not like I do it on purpose but it just happens that way. I don't mind the guy, but he just seems to slip my mind every time I write. He has been mentioned in a few chapters but I don't think he's actually ever had a speaking part. I'll try to add him in (like I would assume he would have been at Nathan's last game but I just left him out because...well I did.) other chapters though if you really want me to.**

**Review Please  
**


	52. We Can Work it Out

**Little Moments**

**Ch. 52: We Can Work it Out**

**Disclaimer: Big shout out to Mark and co. for creating these characters! I wish I had a helping hand in that!**

**A/N: Holy cow guys! Y'all are killing' it with the reviews! Seriously! I keep seeing the number go up and up, and...up! My reviewers are awesome. Give yourself a pat on your back, really. This chapter is a little more carefree and fun than the emotional stuff from last chapter. I hope it's a nice contrast. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Training camp meant one thing: basketball season was about to start. Two a day practices, suicides, and non-stop drills were things Nathan never really looked forward to. This year, for some reason, the president of the Bobcats decided that instead of holding training camp where they normally do in Wilmington, which was close to Tree Hill, they decided to cut costs and have it in Charlotte. That meant Nathan couldn't stay at home while training, which basically meant his season started earlier.

Nathan had spent the last six days in Charlotte and the three day break was just what he needed. He was only twenty seven but his body ached, his muscles were sore, and he couldn't wait to be home and relax. There was nothing like a good Haley James massage.

Normally, Nathan called before he left, but he'd told Haley last night that he'd be coming home so he decided against the phone call. Nathan left Charlotte around 9am and the three and a half hour long drive went by quickly. Soon enough he was home.

As he turned into the driveway he took a deep breath. He was physically and mentally drained from all the hard work he'd done over the last week. With his head down, he saw that the clock showed just past 12:30pm, and figured that Charlotte would be taking her nap about now. As much as he loved his daughter, it would be nice to have a little alone time with Haley.

When Nathan walked inside he wasn't met with a warm welcome from his wife. Instead, the house was eerily quiet. Haley's car was in the driveway so Nathan thought to himself that she had to be home. He was pretty sure Charlotte was asleep so he didn't want to start yelling for them.

He checked upstairs and no one was around. Twisting his lips in confusion, Nathan walked through the house and shrugged, "Where the hell are they?"

The one place he hadn't looked was the garage. He didn't know why she would be in there but he checked it out just in case. When he approached the garage door he stopped. Nathan heard someone laughing, more distinctly, Haley laughing. But what got him, was that is wasn't coming from the garage. Her easily recognizable laugh was coming from the room just off it. Nathan's workout room.

He opened the door and was frozen in place. There she was. Decked out in Under Armor he'd never seen her ever wear, Haley was lifting dumbbells but that wasn't it. Some blond haired, tanned skin, teenage looking guy was behind her, right behind her, using his hands to guide her motions.

As Nathan stood silent in place Haley laughed, "I really don't feel anything."

The young guy laughed but shook his head, "You will." He used his thumbs to press the muscles on her shoulders, "These and..." He moved his hands from her shoulders to the underside of her arm where her triceps were. "...and these will start to tighten after a few more reps."

The absolute horror Nathan felt was making him sweat. Some guy had his hands all over his wife, and this guy was fit, he was attractive, and he was young. A lot younger looking than either Haley or Nathan.

"Ugh, uhm..." Nathan cleared his throat to make his presence known.

Haley quickly turned around and looked embarrassed. She handed her dumbbells to the guy next to her and walked over to her husband, "Hey."

Nathan couldn't help but notice the way her top started to rise up as she walked over to him. He loved the way it looked, but also knew there was another guy in the room. He gave her a small smile, "Hey."

When Haley reached him she kissed him softly. She turned back to the blond haired boy, "Reid, this is my husband Nathan. Nathan, this is Reid."

Nathan looked back and forth from Haley to Reid and raised his brow.

Reid walked over to Nathan and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you sir. I'm a big fan."

Nathan shook Reid's hand and nodded in appreciation. Then he turned to Haley and in a low whisper spoke to her, "Can we talk?"

Haley knew what was coming so she took a deep breath and nodded.

Reid could feel the awkward tension in the room and excused himself, "I think I'm going to get a water, do you want some Haley?"

"No, I'm fine thanks." Haley watched as Reid left then turned to Nathan, "I didn't know you would be home so early."

Nathan furrowed his brow, "And that makes me feel better?"

"No, it was just...I was trying to surprise you."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, you did. I come home to find you with some teenager."

Haley laughed and shook her head, "He's twenty one." She paused and looked up to him, "You know, I was trying to surprise you and get back in shape." Her hands rested on her hips and she looked down.

"What are you talking about? You look fine." Nathan took a step closer and put his hands on her sides, "Is this about the baby weight?"

Haley shrugged, Charlotte was four months old and maybe a part of it was the fact that she was still getting back to pre-pregnancy form, but there was more to it than that. "Maybe, I don't know?" Haley walked away from him.

"Hales, you're beautiful."

The sincerity in Nathan's voice sent shivers down her spine. She turned around and smiled.

Nathan was being perfectly honest. Haley was beautiful. She was more than that, she was everything. "So Reid? He's your trainer?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah. Lucas suggested him to me."

Nathan sighed heavily,, "Unbelievable."

"What? That Luke helped me find a trainer?"

"Yes."

Haley crossed her arms and looked to her husband, "Honey, it's not a big deal." She shook her head in disbelief.

Raising his brow, Nathan frowned, "So if Lucas came home to find Peyton with some other guy it wouldn't be a big deal?"

Glaring her eyes in his direction she gasped, "First off, I was not _with_ Reid." She used her fingers to put air quotes around the word with as she said it. "Second, why are you acting like this. I only hired him to help me get back in shape. Something I thought you might appreciate."

It wasn't like Nathan didn't appreciate it, he did, but he didn't know why she was doing it in the first place. She was perfect. Maybe she had a tiny bit of extra weight still left over but it didn't bother him. He was never concerned with it. "Hales, I just...the last thing I want to come home to is you and some other guy. I only get so many days away from the team and I wanted it to be us. You and me, and the kids too, but now what's his face is here." He pause for a moment and shook his head, "And it's not like I can't help you work out."

The thought never crossed her mind that Nathan might be upset that she was having someone else help her workout. He was most certainly capable of doing it."Nathan, I'm sorry it wasn't the welcome home you wanted, and I only got Reid to help me because you have to work out all the time. I figured it would be the last thing you wanted to do at home." The look on his face told her exactly the opposite.

Nathan solemnly shook his head, "I don't care what I do when I get home." He wrapped his hands around her back, "As long as I'm with you it doesn't matter. Ask me to cook, I'll cook. Ask me to change a dirty diaper, I'll do it. And if you want to start working out, I'll be there right next to you."

Haley suddenly felt herself getting emotional. She took a deep breath, "Do you want me to ask Reid to leave?"

It pained him to say no but he did, "No, you can work out with him. You probably already paid for him anyway."

She softly smiled and put her hands on his arms, "Thank you."

Nathan nodded and kissed her softly. He laughed as he pulled away, "Next time you want to surprise me it would probably be better if it didn't involve a guy."

Haley laughed and nodded, "Noted."

Glad that the trainer stuff was behind them, Nathan changed the subject, "I know Jamie's at school, but where's Charlotte?"

"At Lucas and Peyton's, they were keeping her till I was done with Reid."

Nathan looked at his watch, "Do you think they'll mind if I go and get her?"

Haley shook her head, "No, go ahead."

"Alright, I'll be back in a little while."

Nathan started to walk toward the door but felt Haley pull on his shirt, "Hey?" He turned around and she smiled with her warm brown eyes, "I'm glad you're home."

In that moment, he couldn't not kiss her, so he did. "Me too." He said it again as he smiled at her, "Me too."

**OTHOTH**

Lucas heard someone knocking at his door and went to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Nathan.

"Hey man, what are you doing here?" Lucas opened the door wide and let Nathan come in.

"Did you suggest some trainer to Haley?" Nathan turned to Lucas with a raised brow.

That wasn't the answer Lucas was expecting, "Uh, yeah."

"What the hell man!" Nathan furrowed his brow.

Lucas threw out his arms, "What? She told me she wanted to get in shape."

"So you decided to give her the number of some teenager?"

Lucas shook his head, "He's not a teenager. He's a junior at UNCW and helps out with the Ravens training. Reid's a nice guy, what's the big deal."

"Big deal! Lucas I get home and I find my wife and that kid in my workout room. He's all over her and, I don't know, it pissed me off."

Lucas shrugged, "I get that, but it's not like she's into him or something. Haley told me that she just wanted to get in shape for you."

Nathan furrowed his brow even thicker, "Why? She doesn't need to loose any weight."

"Because you're an NBA player surrounded by hot girls all the time. The Bobcats' cheerleading team is ripped and I think she felt a little insecure. I don't know. Maybe she felt like she needed to keep up."

Nathan's face fell. He never thought about that, "Is that what she told you?"

Lucas swayed back and forth, "She didn't technically say those exact words, but yeah, pretty much."

Moving from the hallway to the couch, Nathan sat down. Lucas was about to say something but Peyton walked into the living room. Sawyer in one arm and Charlotte in the other, "Hey Nate." She walked over to him and he instantly took Charlotte for his own.

"Hey Char, I missed you." He placed a gentle kiss on her head and smiled.

His sister-in-law sat down, "So what's up?"

Nathan leaned into the couch and sighed, "Not much, got home, found out Haley had a trainer..."

Peyton laughed, "So you caught them with their pants down huh?"

As quick as he could, Nathan whipped his head in Peyton's direction, "What! No!"

Lucas looked at Peyton and tried to tell her it was a sore subject, her joke wasn't going to sit well.

Peyton saw that Lucas was shaking his head so she corrected herself, "I was only kidding. Gee, touchy subject?"

Nathan didn't realize it but his grip on his daughter got a little tighter, more protective." He looked down at the mini Haley in his arms, "Yes."

Laughing, Peyton through her head back. She looked at Nathan and narrowed her eyes, "Get a little jealous?"

Nathan nodded. He wasn't shy about admitting it to Peyton or Lucas. "Yeah."

Peyton curled her lips into a smile, "If anyone should be jealous it should be Reid. He's helping a girl who would do crunches, lifts, and whatever else to impress her husband. He'd be lucky to find someone like that." Peyton couldn't help but laugh as she glanced over to Lucas, "I'd be doing it too if I liked working out. I can't stand it."

Laughing it off, Nathan thought about what Peyton said. Maybe he didn't need to be jealous after all. It was everyone else who should be jealous of him. He had a wife who would do anything for him, and in the same regard, Nathan would do anything for Haley. It was just how they worked.

Nathan got up off the couch and looked at his brother and sister-in-law, "Thanks for watching her. I'm gonna head home."

Both Lucas and Peyton nodded. They didn't mind watching their niece.

Once Nathan got Charlotte I her car seat he thanked Lucas and Peyton again then walked out to the car. He securely fastened the seat in place the then drove towards home. He glanced in the rear view mirror and sighed, "I don't know what your mom says when I'm not here, but she doesn't need a trainer. She's beautiful. You're gonna look just like her too Char. I know it."

The drive from Lucas and Peyton's house to their house was short. When Nathan walked inside Haley met him in the kitchen. Her hair was damp from the shower she'd just taken.

"Hey, you're done already?" Nathan unbuckled Charlotte and lifted her out of the seat.

Haley gently ran her hand over Charlotte's back and nodded, "Yeah, I ended the session early." She looked up to Nathan and laughed,"Actually, I fired him."

"What?" Nathan scrunched his brow.

She was smiling,"Yeah, I told him that I wouldn't need his help. I had someone else."

"Who'd you get now?"

Haley laughed out loud and loved that it hadn't registered with him yet, "You." She saw his eyes soften, "So what do you say?"

Nathan accepted Haley's proposition, "Sure. I mean, if that's what you want."

Nodding and taking Charlotte from Nathan's arms, Haley smiled, "Yeah, it'll be something fun to do together."

He watched as Haley kissed Charlotte's cheek. Fun? Working out was never that much fun but if he was going to be doing it with Haley, there was always the possibility that it could be.

**OTHOTH**

The next day Haley walked into the bedroom and smiled when she saw Nathan reading on their bed. It was something he had been doing more and more of lately.

"She'll be out for about an hour so we've got a little while." She walked into the closet and heard Nathan speak.

"Yeah, so I was thinking..." He set his book down and rested his arms behind the pillows, "Maybe after Charlotte's nap we could go for a run or something? I'll push the stroller and we can head downtown."

"That sounds good."

Haley walked out of the closet and Nathan arched his brow, "Wow."

She was wearing a black microfiber skirt and a white tank with a thick black line down the sides. Nathan didn't even realize that it was workout gear.

She walked closer to him and smiled, "It's cute right?"

His eyes were glued to her. Her curves were accentuated and again, he wondered why she wanted to tone up. She was beautiful. "Come here." A slight blush crept across her cheeks when she heard his husky tone. As she inched closer to him, Nathan could hear his heart beating in his ears. His hands instantly went to her hips when she was close enough.

It was when his hands touched the fabric that he snapped himself out of his daze. That skirt was something she worked out in, "Hales, you're gonna have to change if we go running later."

Haley stepped back and looked down, "What? What do you mean?"

His eyes went directly to the edge of her skirt and while he loved the way it looked on her, it was a little short for his liking to be wearing it out of the house, "It's kinda short."

Smiling, Haley seductively ran her hands down to the front of her skirt, "But I thought you liked it."

Nathan nodded, "I do, but I don't want every other person in Tree Hill gawking at you when we're running by them."

Haley laughed and started to move the material up her thighs, "They won't be able to see anything" She exposed Nathan to the built in shorts underneath, "It's a skort."

Nathan didn't even know what a skort was. "I'm sure you've got some shorts you can wear instead."

Rolling her eyes, Haley laughed at her husband. His jealous antics were sometimes on the ridiculous side, but that didn't mean she didn't love it. "I do, but what if we go to your workout room now. Nobody will see me from there. Will that make you feel better?" She rested her hand on his cheek and gave it a light pat.

It would. It totally would make him feel better. It was a win win for Nathan. Win: he'd get to see Haley in that skort some more, and win number two: nobody else would.

Haley started to walk to the dresser and unplugged the baby monitor. "I'll plug this in there so I don't have to worry we can't hear her."

He nodded and followed her toward the garage. Haley plugged in the monitor and then shrugged, "So what are we gonna do first."

"Stretch." Nathan raised his hands toward the sky and did a few trunk twists. He watched as Haley did the same and couldn't help but smile. She wasn't a natural athlete so it looked a little awkward but it was cute.

"Now what?" Haley pulled her arm across her body and looked at her husband.

Nathan walked over to the dumbbells and instead of grabbing one of those he grabbed a black jump robe and started jumping. Doing some fancy movies, Nathan crisscrossed the rope and jumped on one foot, showing Haley just how good he was.

"Show off." Haley cut her eyes and rested her hand on her hip.

He laughed and stopped, "Here. You do it."

They only had one jump rope but that was fine. Nathan had plenty of practice and besides, he was trying to help Haley, not himself.

"I'm a klutz, I really think this is a bad idea." Haley flipped the rope behind her and raised her brow, "Really, I might trip, so just be ready."

Nathan laughed but shook his head, "You won't be that bad."

She widened her eyes and started to jump. One rotation, two rotations, three rotations, and then it stopped. Her foot landed on the rope and she laughed, "See, I suck at this."

He didn't want to laugh, but her ability to jump rope was pretty bad, "It's alright, just try a few more times."

Haley did as she was told but after a few more goes it was useless, they needed to move on to something else. Defeated by the rope in her hand Haley sighed, "How about crunches, I can do those."

Nathan nodded, those wouldn't be too difficult. Haley sat down on the floor and he looked at her, "Do you want me to hold your feet?"

"Please." She put her hand behind her head and waited for Nathan to accompany her.

As he got down in front of her he shook his head, "Hales don't put your hands like that, cross them over your chest."

"Oh. I didn't know there was a right way to do this."

Nathan nodded and watched as she began to start.

Each time she came up Nathan smirked. Haley saw his expression and huffed, "What?"

"Nothing."

She went back down then came right back up, "No, really, what? I know that face, am I doing something wrong?"

He shook his head, "No you're doing great." Nathan hadn't been smirking at Haley for a particular reason, he just liked being with her.

Haley could feel the burn in her belly and laughed, "Well how many more."

Nathan had been counting, "Forty more."

"Forty!" She let out an exacerbated sigh.

"Yep, you need to do at least fifty a day."

Haley grimaced, "Is that how many you do a day?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "No, I do about a hundred."

Haley's eyes bulged. She didn't realize he did that many. It shouldn't have surprised her though, Nathan always kept up with working out. In all the time she'd known him he'd always been incredibly fit.

Once they were done with the crunches Nathan pulled Haley up and handed her two lightweight dumbbells and then picked up bigger ones for himself. "Alright, so I'm gonna stand in front of you so you can mirror what I do."

"Got it."

Nathan started to curl his right arm and then his left. Haley did just as he was doing and after a few reps they switched moves. Nathan started the dumbbells by his side and lifted each arm parallel to the ground. Again, Haley did as Nathan was but in the mix of it all she got lost watching him. The way his arms flexed, the way his veins popped. There was no way she could pay attention.

Nathan realized that Haley was falling off track so he set his dumbbells down and walked behind her, "Here, let me help." Putting his hands on her wrists, Nathan guided Haley's arms up and down so she could get it down pat.

Haley had to take deep breaths. Nathan was doing the exact same thing Reid had helped her with yesterday but something was different, very different. She felt a swell in her stomach at Nathan's touch and closed her eyes when she felt his chest press into her back. It seemed so simple. He was only helping her lift a few weights, but to Haley it was more than that.

She felt him turn her around and he smiled, "Now why don't you do a shoulder press." He raised his arms to show her what he was talking about but instead of Haley doing the same she dropped both dumbbells and her hands pulled on his shirt.

Haley kissed him passionately and moaned when they parted. She let out an embarrassed laugh and looked at his surprised face, "Working out is so over-rated."

He laughed as she pulled his shirt over his head, "I thought you wanted to get in sh..."

She silenced him with her mouth and shook her head, "Sex burns a lot of calories right?"

Nathan felt a shock of electricity run through his body from Haley's question. He kissed her again and pushed her up against the wall, "I think so."

Haley pushed Nathan's shirt over his head, "I hope so."

Their mouths connected again and Nathan's hand began to slip under her skort. He pulled away and laughed, "I forgot there were shorts underneath there."

Haley frowned, no more skorts for her. "Sorry." She pulled him back close to her and he slipped her top off. Standing in only her sports bra and bottoms, Nathan was sure that Haley was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on.

"God Haley, you look so damn good."

Just like she always did, Haley blushed, "Oh stop it."

"No, I'm serious Hales." He kissed her and held her tight, "You don't ever have to think that you need to look any different. I love you now, I'll love you forever."

Haley felt her heart skip a beat. The way they loved each other was something else. "I love you too." She pulled him down in another kiss and then held her arms up. Normally Nathan could just unclip her bra but considering it was a sports bra he'd need to pull it off of her. His fingers slid under the fabric and he started to help her out of it when they both heard something.

A faint cry, was buzzing from the baby monitor and Nathan looked at Haley with disappointment all over his face. Haley quickly grabbed her top and threw it back on, "I'll get her."

Nathan watched as Haley quickly walked out of the workout room and had to laugh. It was just like one of their kids to interrupt a little bit of alone time.

**OTHOTH**

About an hour after Charlotte had been up Haley suggested to Nathan that they go on that run he'd been talking about earlier. Nathan didn't mind, and he especially didn't mind when he saw that Haley had changed from that short skort to shorts. He loaded Charlotte in the Baby Jogger and waited for Haley.

They family of three walked outside and Haley looked to Nathan, "We're gonna start off slow right?"

Nathan turned to her and smirked, "Sure." He took off at a fast past leaving Haley in a cloud of his imaginary dust.

"Nathan!"

He turned around and called out to her, "Come on Hales!"

She narrowed her eyes and started to run after him. Hopefully they wouldn't be playing a game of catch up the whole time.

Nathan slowed his pace so Haley could catch up to him and she peeled her eyes, "That wasn't very nice."

"Charlotte told me to go, what was I supposed to do?" He looked down at their daughter in the stroller and shrugged.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Right. Her first word. Go."

Nathan looked back to Haley, "You never know, Jamie's was 'ball' so I guess anything goes."

She nodded and it didn't take long for the couple and their young daughter to make it to downtown Tree Hill. By the time they did get there, their pace had slowed significantly. Haley was basically walking and Nathan was pushing the stroller in circles around her, "Tell her Char, tell Mom to run."

Haley watched as Nathan continued to push the stroller around her. She was at an unfair advantage. Charlotte was on wheels and Nathan was a professional basketball player. Obviously she was going to run circles around, figuratively and literally.

Nathan slowed down and started walking side by side, "I guess you're not worried someone's in our spot."

They were just at the intersection of Front and Market so she could see that their spot was clear, "No, we're good."

He looked up and saw that she was right, nobody was sitting on their bench.

When they walked up to the place they'd been to countless times Haley got Charlotte out of the stroller. Nathan sat down and watched as the Cape Fear River swam along the shore. He watched Haley take her seat across from him and smiled. "It's her first time here."

Haley held Charlotte close and nodded, "I know." She laughed, "You want me to pass her over to you and say it?"

Nathan laughed too. If Haley said don't say I never gave you anything while handing him their daughter her words wouldn't have been more true. She'd given him two beautiful children and he thanked her everyday. They were everything he ever needed.

The mid afternoon sun painted colors that reflected golden hues off the water and Haley admired the sight. She looked to Nathan and raised her brow, "Thanks for helping me work out today. I know you didn't have to do that."

He shook his head, "Hales, there's nothing I would have rather done today."

Haley smiled at his words. It was funny. Eleven years ago they sat at that same bench and she was the one teaching him, and now their roles were reversed. It wasn't algebra, but learning how to do crunches the right way and showing her how to do presses was good enough. Haley may have been the one who started teaching him things but through the course of their relationship Nathan had added his own two cents. It may have not been academic but it didn't matter. It wasn't all about English and Mathematics, it was about love and compromise. As long as they had that, Nathan and Haley would be alright. They'd be more than alright.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Oh jealous Nathan....sigh. I hope you all enjoyed that. I know Jamie was MIA in that chapter but I kinda felt like he could get a chapter off since the last one was heavy in his department. Don't worry though Jamie lovers, he'll be around next chapter. And guess what guys, 4 days till OTH!! Get excited. I've posted 18 chapters since the never ending hiatus and I hope it's helped the wait. I'll try and update again before it comes back on!**

**To those of you I can't reply back to, THANK YOU: Amy, ann, Hadley, bethanyfan23, and diana**

**Naley (heart symbol): I'm so happy you are enjoying the story so far. I will be doing more chaps about Naley in college and Jamie as a baby. The christening idea is a good one but there is already a story on this site that is about that. It hasn't been updated for a while but I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes.**

**Heather: As for a chapter about Lucas being sick. Well, that could be interesting to show the bond between brothers but since this is a Naley story I wouldn't want to stray from that. I don't know what you meant by sick (cancer, the flu, a further heart ailment from HCM???) but I think I'd rather keep it centered on Nathan if I did that. With that said though, I have no intentions of having Nathan get cancer or whatever but I will try and find a way to show the closeness of the brothers. Thanks for the suggestion.**

**Kutebloo: I'm a big fan of the Jamie and Charlotte relationship too, lol. I'm so glad you like the chapter as well.**

**Joan: I have yet to say what Brooke and Julian's son's name is...I'll have to keep you in mystery until that's revealed.**

**Alexis: I'm so happy you liked the chapter, especially since you don't normally like the future ones, and that you read it three times!**

**Emma: Having Haley in a green dress, him wearing his ring on the chain, and the pre game ritual were all fun to write in. I try and mix things in from the show into the story as much as i can to make it more relatable.**

**Mazzy: I hope you enjoyed this jealous Nathan one. I have already done a chap where one of Nathan's teammates has the hots for Haley and since Reid is younger than Naley I think that hits on what you wanted, or I hope so.**

**BDavis: I totally agree with you about what you said and how they handled the "problem" last chapter. It's nice to see them deal with emotional things every once in a while and not always be the adorable/perfect couple/family they are in most chapters. I'll add Nathan doing some normal things at home to my list of chapter scenarios!**

**KC: I'm so glad you liked the chapter. Your review was filled with compliments, so thank you! About your suggestion: I have to semi disagree. Of the jealous Nathan chapters I've done only two of them have been centered on Haley's academics and I don't think he doesn't care. I personally think just the opposite. In my mind, Nathan is insecure when it comes to school and academia, not that he doesn't care. He knows that's Haley's area and also knows that she didn't get to live out her full potential by not going to Stanford, something he kept her from. Of course he didn't force her not to go, but I brought it up in the "California Dreamin'" chapter... I think he cares a lot about it. Enough to upset him..whether that be sad or jealous. I hope Nathan doesn't come across as ignorant or apish because that was definitely not my intention. I blame my poor writing skills if it did. Thank you for pointing that stuff out and giving me your opinion, and you don't have to apologize for the long review...those are the best ones! The more feedback I get, the more I have to go off of. So thank you!**

**Moonqueen19: I am so glad you've been enjoying the story so far and thank you for the review. I'm glad the silent reader in you has broken out and you've given me a request. I'm all for those! I actually was planning on doing what you wanted last chapter. The press conference that was referred too was supposed to be in it and the reporters would have been asking the types of questions you wanted but after I wrote the last scene I felt like I could end it there and skip out of the press conference. With that being said, I will do a reporter/news story moment sometime. Like I said, those things were supposed to happen last chapter but didn't so I will try and find somewhere else to put it. Thank you so much for the review, and it really means a lot that you've been reading this story! If you ever have more suggestions please send them my way!**

**Review Please!  
**


	53. Oh Brother

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 53: Oh Brother**

**Disclaimer: All characters other than my own do not belong to me.**

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, Fanfiction was acting weird tonight and it took me forever to be able to log in. Boo on them. Thank you all for the reviews for last chapter! This chapter, well...I decided to bite the bullet and do a chapter I've been putting off since the beginning. I know I said Jamie would be in this one in my bottom author's note last chapter, but I change my mind. Take a look at the chapter title and I think you'll have a good idea what it's about. I hope for those of you who wanted this, you like it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan Scott was someone who didn't get nervous about much of anything. Give him a ball when the Ravens are down by two and there's only thirty seconds left, and he'll be as calm as ever. It wasn't that he was cocky, Nathan was just a confident guy. But a tied ball game going down to the wire had nothing on meeting Haley's brothers and sisters for the first time. They'd been married only a little while and now the time had come for him to get acquainted with his new extended family.

As he was sitting at the kitchen counter in their one bedroom apartment looking at a scrapbook, Nathan could feel the nerves kick in. It wasn't like the pictures made him uncomfortable, it was the fact that in two plus hours he was going to have meet her brothers. They were older, wiser, bigger than him, and Nathan had a hard time picturing the meeting going down well. He was a guy who had a bad reputation for being a playboy, had an ass of a father, and married their baby sister without so much as a hello. It was going to be awkward at best.

Haley walked out from the bedroom carrying the suitcase she'd packed for the both of them and laughed, "You want me to make some flashcards for on the ride up there?"

Nathan thought about it, and flashcards might not be a bad idea. There were tons of people he was going to have to meet and it would be nice if he could keep everyone's names and faces right. But flashcards were never the studying tool that helped him, it was Haley.

He turned to face her and arched his brow, "I'm just worried I'm going to mix them all up."

She walked next to him and ran her hand on his back, "I know, I'm sorry I've got such a huge family. Blame my parents."

"They're gonna hate me." Nathan looked at a picture of Haley's brothers and shrugged.

Haley shook her head and used her palm to turn his head to her, "No they won't. Once they see that I'm happy, they'll be happy." She nodded to ease his worries and leaned down to kiss him. "I promise."

Nathan felt a little reassurance. He sighed and looked at Haley, "You got off easy with me. I don't have any brothers or sisters." Nathan saw that Haley was about to speak up so he corrected himself, "Okay, yeah I've got Lucas, but that doesn't count. You knew him before I did." Laughing, Haley nodded. It was true.

She picked up the scrapbook and smiled at the pictures, "I'll quiz you on the way to Raleigh. You'll have them all down by then." She started to walk towards the door and smirked, "And if we don't leave now, then we'll be late, and then they might really hate you."

He jumped off that stool so quickly that Haley was even surprised. Nathan picked up the suitcase and pulled out his keys, "I'm ready."

Haley laughed and walked out the front door. Nathan locked their apartment and the young newlyweds made their way to the parking lot to get in their blue Honda hatchback. Nathan was in the driver's seat and Haley in the passenger seat.

Once they pulled onto I-40 Haley cleared her throat, "Okay, so first question. Who's house are we going to?"

Nathan was pretty sure that he knew this one,"Jay's. He's your oldest brother."

Haley nodded, "Right, he's twenty nine, and has two kids. What are their names?"

"Uh, Elliot, it's his first birthday, that's why were going up there." He grimaced as he tried to remember the other boy's name. "It...it starts with an H right?"

"Uh-huh, He..."

Nathan knew it once Haley got him started, "Henry!"

She nodded, "Right. Jay's the oldest, he has two boys. Henry is four and Elliot is turning one. What about his wife?"

Nathan hadn't really been worried about the wives or husbands of her brothers and sisters as much. "Um, Jay's married to..." He had no idea.

"Kim."

"Right, her." Nathan was trying to act like he'd had a mental lapse.

Haley took a deep breath, "Okay, one sibling down, five to go." She laughed at the enormity of her family, "Who's next? Who's the second oldest?"

"Vivian." He was right and Haley smiled. Nathan turned to her, "She's pregnant right?"

"Yeah, it'll be easy to pick her out from the others." Haley was pretty impressed with Nathan's memory so far, "She's married to..."

"Tom."

Haley tilted her head back and forth, "Close enough. It's Thomas. He doesn't go by Tom, just Thomas. Don't ask me why."

Nathan laughed. "And they have a little girl. Jane."

"She's two, and the cutest thing ever."

Nathan couldn't help but see the way Haley lit up when talking about her niece and nephews. He knew that she'd want kids someday. He did too. Nathan pursed his lips together and nodded, "Then Brad, he's ten years older than us, and he's married to Julie?"

"Julia, but they aren't married yet. Just engaged." Haley was still surprised that he was doing so well. "To help you pick him out, Brad's got blue eyes. Think B for blue, and B for Brad."

He looked at her eyes, "What about brown. B's for brown too. What color eyes does Matt have?"

Haley had to think about her twenty three year old brother. She realized that her B is for..., idea, might not be as helpful as she thought, "His eyes are brown." She tried to think of a way Nathan would be able to tell who was who. It wasn't like they were twins, but they looked enough alike to confuse him. "Brad's bigger than Matt, so think B for big I guess."

"So since Matt's the youngest of the boys is he the one you're closest too?"

"Yeah." Haley smiled thinking about her brother, "He's really protective over me, and we're a lot a like. He taught me how to play the guitar."

Nathan enjoyed listening to Haley go on but a part of him was really worried about Matt James. Nathan wanted to change subjects so his worries wouldn't invade his every thought, "Then there's Quinn right?"

She nodded, "She'll be easy to pick out. Most likely she'll have a camera in her hand, around her neck, or close by." Haley figured they'd be taking lots of pictures with it being Elliot's first birthday and all.

"And Taylor's the youngest, I mean other than you?"

"Yeah, but she's kind of a flake. She might not even show." Haley laughed as she thought about Taylor's antics, "She was a senior when we were freshmen so you might recognize her if she does come."

Nathan ran through all the names in his head and he was pretty confident that he would be able to put all the names with faces. There were three brothers and three sisters. Two sister-in-laws (counting Julia that was), and one brother-in-law. Two nephews, and one niece. Even though it was a lot they were family, Nathan was just going to have to get used to it.

He was taken out of his trance when he heard the horn of an 18-wheeler blow. He turned to Haley and saw that she was cheering, "What's all that about?"

She turned to him and lifted her arm in the air and then pulled down on an imaginary whistle, "Have you never done that? Look at the driver and do this..." She started pumping her arm up and down, "..you know, wait from him to blow his horn?"

Nathan laughed out loud, "Yeah, when I was like seven and on a school field trip."

"Oh whatever, it's fun. I don't care if it's a kid thing." Haley looked out the window and saw that they were about to pass another truck. She waited till she made eye contact with the driver to start pump her arm, but something caught her off guard before she did. The truck driver winked at her.

Nathan drove by the truck and turned to Haley, "I guess he didn't want to play games, huh?"

Haley grimaced, "No, uh, he winked at me." She let out an embarrassed laugh and scrunched her nose, "He was old."

The car slowed it pace as Nathan took his foot off the accelerator, "What?"

She was laughing, "Yeah, ew, he winked at me.." Haley noticed that the truck was coming up behind them in the left lane.

Nathan cut his eyes toward the side view mirror and glared back at the truck, " Ugh, creeper."

The truck overtook them an Haley kept her eyes on the road, she didn't want to make eye contact again with the guy, "This is awkward."

Nathan nodded. A part of him wanted to be jealous or protective but he couldn't do much from the driver's side. Nathan couldn't blame the guy, he was probably on the road all the time and Haley was hot. Nathan sped up and wanted to get past him.

Haley couldn't help but look up as they passed the truck and this time instead of a wink, it was a wave. "Ah, he did it again, he waved this time." She laughed out loud and shook her head. She didn't know if she should be flattered or embarrassed.

Nathan was starting to get irritated now. He didn't want his ego and jealousy to turn into road rage so he calmly drove by the guy. Haley saw that the truck took the next exit and sighed, "That was weird." She felt Nathan's hand hers and looked at him.

He used his thumb and middle finger to twist the gold wedding band on her ring finger. As much as he wanted to pound that truck driver, Nathan knew that Haley was his forever. Every other guy would just have to deal with it. They may have been young, but it didn't matter, they loved each other.

"We've got about an hour left, so it shouldn't be too long." Haley spoke up as she glanced at the clock.

Nathan had totally forgotten about where they were going. The truck driver had taken away all of his worries about meeting her family, but now they were back in full swing. Nathan gulped and took a long hard look down the interstate. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan could feel his hands start to clam up and his knuckles where white as he gripped the steering wheel. They'd pulled into Raleigh, North Carolina, just a few minutes ago, and as they passed the Oakwood historic district home Nathan new they were getting close.

"It's the third one on the left." Haley pointed at a beautiful to gray Queen Anne home.

Nathan's mouth hung open, "Whoa."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, it pays to be a doctor." As they got closer she saw someone walk outside onto the porch followed by a smaller someone, "Oh look, Matt and Henry just came outside." Nathan had to swallow hard. He pulled into the driveway crammed with cars and Haley turned to him and gave him a warm smile, "Don't worry, they'll love you." She leaned over to him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, "I love you."

Nathan nodded and took a deep breath, "I love you too."

They both got out of the car and Haley waited for Nathan to walk over to her. She extended her hand and when they joined together, Nathan felt a wave of relief pass over him. Haley gave his hand a slight squeeze and they walked up to the front porch.

"Well, well, if it isn't Baby James." Matt leaned on a post and crossed his arms over his chest smiling wide, "But I guess we better not call you that anymore since you're all grown up and married."

Haley felt a warm blush grace her cheeks and she smiled at her brother, "Hi Matt." As they walked closer, Haley saw her young nephew standing next to his uncle, "Wow, Henry, you've gotten so big."

The little boy hurried down the steps and ran over toward the young couple. Haley let go of Nathan's hand and scooped Henry up. He smiled wide, "Are you weally married?"

She laughed and looked at Nathan, "Yes I am." Haley looked at Henry then back to Nathan, "Actually, there's someone I'd like you to meet." She watched as Henry studied Nathan, "Henry, this is Nathan."

Henry stuck out his little hand and smiled warmly at the high school student, "Hi Uncle Nathan, I'm Henry James."

Nathan found it hard not to smile at the little boy and extended his hand, "Hey Henry, it's nice to meet you."

Haley set her nephew down and looked up to the porch expecting to see Matt, but apparently he'd walked inside. She watched as Henry ran back up to the porch and turned to Nathan, "See that wasn't so bad."

"Hales, he's four." Nathan glanced to the porch and shook his head, "You're brother bolted, I can already tell he hates me."

She wrapped her arm around his back, "He was probably..."

"Haley Bob!" Lydia James yelped as she walked out the front door.

Haley smiled as she saw her mom, dad, and the majority of the rest of her family,"See, Matt was just telling everyone we were here. He doesn't hate you." She turned to Lydia and smiled, "Hi Mom." Haley took Nathan's hand in hers once more and walked up to the porch.

"Nate, it's good to see you again." Jimmy extended his hand and shook his son-in-law's hand.

"Hey Mr. James. It's good to see you too."

Lydia turned to Nathan and waved him off, "Oh you can call us by our first names Nathan, you know that." She hugged him and looked behind her, "You've got a few people here who are eager to know who married our baby."

Nathan looked over Lydia's shoulder and felt all eyes on him. A guy about his height but a bit stockier than him with brown hair and blue eyes nodded in Nathan's direction and held out his hand, "Hey, I'm Brad."

Nathan felt like the world stopped. His eyes were transfixed on Brad's hand and Nathan knew that he shouldn't hesitate but he couldn't help it. After a second Nathan slowly stuck out his hand and felt a firm grip shake his hand, "Nathan Scott."

Brad smiled and turned to the woman next to him, "This is my fiancee Julia."

A girl who looked around twenty five grinned, "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"You too." Nathan took a breath. Brad was nice. Julia was nice. Things were going fine. He shouldn't have been worried about anything.

He heard Haley talking with Brad and Nathan made his way down the line of the rest of the James crew.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Nathan." A older guy with glasses held out his hand, "Jay James."

Nathan figured that he was Jay. He looked like the oldest, and if it was possible, he looked like a doctor as well, "Hey, you too." Nathan saw the woman next to Jay holding a toddler, "You must be Kim?"

The blond haired woman nodded looked to her son, "And this is Elliot." Kim boosted her son in her arms, "This is your Uncle Nathan, Elliot." The young boy didn't say anything but that was to be expected.

Henry squeezed between his parents and looked up at Nathan, "That's my little brother."

Nathan nodded down to the boy, "I know, and I bet your the best big brother."

Smiling triumphantly, Henry nodded, "Yeah."

All of the adults laughed. Nathan moved on to the next person. He saw that a woman, obviously pregnant, was looking him over. It was the most uncomfortable he'd felt so far but he knew that Vivian was a lawyer and it was second nature for her to judge things. He flashed her a smile and she was taken by his charm, "Nathan, it's nice to meet you." She turned to her husband next to her, "This is Thomas and..." Vivian pointed to the little girl clinging to her legs, "That's Jane."

Nathan shook Thomas' hand and knelt down to Jane, "Hi Jane." He saw that she was being shy but smiled, "I like your shoes." The two year old looked down and lifted her foot. Nathan smiled at the little girl and nodded. He stood up and saw that he was at the end of the line. Matt was leaning against the front door.

Matt didn't know much about Nathan, and that was the part that got him. He didn't know what he was like, if he was nice, or if he was a good guy. He wanted to like him, but Haley was his baby sister and if this Nathan Scott guy hurt her there was going to be hell to pay.

Nathan could tell that Matt was looking him over. He extended his hand and waited for Matt, "Hey, I'm Nathan."

"Yeah, I'm Matt." Matt had a firm grip on Nathan's hand and cut his eyes a little, "So, you and Haley, huh?"

Lydia walked over to her youngest son, "Don't save all the questions for yourself Matty, why don't we all go inside." She checked her watch, "Quinn should be here shortly and if Taylor ever shows up she'll want to know the story too." Grabbing her son by the arm, Lydia pulled him inside and the rest of the group followed.

Nathan waited on Haley and they started to walk in when he felt Haley's hand on his side, "Hey?" He looked down and raised his brow. "Thanks for doing this, for coming here."

He shrugged, "We're family now Hales, wherever you go, I'm right next to you."

She sighed and ran her palm over his cheek, "You're amazing, you know that?"

Nathan smiled. He wanted to believe that, but more than that, he wanted her family to know it too. He wasn't some fling, he wasn't playing Haley; Nathan had the best of intentions. He'd married her because he loved her. Hopefully the James' all understood that.

**OTHOTH**

Once the group was inside, Nathan and Haley took a seat next to each other on the couch and everyone else crowded around them. Nathan felt this kind of pressure before. Eyes on him, watching his every move, but it was on the basketball court, not his brother in law's living room. It was definitely a different experience.

Brad started to clear his throat when the front door opened.

"Hello?"

Haley smiled at the sound of her sister's voice. She leaned over to Nathan, "Quinn's here." A brunette walked into the room and had a guy at her side.

Nathan looked at Haley with a raised eyebrow, "Who's that."

Grimacing, Haley bit her bottom lip, "That's David, sorry I forgot about him. He's Quinn's boyfriend."

Nathan added the name to the ever growing list and took a deep breath. That family was never ending.

Just as Haley had said, Quinn had a camera around her neck. She was taller than her little sister but they definitely looked related. Quinn spotted the newlyweds and walked towards them. "Haley, you got married!"

Haley got up and hugged her sister, "Yeah I did."

"Well thanks for the invite."

Nathan had stood up and smiled, "It was kind of spur of the moment."

Quinn held out her hand, "Nice to finally meet you Nathan."

"You too."

Quinn looked behind her, "And that's David."

The two guys exchanged their hello's and Quinn walked over to her boyfriend, "So what did I miss. Start all over."

Brad cleared his throat, "So it's Scott right?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. My Dad's Dan."

"That's Lucas' father too, right?" Vivian adjusted herself in the chair to get comfortable.

"Yes. Lucas is my half brother."

Matt laughed out loud, "I never would have thought Haley would have married Dan Scott's son." He shook his head.

Quinn disagreed, "No way, it was always gonna happen, we just all thought it was going to be Lucas."

"Ew, Luke?" Haley scrunched her forehead and laughed.

Jimmy raised his brow, "It's true kiddo, we all assumed you'd end up with Lucas. You two were inseparable."

Haley looked at Nathan and leaned into him, "I'm pretty sure I picked the right Scott brother."

A couple of the girls cooed over Haley's statement and her oldest brother Jay spoke up, "So how was it you two met? Mom said you tutored him?"

His baby sister nodded, "Yeah." She looked at Nathan and smiled, "You could say he needed a little help."

Vivian looked concerned, "How much help?" She didn't want her sister who was full of potential to have married some imbecile.

Nathan cleared his throat, "I needed to get my grades up if I wanted to keep playing on the team."

"Oh, what do you play, Matt played baseball." Quinn perked up as she looked from Matt to Nathan.

"Basketball, I play basketball."

Jimmy was nodding his head, "Apparently he's some hot shot or something."

Nathan humbly shook his head, "I wouldn't say..."

Haley didn't let him finish, "Yeah, he's the best one on the team."

"You wanna play college ball?" Brad asked.

"That's the plan."

Silently Vivian wondered if that was the only way he could get into college. She didn't mean to be so judgmental but she couldn't help it.

Lydia started to get up and waved her hands, "Now girls, why don't we all go to the kitchen and start working on dinner and leave the boys alone."

Haley got up and gave Nathan a reassuring look. He could deal with the guys by himself. No big deal.

**OTHOTH**

As she rounded the corner to the kitchen she noticed that she was the last one in. All eyes were wide, and the smiles wider.

"Haley, he's so cute." Kim complimented.

Quinn was nodding right along with her sister-in-law, "Yeah Hales, you did good."

Feeling that blush of her's start to creep across her cheeks, Haley turned away.

"Don't be shy, Haley. Nathan's a keeper." Lydia winked at her daughter.

Julia was rinsing off the vegetable and butted in, "He really seems great Haley. I'm really happy for you."

All the other girls agreed but Vivian had kept quiet. Quinn noticed and glared at her older sister, "What about you Viv? Don't you have anything to say?"

Vivian sat down on a stool, "North Carolina State law allows people to get married at eighteen without parental consent so I just don't see why you two were in a rush."

Haley knew that of all of her sister's Vivian would be the hardest to convince. "Because he asked, and I said yes. I love him. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him and it just so happened that we needed Mom and Dad's permission." Haley didn't want to argue with Vivian, because even if Haley had a valid point, Vivian would find a way to win her case.

Vivian subconsciously ran her hand over her stomach, "If you're happy, I'm happy."

"I am."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Jeez Viv, way to suck the happy mood outta here." She nodded at Haley and smiled, "I think it's great. I can't believe you beat me to the altar, but it's great."

Julia laughed and held up her left hand, "Me too. You beat me too, and I've had this ring for almost a year."

All the women laughed and Haley looked down at her simple gold band and twisted it around her finger. She didn't need a diamond or anything fancy. It could have been a simple pieces of string for all she cared.

Lydia leaned back on the counter and squinted, "Now what would Taylor be saying right now?"

Haley looked at her mom, "Where is Tay?"

"Oh you know. Here, there, somewhere." Lydia shrugged, "Taylor's pretty carefree so it's wherever the wind takes her."

Vivian tilted her head, "Don't you mean careless...not carefree."

Kim pointed to a gift box on the counter, "She sent Elliot a present but both Jay and I are afraid to open it."

Everyone laughed and but a part of Haley wished Taylor was there. She had wanted for Nathan to meet all of her brothers and sisters. Granted, Taylor was never easy to pin down, it still would have been nice.

Back in the living room Nathan was sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Jimmy looked around and knew that his boys would want to have a few words with Nathan so he looked at David and Thomas, "Why don't we take the kids outside. I'm sure they'd like to run around, and David, you can show me how to work my new video camera. I want to be sure to record Elliot eating the cake tomorrow."

The men nodded and silently Nathan was wishing they'd said no. Now he was all alone, on one side of the room looking helpless against Jay, Brad, and Matt.

Once their dad and the other two had left Jay looked at the teenager, "Now Nathan, how is it that we never knew about you?"

Matt answered before Nathan could, "Oh we knew about him. Lucas used to talk about him." Nathan felt his mouth go dry and he wanted to come up with the words to defend himself, but couldn't. Instead, Matt went on, "You guys know. Nathan's dad Dan, knocked up his high school sweetheart then left her to go play college basketball.

Both Brad and Jay turned their heads quickly. From what Matt was saying, it seemed high possibility that Nathan could do that to their little sister. As far as they knew she wasn't pregnant, and she wasn't, but that didn't change the fact that Nathan might leave her.

When Nathan found himself being compared to his father he found his voice, "Look, I know my dad's an ass, but I'm nothing like him. I'm never going to leave Haley." He looked at each of Haley's brothers and continued, "I know we don't know each other, and you have every right to be curious, but believe me when I say I'm nothing like that man. I may not be the smartest guy here but I do know that I love your sister. I know that for a fact."

Jay realized that they may have been coming off a little too protective, "Nathan, I get that you're a good guy. You seem really nice, this is just a lot to take in. Haley was always the one who played with all the boys on the river court and now... she's married. It's going to take a bit of adjusting to do."

Matt agreed, "We didn't even know she was seeing someone. Imagine our shock when we find out Haley's married."

Nathan nodded. He understood what they were saying. "I understand, and I know this was sudden and spontaneous, but I love her. I do." He felt like he was being repetitive but he didn't know what else to say.

Brad took a deep breath, "You've got to protect her, be there for her, and keep her in the back of your mind all the time."

"Yeah, absolutely. I'll always do those things." He silently to himself thought 'always and forever' but figured he'd keep their saying to themselves for now.

Matt leaned back in his chair, "How did you know Haley was it?"

Shrugging, Nathan shook his head, "I just knew." He paused for a moment,"She treats me like I'm not dumb, and sees the goodness in people that others don't. She saw that same goodness in me even after I messed up a few times." He mentally kicked himself for saying that, "But when she looked passed it all, I knew." He looked toward the kitchen and nodded, "That was the girl I wanted, that I needed to spend the rest of my life with."

Nathan was worried that he wasn't explaining himself very well. How could he? There were a million little things that made him love Haley. If he wanted to keep the conversation going all night he could continue, but stopped.

The guys didn't want to keep pressing the subject because it seemed apparent that Nathan was in love with Haley. Even if they didn't know him, or approve of their quickie wedding, there was no way to doubt that this guy didn't love their sister.

Brad knew exactly what Nathan meant when he had said that he just knew. He'd been the same way about Julia. It wasn't like he could explain it. Love wasn't simple, and he admired the fact that Nathan was giving them the answers they were looking for. He looked at Nathan with a raised brow and smiled, "So which team do you pull for? UNC or Duke?"

Relief passed through Nathan's body when he heard the next question. He relaxed a little and slouched back into the couch, "I love Jordan and all but I've got to go with Duke. That's where I've always wanted to play."

Jay nodded his head and smiled, "Good choice. Coach K sure does know a thing or two about basketball."

Nathan felt another wave of relief pass through him. They were on to sports talk. Something he could get through much easier than twenty questions with the brother-in-laws. The cross examination hadn't gone so bad. He'd expected it to be much worse, but it wasn't the slug fest he'd feared it would be.

**OTHOTH**

It was after dinner and it was getting late. Vivian and Kim had gone upstairs to try and get the kids to bed but the rest of the gang were still downstairs. The family had been immersed in a game of Trivial Pursuit and when the game ended everyone started to head off to bed.

Haley saw that Matt walked out on the back porch while the rest of them started disperse into the bedrooms. She walked out to meet him and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "You weren't mean were you?"

Matt turned to Haley, "What do you mean?"

"When you guys were all in there alone earlier."

He knew what she was talking about, "I wouldn't say we were mean, just concerned."

"You know I'm not a baby anymore." Haley leaned on the railing and looked to her brother.

"Yeah you are. Haley, you're Baby James. The youngest of us all. You can't hide that."

Haley took a deep breath, "I may be the youngest, but I'm not a baby."

"Okay, maybe not." He looked up at the nigh sky then back to Haley, "But you're my little sister and I think it's okay if I get protective." Matt took up for Jay and Brad too, "If we get protective."

She nodded and looked inside, "So was it your idea for Nathan and I to sleep on the sleeper sofa?"

Matt smiled, "That was done by a general consensus." He laughed, "Sorry kid."

Haley rolled her eyes. Sometimes being the youngest sucked.

Matt put his arm around her shoulder and walked her inside, "No funny business tonight."

She playfully nudged him in the side and rolled her eyes. As they headed in their opposite directions she looked at him, "Night Matt."

"Night Hales."

Haley walked into the living room and saw that Nathan was fluffing up the pillows. She told him that she was going to go change and that she'd be back in a second. Haley went into the hall bathroom and threw on the old pair of flannel pajama bottoms and one of Nathan's t-shirts. She pulled the material up to her face and could smell him on the shirt. There was something about the way he smelled that she loved.

Once she was done she quickly walked into the living room. Haley slid into the covers and took a deep breath, "So that wasn't so bad?"

Nathan closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, I'm glad we came." He rolled over to the far left side of the bed and Haley reached out for him.

"Where'd you go?"

"I'm playing it safe."

She turned over on her side, "What?"

Nathan rolled over to face her and shrugged, "I figured we might wanna keep our distance since we're out here in the open."

Haley started to laugh, "And why would you think that?"

"Uh, I don't know. I have a feeling that we may get some late night visitors from upstairs who want to check in." Nathan was being a little paranoid.

"They won't come down." She pulled on his arm, "And if they do, I don't care."

"But Haley..."

She shook her head, "Really Nathan. It's not a big deal. We're married, remember?"

He looked at her and she had him. He couldn't say no now. Nathan rolled over and opened up his right arm, "Come here."

Haley slid over close to Nathan and put her head down on her chest. She ran her hand over his chest and looked up to him, "I love you Nathan Scott."

Nathan looked down and kissed Haley sweetly, "I love you too." He felt her lay her head down and shut his eyes. He couldn't believe that he had actually thought he'd be able to sleep without her wrapped up in his arms. They'd been doing it since they'd been married, and as he breathed in the smell of her shampoo, Nathan thought about how many more nights he'd be doing that same thing. There may not have been an exact number he could pen point, but he could ball park it. It was a lifetimes worth

It was nearly 1:00am in the morning and Quinn, Matt, and Brad were waiting on Jay to come out of his room. Vivian had declared herself unfit for the late night operation seeing as it would take her triple the amount of time to get up and down the stairs. Her being pregnant, didn't qualify her for stealth mode. Quinn had her back though, she'd report their findings.

"Where is he?" Quinn looked at the door to the master bedroom.

Brad looked down the hall, "Maybe he forgot."

Matt shook his head, "Nah, just give him a second. Maybe he's trying not to wake up Kim."

Within the next minute they heard the door creak and Jay emerged from the bedroom. He held his hands out, "Sorry, I couldn't find my glasses."

Quinn rolled her eyes. It was just like him to misplace those things and then wander around the room like a blind mouse hunting and pecking for them. "Alright, so we ready?"

Matt nodded and raised his finger to his mouth, "Yeah, let's go."

The foursome tiptoed down the stairs and made their way over to the living room. It was really dark but Jay was leading the pack since he knew exactly where he was going. Once they were beside the sleeper sofa all their eyes went to the same thing.

Haley's head was resting on Nathan's chest and he had protective arm fashioned securely around her.

Through the darkness Quinn could tell that their breathing patter was the same, because when Nathan's chest rose, so did Haley's. Vivian would be getting a good report.

The boys looked on appreciatively. Brad had asked Nathan to protect Haley and even in sleep he did it. Just by the way his sister was lying with Nathan made Matt regret any of the worries he'd ever had about Nathan. It seemed liked they fit pretty well together. Jay was thinking the same thing. Nathan Scott was a good guy. Even though it was silly to spy on her, it made all of them feel a little better.

Quinn looked at the sleeping pair and mumbled to herself, "I wish I had my camera."

A picture may have been nice, but it wasn't needed. Lying in front of them was what mattered. Haley looked happy, she looked peaceful, she looked comfortable. She may have been the youngest but she had a wise head on her shoulders. And with those smarts, Haley had made the best decision in marrying Nathan Scott.

**OTHOTH**

**Alright, there you have it. Nathan finally meets Haley's brothers along with the others. Now I know that about a thousand a four things could have happened but this is how I saw it. I hope you liked it. I really felt challenged with the chapter seeing as so many people wanted to read something about the brothers. I really hope I didn't let you guys down. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate the feedback for last chapter and I'd love to hear from you guys about this one. If I pass a milestone I may not be able to update till Friday...it's the last week of class and I've got a crap load to do tomorrow. I'll try though, you guys know that I don't wait too long between updates.  
**

**To the reviewers I can't reply to: Joan, Alexis, joelles, tasha, bethanyfan23, Becky, and Hadley...THANK YOU SO MUCH for the kind words. I appreciate the feedback!**

**naleyfan: I'm so glad you liked the part when Haley was asking Nathan if she should say it (don't say I never gave you anything) if she passed Charlotte over. I couldn't resist throwing that in there. I mean it's Naley at their bench....it was a gimmie.**

**Madison: Thank you for the review! So you want to see something about Haley telling Nathan she's pregnant and the aftermath...okay. My only hesitation is that I wouldn't want to repeat what we already saw. I feel like Haley blurting out that she was pregnant was spot on. I can't imagine that she would have done it in any other way. Now she probably would have if Nathan hadn't just said that he'd gotten a scholarship to Duke but that's how it played out. I could see an extended scene for when Nathan comes home after the press conference but other than that I really can't see how I could add much more to it. And with that being said, I don't think I could make it long enough. Your other suggestion, about the aftermath of the Daunte fiasco might work better. I feel like a lot more Naley could have been added in that ep...somehow it became a Lucas centric episode...(Uh hello...earth to the writers, did you forget Haley had been hit my a car). Sorry for my little rant, but your're right. So much more could have been said in that ep. I'll add it to my list!**

**Heather: It means so much to me that you take the time to review! I'll try my best to think up a scenario that could hit on the bond between brothers. So far nothings coming to me but that doesn't mean I won't think of something later. It's on my list to do though.**

**BDavis: Haha, I should get paid!! No, I'm kidding. Kinda, lol. I wish I did. Considering I'm a college student, that would be...wonderful. Teenage Charlotte is on the way! I'll tease you a little: Charlotte is going to have a disagreement with her mom about something....I wonder what I mean by that!**

**mazzy: I saw that the story made it on the the OneTreeHillBlog and was completely shocked, flattered really! About your suggestion: I have done a chapter when Haley is away and Nathan takes care of the kids. It's called, Home Is Where the Heart Is (chapter 40). You reviewed it but maybe you forgot about it. Take a look at that one and see if it was what you had in mind. If not, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

**Naley3: It means a lot that you think the situations are realistic. As for your suggestion: I've done a chapter that includes Haley's pregnancy with Jamie (Sweet Baby James, chapter 42) and it includes things you want to see. A lamaze class isn't in there (dang it, I knew I forgot something), but a lot of other stuff is. If it doesn't include what you want, let me know and maybe I can do another one: Sweet Baby James part 2.**

**Alwaysandforever9: Thank you! It was such a huge compliment to hear that this is the best thing you've read. I'll have to humbly take that compliment, but I know that there are some mistakes throughout it all. My grammar is not the best and typos are super unfortunate, lol. I appreciate the kind words, I try to improve with each chapter. Protective Nathan is coming soon! Really soon!**

**Diana: Congrats on thew new job. I hope it's going well for you. I'm so glad you enjoyed both chapters you read!**

**Alice: Thank you so much! You know, if you want to write, go for it. That's what I did. I randomly thought of the idea and figured it might be something fun to write and it is. I really enjoy writing this for everyone. So I encourage you to give it a shot. As for where to get started. Just brainstorm about ideas and when you have one, ask yourself if it's something you would want to read, if so, go for it! And College Naley is coming relatively soon!**

**Review Please!**


	54. Watching You Sleep

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 54: Watching You Sleep**

**Disclaimer: Still the same thing here. I don't own anything.**

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. I had a huge research paper due today and had to get it done. My review count was down last chapter which was a blow to my review loving fingers, but thank you to those of you who did. I was hesitant to post this chapters since some of you may not like it. It's the one I had y'all vote on so for those of you who wanted it, I hope it meets your expectations. It picks up right after episode 5.12 (Hundred) ended. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

The last few hours of Nathan and Haley's life had been torture in the most traumatic of ways. Their son had been kidnapped and it had only been about forty five minutes since he'd been safely brought back.

With Jamie home, Nathan could breathe easy. It wasn't all smiles though. Physically there was a pain spiraling through his jaw and his right hand was beginning to bruise. Nathan and Lucas had gotten into a scuffle with their father outside and consequentially punches were thrown. Even with Dan becoming a hero for a little while, it didn't make things better. To everyone else he was still the villain.

Lucas was the only one left at the house and knew it was time to go. Haley was carrying Jamie in her arms and walked Lucas to the door. She knew that she could probably put her son down but she didn't want to. Haley was never letting him get away from her. He was going to be safe in her arms.

Haley looked to Lucas, regret filling her eyes, "Listen, I know things didn't go as planned with..."

The light haired guy shook his head, "I'm just glad he's back." Lucas didn't want to talk about Lindsey. Not now. He reached out and patted the little boy on the arm, "I'm glad you're home Jamie."

Jamie didn't say anything. He only nodded then buried his head into Haley's neck.

Nathan walked up and glanced at Lucas. He wanted to say sorry for the wedding, sorry that Dan was back, and sorry that everything happened the way it did. Lucas and Lindsey's wedding day was going to be the talk of the town for weeks, and not in a good way.

Nathan cleared his throat and looked at his brother, "I'll see you later."

Lucas looked from Haley to Nathan and his heart broke for the two of them. Lucas knew that Nathan would be back at his place within the hour since he was still staying with him. Lucas extended his hand and Nathan shook it.

Haley saw Nathan grimace when the guys shook hands and walked off towards the kitchen.

Nathan watched her carry Jamie away and dropped his head toward the ground, "What am I going to do?"

Lucas took a deep breath, "Just hang in there. You two will work it out."

"I don't know man." Nathan sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair.

Lucas tilted his head toward the kitchen, "Talk to her, tell her what's on your mind."

Nathan looked longingly toward the kitchen and nodded. He knew that was exactly what he needed to do but now wasn't the time. Haley had just been through the worst kind of emotional turmoil a mother could go through. It definitely wasn't the time. Nathan heard the front door clicked and turned back to find that Lucas had slipped out. Nathan walked toward the kitchen and saw that Haley sat Jamie on the counter and was running her hands through his hair.

Haley raised her brow, "You getting tired buddy?"

Jamie was eye level with his mom and when he saw Nathan walk into the kitchen he smiled.

Haley was waiting for an answer but noticed Jamie's expression. She turned around and saw Nathan, "Hey."

"Hey."

When Nathan moved next to her she walked away from him. A piece of his heart sank when he realized that she seemed to be avoiding him.

As she walked away from Nathan, Haley made her way to the freezer. She took out a bag of peas and with a warm smile walked back to Nathan. "Here. This might help." Haley gently placed the bag over his right hand.

Nathan felt a sudden burst of hope radiate through his body. Her delicate fingers graced the topside of his hand and it was just what he needed. The fact that she'd gotten him a makeshift icepack was heartwarming. "Thank you."

Haley looked up to him and smiled. She turned to Jamie and stroked the hair just above his ear. She'd found that she couldn't keep her hands off of him. She wanted to be near him, to watch him, to protect him, to hold him. "Why don't we go upstairs and get you out of that tux?"

"Okay." With help from his mom, Jamie hopped off the counter and they walked up the stairs hand in hand.

Alone and holding a very cold bag of peas on his hand, Nathan felt like he wasn't making any progress. It was one step forwards but two steps back. Haley had gotten him the peas but that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. He hadn't said anything and as he stood alone he was kicking himself. He was going to have to work a little harder to show that he wasn't ready to give up on them. On Jamie and Haley, they were his entire world.

He'd decided maybe for the night, Haley would need her space. That was understandable. Tossing the peas back into the freezer he made his way upstairs to tell his son goodnight. As he walked to Jamie's room he saw Haley helping their son get in his pajamas.

"Can I sleep with you tonight, Mama?"

Haley looked at her young son and nodded, "Of course."

Jamie glanced to the man in the door frame, "You too Daddy?"

Nathan didn't know what to say, "Uh...I don't think...."

The sadness that washed over Jamie's face was too much for Haley to take, "Sure he can baby." Haley hesitantly looked back to Nathan. She patted Jaime on the shoulder, "Why don't you go ahead and get under the covers and we'll be in there in just a sec."

Both Nathan and Haley kept their eyes on Jamie as he walked into their room. Nathan looked to Haley and shrugged, "If this makes you uncomfortable I can go."

Haley stood up from her crouch and shook her head, "It'll be good for him. He wants both of us right now."

She started to head to the bedroom but Nathan spoke up, "Hales?" The way that name echoed off his lips made her stop. She turned around to face him and saw kindness in his blue eyes. "Thank you."

Nodding her head, Haley walked to the bedroom. Nathan followed her and didn't know if he should change clothes or what. He had plenty of things to change into, it was their house, but would that give Haley the idea that he was staying? Was he supposed to stay? Should he leave as soon as Jamie was asleep? There were so many questions that couldn't be answered.

Nathan sat down on the bed and started to untie his shoes and he felt Haley set something down next to him. They were clothes. His clothes. Pajamas that he wore often. A simple gray t-shirt and blue flannel pants. He looked at her and said thank you once more. It seemed like the only thing he could say to her lately. Then he found himself in another dilemma. Did he change in front of her, or did he go into the bathroom? Normally he wouldn't have a care in the world about changing in front of her but they were in a different place. He didn't know where they stood.

He heard the bathroom door shut and he quickly changed into his pajamas. When Haley came back out he watched her walk to her side of the bed.

Nathan couldn't help but feel awkward as he slid under the covers. He wish he could make it all go away. He wanted things to be normal.

Haley extended her arms and pulled Jamie close to her chest, "Come here you." Jamie's back fit perfectly against his mom's chest and she rested her cheek on his head, "I love you James Lucas Scott."

"I love you too." Jamie looked across to Nathan and used his pointer finger to signal that Nathan needed to move closer.

Nathan scooted closer and felt his feet briskly touch Haley's. They were freezing and he looked at her, "Are you cold. Do you want another blanket or something?"

She just shook her head and squeezed on to Jamie, "I've got everything I need right here." She kissed Jamie's head and looked the Nathan. She wanted to tell him that he was included in that statement but didn't. Maybe Nathan knew that? Both of them were struggling to find the right things to say to each other, but for the night they could put that aside. Jamie was their main concern.

Nathan reached out and stroked Jamie's shoulder, "Night bud."

"Night Daddy."

He looked to Haley and saw that her eyes were closed. He mouthed the words good night and wondered if she would have said it back if she'd seen him. Nathan closed his eyes and hoped for peaceful dreams, happy dreams, dreams of him and his family together. That's all he wanted.

Haley had her eyes closed but she wasn't asleep. Pictures of what was and what used to be flooded her head. A single tear rolled down her cheek and let her know she definitely wasn't asleep. It had been about five minutes of utter silence and she looked across to the man who lay next to her son, their son, and sighed. It was dark but she could make out his face. She could see that freckle of his on his right cheek and when she looked down she noticed the band on his left hand. That gold ring on his finger seemed to be reflecting the shy moonlight and she looked at her own ring. She hadn't taken it off yet. She wouldn't. She couldn't. Haley had told Nathan that she wanted a divorce but as she thought about it, she couldn't do that to him, to Jamie. Nathan Scott may have messed up but he was still hers and always would be.

She felt Jamie let out a soft whimper and help him close, "Shh, it's okay. I'm right here."

He didn't wake up and Haley ran her hands over his arms soothingly. She wanted to do anything and everything to take away the fear he may have had. She felt another tear glide down her cheek wishing that she could have somehow stopped it all.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan cracked open his eyes and as his pupils adjusted to the dim light he realized that Haley wasn't in the bed. He started to sit up, careful not to wake Jamie, and noticed that the bathroom light was on. The door was cracked and he could see the sliver of yellow shining through.

He slowly pushed the covers off his body and walked to the door. When he got closer he could hear that Haley was crying. Nathan gently opened the door and saw his wife sitting down by the bathtub. Her red eyes, tear streaks stained her cheeks, and the scattered tissues broke his heart. He'd never seen her so broken.

"Haley?"

She looked up and her chin quivered, "I can't...he's only...." She couldn't speak as each word caught in her throat.

Nathan walked to her and lowered his hands, "Come here."

Haley put her hands in his and he pulled her up. She wiped her face and took a deep breath, "Nathan, I almost lost him. He..." She'd kept having flashes of Jamie gone, of him away, and she couldn't stand it anymore. If sleeping led to nightmares she didn't want to chance it.

"Shh." He gently ran his hand over her cheek, "He's okay Haley. He's home. He's safe."

Her breath hitched and she let out a cry, "But...but, he...." The words literally could not come out of her mouth.

It was painful for Nathan to see her so upset. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, "Everything's going to be alright." He felt her start to cry harder and ran his hands over her back trying to soothe her, "Hey, just breathe. Just breathe for a second."

Haley took a few deep breaths and looked at the huge wet mark she'd made on his gray t-shirt. "I've ruined your shirt." She started to get upset again but Nathan intervened.

"That's okay. It's just a t-shirt." He looked down at the wetness and realized it was probably a mixture of snot and tears. It was gross, but he didn't mind.

"I shouldn't have blamed you. I'm sorry." She choked out.

Nathan shook his head, "It's okay, you were upset. Jamie was missing. I understand. I should have been there. I should have protected him."

A tear feel from Haley's eye, "No, Nathan. You couldn't have done anything. We were both just standing at the end of the aisle while our son was taken. It wasn't your fault. I should have done something."

"God Haley, this is not your fault either okay? You did not do this." The last thing Nathan wanted was for her to blame herself. It wasn't Haley's fault.

As she shook her head Haley felt her eyes well with more tears. He needed to stop acting so noble. She was going to get dehydrated if he kept making her cry. She leaned into his chest and felt defeated about the whole situation, "I'm so sorry."

Nathan looked to his tear stained wife with messy hair and rosy cheeks and nodded, "I'm sorry too."

Haley bit her bottom lip and turned away from him. Gathering herself she looked back, "Why us? Why'd this happen to us?"

Nathan didn't have an answer for her, "I don't know." He felt scared that Haley was so upset so he reached out for her again, "But Haley, it's fine. Jamie's fine."

She looked up to him with worried eyes, "But we're not."

It was like a knife went through his heart. They way she said it the way she looked as she said it. Nathan felt the walls caving in. He wasn't going to let that happen, "Haley..."

She wiped a tear off her cheek, "I think, I think that we..." Before she even finished Nathan cut in.

"Don't, don't say it." In his mind the word that he was dreading kept popping up in his brain. Divorce. She's said it to him once and he never wanted to hear it again. Nathan looked into her eyes and used his thumb to wipe another tear away, "I'm not giving this up. Tell me what to do. Tell me what to say."

Haley took a deep breath. She hadn't meant for him to get so defensive. She wasn't going to say those words again. She was only going to suggest that they see someone, "Why don't we go talk to somebody. That might help."

Nathan nodded, "Whatever it takes. If you want us to go talk with someone, I'm there. Sign us up. I'll go."

She loved that he was being so supportive. She softened her tone to a low whisper, "You'll do that?"

"For you." Haley let out another cry and he looked surprised, "Haley? I thought that's what you wanted?"

She wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head on his chest. It was what she wanted. She just couldn't hold in her emotions. "It is." She let her breathing subside, "Thank you."

Nathan kissed her forehead and nodded. She didn't need to thank him for agreeing to it. It wasn't a choice he made or a decision he had to come to. When he saw how broken she'd become, how upset she was about Jamie, he never had a choice.

Haley looked to Nathan, "Will you stay the rest of the night?"

Nodding, Nathan smiled, "I'm not going anywhere."

Swallowing her fears, Haley felt Nathan take her hand in his. They walked back into the bedroom and got on their respective sides of the bed. Jamie didn't stir one bit as his parents moved closer together. Nathan watched as Haley's lids slowly opened and closed and then eventually she was out. Her tired heart was beating slow and he wished that he could do something to help her. What he didn't know was that he already was. Nathan being there, comforting her, telling her things would be okay was just enough to send Haley into a peaceful sleep.

He studied her as she slept. They was she breathed, the little noises she made, how she snuggled close to Jamie. He loved that woman more than he even realized. He wasn't going to let something get between them. They'd been through enough already.

Back when they first got married people said they wouldn't last, that it was a doomed marriage, but after almost six years she was still the one he wanted by his side. The only one he ever loved. The one he needed in his life. That was never going to change.

**OTHOTH**

It had been three weeks since that terrifying afternoon. Three weeks since Nathan had slept in his own bed. Three weeks since they'd been going to see their therapist. Three weeks had gone by and as a couple Nathan and Haley were taking baby steps. Nathan was still staying at Lucas' but things were getting better.

They had just ended their latest session and Nathan and Haley were walking to their cars. Nathan saw Haley reach into her bag for her keys and spoke up before she got into her car. "Hey, I was thinking maybe after I get Jamie from school we'd go to the rivercourt?"

Haley felt a sharp pain run through her chest. It broke her heart that he even asked, "Nathan, he's your son too you don't have to ask my permission." They had made so much progress over the last three weeks that in saddened her to hear it.

He shrugged, "I just...I just wanted to run it by you."

Nodding, Haley pulled out her keys, "I think he'll really like that."

Nathan smiled and for a second he thought that maybe she was about to say something else. Something about him moving home. He waited for a second but she didn't speak up. He looked down at his shoes, "I'll see you later then. I'll drop Jamie off when we get done."

Haley smiled, "Okay." She saw him head to his car so she opened the driver side door to her car. She slid into the seat and pulled down her mirror, "Just do it Haley. Ask him to come home." She sighed heavily and wondered why she couldn't ask him. It wasn't like she was afraid he'd say no, or maybe that was it. She was scared. Scared of what it would be like when he got back home. Would it be the same? It was all so uncertain but she knew one thing. As long as he was there, as long as he was home, she knew that they could make it. They were a family and he needed to come home.

Looking in the mirror once more she nodded to herself encouragingly. She was going to do it.

As Haley pulled out of the parking lot she ran dinner possibilities through her head. It might be too much to make a prime rib, but that was his favorite. She figured that something simple would be best, maybe a chicken dish. It wouldn't tell him that she was 100% ready for things to be normal, but it wasn't Brussels sprouts so it wouldn't mean she hated the idea either.

It didn't take her long at the store and when she got home she cleaned up a little then Haley debated on what to wear. Did she keep it casual or did she put a little extra make-up on. It was making her nervous. The decisions, the questions, it was a lot to handle.

If Nathan had seen how worried she was about the whole ordeal he probably would have laughed. He wouldn't care what she was wearing or how she looked. In his eyes she'd always be beautiful.

She went back downstairs and after what felt like only minutes, an hour had passed. Glancing at the clock, Haley knew that Jamie and Nathan would be home soon and their was a voice inside her heart that told her everything would be okay.

Another twenty minutes passed and she heard a car pull into the driveway.

Nathan put the car in park and heard Jamie unclip his seat belt. The little boy got out of his chair and ran inside the house.

Making his way into the house, Jamie ran into the kitchen, "Hey Mama. Smells good."

Haley turned her head at her son's voice and smiled, "Thanks baby." She noticed that Nathan was behind Jamie, "Where's your dad Jame?"

Jamie looked to the front door and shrugged.

Nathan shut the car door and slowly approached the house. When he got to the front door he wondered if he needed to knock. He sighed heavily and pushed the door open. If they were going to make ground of their reconciliation he was going to have to stop acting like they were in every other weekend mode. They weren't and never would be.

Haley saw Nathan and smiled when he came in. She was excited to see him. They still had a lot of work to do to make things all better, but she was ready to take that next step.

Nathan took a deep breath and loved the way the house smelled. Haley was one hell of a cook, "Smells great."

She smiled kindly and looked to Jamie, "Hey buddy, why don't you go upstairs and make sure Chester's alright. I think he's been missing you today."

Jamie hopped off the stool and ran upstairs. Nathan watched him leave the kitchen and saw that Haley was about to say something.

"So...I've been thinking...."

Nathan felt his lungs fill with air as he held his breath waiting her her to say what he thought she was going to say.

"We've been making a lot of head way in therapy and I think our doctor's right. Maybe it's time you come home?" The butterflies swarmed her stomach and she waited to see Nathan answer.

He walked towards her and nodded, "I was hoping you'd say that." Haley let out a nervous sigh and Nathan noticed, "What?"

"I don't know? I think I was scared."

Nathan furrowed his brow, "Scared?" He put his hands on her sides, "Why would you be scared"

She shrugged, "That you'd say no."

He shook he head, "That's never going to happen." He rubbed his hands along her arms, "I know we've still got things ahead of us, and I know I said if a few months ago but we're gonna get there. We'll be the couple we used to be. I promise."

Haley closed her eyes and nodded. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She leaned her head into Nathan's chest and felt his arms wrap around her.

"We'll get there, I promise." He repeated.

She smiled, "I know."

Nathan rested his chin on the top of her head and laughed, "So since I'm coming home, do I get to stay for dinner?"

Haley took a step back from his embrace and nodded, "If you want to."

He absolutely wanted to. Lucas was still in so called brokenheartsville and didn't have much of any food in his house. "Yeah, of course."

Nathan watched as Haley made her way over to the stove and he silently thanked her for asking him to come home. It was where he needed to be.

Jamie's footsteps rang out as she stomped down the stairs and he walked into the kitchen.

Nathan looked at his son, "Wanna help me set the table bud?"

The little boy's face lit up, "Are you staying for dinner?" Nathan nodded and Jamie smiled, "Sweet."

Haley watched as Nathan and Jamie opened up the silverware drawer and knew that she'd made a great decision. That little boy adored his father as much as she did. Even though they still needed to work on things to get back to being Naley, as Brooke or Peyton would say, it was going to happen. They were going to get there.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay guys, this was short, I know. Sorry. I just couldn't make up my mind about how I wanted it to play out, and then I didn't want to rehash what we saw in 5x13 so I tried to do a little bit of in between. I hope you guys liked it, and if not, I think you'll like the next chapter. Nathan get's protective over Haley and the kids so I wonder what's going to happen???**

**On a shallow note: If any of you are interested in reading my first full length real story (not just a collection of one-shots) I posted one a couple days ago, It Could Happen to You. Click on my profile and check out the description to see if it's something you might like. I'd love to see what my Little Moments readers think of it.**

**To my reviewers. Thank you so much for your kind words!**

**Hadley: Naley going to a young Jamie's basketball game is actually on the to-do list. I just have to get around to doing it,lol. Thanks for requesting though. Now I've gotten a little nudge to do it sooner than later.**

**BDavis: The Charlotte/Haley disagreement will be coming up soon! Chapter 55 if all goes as planned.**

**Mazzy: So how old are you thinking you want the characters to be when one of the gets sick? 40S, 50s, 60s, older? Someone else has mentioned writing about a cancer scare for Haley so would that count as something you want to see?**

**Madison: I'm with you, I hate that we know nothing about the James family. They really should have introduced them at Lydia's funeral...they made it seem like Quinn and Taylor were her only siblings. And about Haley being the youngest of 7. I'm pretty sure in season 1 (could be 2) at some point Keith and Karen are talking and Karen mentions that she's the youngest of 7. I could be wrong though. And you're welcome for considering your suggestions. I do that for all my readers. You guys have great ideas and it's important to me that I know what you guys want.**

**Joan: Yeah, a little jealous Nathan is always fun.**

**Becky: I'm glad that the chapters during the hiatus helped you get through it!**

**Alexis: Thank you for the writing compliments! That means a lot!**

**Anon: I don't know if I'll do another James family chapter. The last one wasn't received as well as I had hoped but you never know. I may do another one sometime.**

**blurrystars: Thank you for the multiple reviews! Ch. 51: I'm so glad you liked the retirement chapter. That flashback was hard to write, with Jamie being all mad and stuff, but I was happy with the way it turned out. Ch. 52: A lot of people liked it when Haley asked him if she should say their line as she passed over to Charlotte and I admit...I laughed when I wrote it. I couldn't help myself. It was Naley at their bench. I couldn't not do it, lol. Ch. 53: I'm so glad you liked the brothers chapter, and thank you so much for your diligent reviews!**

**Review please!**


	55. We Could All Use a Little Protecting

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 55: We Could All Use a Little Protecting  
**

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything related to OTH. Bummer, I know. I'll take some creativity points though.**

**A/N: Alright, since I felt like the last two chapters had a big gap due to my crazy busy schedule last week I feel the need to update soon, so here you go guys. I sincerely appreciate the reviews for last chapter. I hope you guys like this one. I know a few of y'all mentioned something like this in a review, so here we go.... Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Watching Nathan give autographs had become an old habit for Haley. She was so proud of him. He'd accomplished so much in his lifetime and it amazed her that he'd been able to get through it all and still be the man he was.

Haley felt a soft cheek dig into her shoulder and smiled at her two year old daughter. She'd been holding Charlotte ever since they'd finished dinner and that was about ten minutes ago.

Haley and the kids were waiting just inside the main entrance to Blue Restaurant and Bar in downtown Charlotte as Nathan talked to a few basketball fans. The family had been on their way out of Blue when a few fans stopped to talk with Nathan. Haley wasn't going to deny his loyal followers a quick chat. She didn't mind. They'd been able to sit in the private dinning room that evening and they could spare a little time for his fans.

Nine year old Jamie was standing with his back against the wall and tugged on Haley's shirt,"Mom, when are we leaving?"

She looked down, "In just a minute."

Jamie looked up annoyed and pointed at his little sister, "Charlotte's already asleep, can't we go?

Haley had to laugh at her son, "What's the rush bud?"

Shrugging, Jamie looked at his mom, "The top ten plays come on soon and I know Dad's assist to Ray will be on there." Even if the Bobcats hadn't won their game yesterday, Nathan had a fancy assist for an alley-oop that would more than likely wind up on SportsCenter.

Pulling Jamie into her side she smiled, "They'll show it again. That show comes on all the time."

Jamie sighed heavily. His mom was right. It would be on all the highlight reels for the newt few days and if not, it would definitely be on YouTube.

The Charlotte Bobcats were in the playoffs with the Orlando Magic so all the major sports networks would be showing a lot of basketball coverage. The teams were playing the first two games in Charlotte then would be going down to Florida to continue with the first round. Game one had been yesterday and the Bobcats lost 89-98, but game two was scheduled a couple days from now and the Bobcats were ready to fight for that second round spot.

Nathan walked over to his family, "Sorry that took so long. One of those guys went to Maryland and saw me play back then, and we started talking..."

Haley shook her head, "It's fine." She didn't want him to think his celebrity status was having a negative affect on them.

Nathan saw that Charlotte was asleep in Haley's arms and smiled, "I guess we better head home, huh?" The home he was referring wasn't in Tree Hill, but the loft apartment he called home whenever he was in Charlotte.

Nodding her head, Haley agreed,"Yeah, I think so."

Jamie walked over to the door and held it open for his mom. Haley smiled at her boy and saw that Nathan made sure Jamie stayed close as they walked to the car. As soon as the family of four made it to the sidewalk, Haley saw a group of people start to head in their direction. It was dark so she couldn't see what was going on but she felt Nathan put a protective hand on her back. He reached for Jamie's hand and was waiting for it to begin.

A flash. An instance where all their vision was blurred and Nathan knew the walk to the car just got a lot longer.

"Mr. Scott! Over here." Another flash lit up the sidewalk and Nathan nodded. He'd had a pretty good relationship with the paparazzi. Over the last few years he'd always given them wave or a smile and then be on his way, but it was a different story if Haley or the kids were with him. Haley was a celebrity in her own right and when they were both together, things got doubled over with pressure. Names be called in all directions and there were always a few of those photographers who tried to say something to get a reaction of out one of them. And when that did happen, it was Nathan who would get upset.

Haley felt Charlotte squirm in her arms and used her hand to to soothe her young daughter.

"Haley! Look this way." A photographer shouted. Haley smiled but kept her head straight ahead and only wanted to get into the car. She didn't want to have to deal with the mess right now.

Nathan pressed his hand further into Haley's back when he heard on of them yell again, "Is it true you two only got married because she got pregnant in high school?"

Feeling Nathan's hand firmly on her back she looked up to him, "Don't worry about it. Just ignore them." She knew that he would get defensive if he didn't ignore it.

He wanted to walk on by, ignore the idiots. He really did. But the one thing he hated most was when reporters or paparazzi or anybody else assumed that he and Haley got married in high school because she was pregnant. Anyone who could go to Wikipedia could find out that wasn't the case. Haley found out she was pregnant with Jamie almost a year into their marriage.

Another guy with a camera clicked away, "Nathan tell us about the loss last night."

Nathan wouldn't have minded to answer the guy, but the other pap had pissed him off. Since he remained silent, the group of five or six guys took that as their cue to get a little closer and take even more pictures. Charlotte opened her small brown eyes and was met with flashes and men's voices she didn't understand or recognize.

Haley could feel Charlotte's chest start to heave and kissed her cheek, "It's okay baby, everything's okay."

The little girl was only two and the strobe light like atmosphere and constant shouting was scaring her. Even her mother's voice and kind words couldn't take away her cries.

Nathan heard Charlotte and cut his eyes at the photographers, "That's enough guys. I think you got your shot."

"Just a few more, man." Another paparazzi stated. They weren't going to go away until Nathan drove away.

Haley could see the car and hoped that the rest of the walk would be okay.

Jamie was walking in between his mom and dad, holding his father's hand, and was trying to shield his eyes with the other hand. The flashes that the cameras emitted had him seeing stars. Nathan looked down and saw Jamie covering his eyes, Charlotte was crying, and Haley looked upset too. He glanced to Haley and put Jamie's hand in hers, "Go on to the car. I'll let them get their picture and meet back up with you."

Haley didn't want him to do that. Not with his temper. There was no telling what he might do if another paparazzi made some rude comment. She started to reply but Charlotte's cries overshadowed her voice.

Nathan nodded, "Go. I'll be right behind you."

Jamie griped his mother's hand and watched his dad stay back while he and his mom walked to the car.

Nathan turned around and held out his hand, "That's enough guys. You scared my little girl so if it's me you want a picture of, go ahead, take it." The constant clicking from the camera shutters and the bright lights began to flash away. The noise and lights made Nathan feel like he was standing in the middle of a war.

The same paparazzi guy that had stirred him previously decided he still wanted to pry, "You never answered. Did you marry Haley because she got pregnant."

Nathan laughed and rolled his eyes, "No."

"What about the claims that the little girl isn't yours." The asshole was just saying things to get Nathan riled up.

Clenching his jaw Nathan took a deep breath, "Whoever started that rumor doesn't know shit." He was getting pissed.

The photog smirked at his ability to get Nathan upset, "I don't know. I hear your wife's pretty easy."

Nathan wasn't going to listen to it anymore, and he certainly wasn't going to let the guy get paid for his ability to piss him off. Nathan stepped up to the pap and grabbed his camera, "You're a dick you know that?"

The photog shrugged but reached to get his camera back.

Nathan pulled back and smirked, "I don't think so." He threw the camera against the hard concrete and shrugged, "Whoops." He turned to walk back to the car and heard even more shouting for him to turn around and the night sky was lit up with flashbulbs.

He knew that he shouldn't have done that but there were certain things that upset Nathan, and if someone ever said anything derogatory about his family he couldn't help but retaliate. It was childish and immature but that guy was an ass. His camera deserved it.

Nathan opened the car door and met Haley's worried eyes. "What did he say to make you throw the camera?"

He shrugged and started the car, "Nothing."

Haley knew their had to be more to the story, but if Nathan didn't want to talk about it she would let it go. For now at least. She looked out the window of the car as the passed the group of photographers and saw the one guy holding his crumpled camera. A smile crept across her face. She turned to Nathan and even though he looked pissed, she couldn't deny the fact that him being so protective over them was sexy as hell.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had carried Charlotte to her room and Haley allowed Jamie to watch a little bit of SportsCenter before he went to bed. Haley walked into the bedroom and changed into some sleepwear and when she walked back into the living room both of her boys were diligently watching the screen.

"Dad, Dad. Here they come." Jamie pointed to the screen and saw that the top ten plays were about to start, "What number do you think you'll be?"

Shrugging, Nathan looked to Jamie, "I don't know. It may not be on there tonight."

"What? Yes it will." Jamie looked at his dad like he was crazy. "They didn't show it last night because the game ended too late. It's got to be on tonight's show."

"Maybe."

Haley walked into the kitchen and could still see that two sets of blue eyes were glued to the television screen. "Number four." Haley spoke up. "I bet it's number four."

Nathan turned around to see Haley walk over with a glass of water. He raised his brow at her statement. He didn't even know that she was in the same room.

She sat down next to Nathan and waited for the countdown to show Nathan's assist.

Jamie rolled his eyes after number five was shown. He really had no interest in the grand-slam one of the Atlanta Braves hit.

The sportscaster started to introduce the next clip, "Last night during the first playoff game between Charlotte and Orlando, there was at least one thing the Bobcats fans could cheer about. Even though they lost the game, take a look at this behind the back, through the legs, over the head..." The announcer paused to laugh at all the words he could have use to describe the assist. "...alley-oop from star point guard Nathan Scott to forward Raymond Hines."

Jamie looked at his mom with his mouth agape, "How'd you know..."

Haley smiled but pointed to the screen, "You're gonna miss it."

The little boy watched the play over and then again when they showed it in slow motion. Jamie's face was taken over by his smile. His heart was so full of pride that he was sure his dad was more like a superhero than an NBA star.

Nathan looked at Jamie with a smirk, "I guess it made the reel."

Jamie nodded, "Uh-yeah. Dad you're always on it. They need to name it after you."

Both Nathan and Haley laughed and Haley looked at their son, "Well since you got to see it. How about you..."

"I know, bed." Jamie got up off the couch, "Thanks for letting me stay up a little bit later."

Haley smiled and nodded. She watched as her nine year old walked toward his bedroom and then looked to her husband. "He's so proud of you."

Nathan smiled. He didn't really know what to say back to her but then raised his brow, "So was that just a lucky guess? Picking number four?"

Her lips curled into a smile and she bit her lip, "I may have seen the first showing at noon today?" Haley laughed and saw that Nathan was looking at her with both of his brows raised, "What? I can't help it if I see you on TV."

Smiling, Nathan leaned over and kissed her sweetly, "So are you some fan girl now?"

Haley cocked her jaw, set her glass of water down, and moved to straddle her husband, "I've always been a fan girl."

Nathan wasn't expecting Haley's forwardness but he didn't mind it at all. He rested his hands on her thighs and looked into her dark brown eyes, "I love you."

She ran her fingers through his hair and nodded, "I love you too." She kissed him and felt his hands run up her thighs and wrap around her sides. Haley moved her mouth from his lips to his jaw and Nathan took his eyes away from her to focus on the image on the screen.

"Dammit!"

Haley pulled away wondering what she'd done wrong. She felt something on Nathan start to vibrate and looked at him curiously.

He shook his head and pointed to the screen and tried to get his phone, "A hundred bucks that this is Clay calling."

Haley turned to look at the screen and grimaced. ESPN was showing a few pictures from just an hour ago. It was a different take on what she had seen from the car. Nathan was looking pissed and he seemed to be in mid throw. Underneath the picture was simple caption: _Nathan Scott loses it._

Nathan reached down for his phone and Haley got off of him. He shook his head and answered, "Look, it's not as bad as you think."

Clay's voice boomed over the phone, "Nathan, what were you thinking?"

Getting up off the couch, Nathan started to defend himself, "He was saying ridiculous things. I just threw his camera."

"I know, the agency already got the bill via email tonight."

Nathan didn't understand what the big deal was, "So? We'll pay for it. That's fine. It was worth it."

Clay was shaking his head, "It's not about the camera Nate. It's your image. The Bobcats best player, most respective player, just had a hissy fit, child like tantrum and.... It wasn't a good move."

"I know that, but Clay, you didn't hear what the guy was saying."

Haley had kept relatively quiet but knew what was going on. Nathan was being called out on for his behavior. She didn't know what the pap had said and was curious. Maybe he'd say it to Clay over the phone.

Clay was really disappointed, "You're right. I didn't hear him, but it sure as hell have better been something bad for you to blow up."

"It was."

Sighing in to the phone, Clay ran his hand over his face, "Okay, so I think we can make this into a good thing. We won't only issue a statement but what if you did an interview too? That way the probable MVP will get to share his side of things and it would be great for damage control."

Nathan couldn't say no. "You've already thought about this haven't you?"

"Yeah, and I think it's in your best interest to address the public somehow. Everyone loves a good interview and they'll all side with you." Clay laughed, "I'm not talking Oprah or something, just a ten minute interview that would overshadow this. I know you didn't mean to..."

"No, I did. I absolutely meant to smash his camera."

Taking a deep breath Clay continued, "Okay, well think about it. I can call ESPN and maybe I can get Erin to interview you." Even though Clay was in a relationship, his playboy antics showed through.

Nathan had to laugh to himself when Clay mentioned Erin. Erin Andrews was a pretty sportscaster but he didn't care who interviewed him. That was only a formality. He walked over to the calendar on the fridge and spoke into the phone,"Let's just figure it out now. When were you thinking on doing it?"

Clay looked rummaged around for Nathan's date book, "How about the morning of the first game in Orlando? I'm sure someone from ESPN can fly down there and do it then." Clay was hoping Nathan would say yes. "I could ask to do it tomorrow or the next day, but Haley and the kids are with you. I know you don't want to miss out on time with them."

Nathan really appreciate the fact that Clay took Haley and kids into consideration. "Yeah, let's do it when I get to Orlando."

For the next twenty or so minutes Nathan and Clay continued to talk and when Nathan finally hit the end call button he realized that Haley had gone back to the bedroom.

He walked to the back and saw that she was already asleep. He quickly changed and slid into bed next to her. He watched her for a moment and couldn't believe what that dumb ass photographer had said about her. Haley was beautiful, she was the mother of his children, she was his wife, and he'd do anything to protect her.

Nathan leaned over to her and kissed her temple gently, "Night Haley James."

Closing his eyes, Nathan took a deep breath and nodded to himself. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

**OTHOTH**

Four days later in Tree Hill, Haley was putting the groceries away when Jamie came barreling into the kitchen. He wasn't wearing any shoes so he slid across the hardwood floor on his socks . Haley widened her eyes as her son slid past her. She didn't want him running into something and getting hurt.

"What's up?" Haley put the gallon of milk in the refrigerator and looked to her son.

Jamie scrunched his upper lip close to his nose, "Uh, I think Charlotte needs a new diaper."

Haley laughed, "Well I think you're old enough to handle it."

Wide eyed and shaking his head, Jamie protested, "But, but..."

As she walked past Jamie, Haley ran her hand over Jamie's hair, "I'm kidding. I'll get her." Jamie let out a huge sigh of relief. That was something he was not ready to ever do. Haley turned back to him, "But you could put away the rest of the groceries for me."

Happy to do that instead of changing his sister's stinky diaper, Jamie nodded.

Haley laughed at herself as she walked into the living room. Charlotte was siting on the floor playing with Jamie's Nintendo DS. "Oh, Charlotte, you better not play with that. Jamie would be so upset if it got broken.

"Mine."

Taking Jamie's prized possession away from Charlotte, Haley shook her head, "We need to get you changed." Haley picked Charlotte up and poked on her tummy, "You little stinker."

The young toddler started laughing and Haley laughed right along.

Once Haley got to Charlotte's room and changed her, Haley started walking toward the stairs when the phone rang. Detouring into her and Nathan's room, she set Charlotte on the bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey."

Haley's face lit up when she heard his voice. "Hi." She watched Charlotte crawl over the pillows and smiled, "How was the interview?"

Nathan shrugged, "Fine. Nothing fancy." He paused for a second, "They said that they were supposed to run it tonight before the game. As a pre-game thing or something."

"Really? That's fast."

Nodding, Nathan agreed, "Yeah, but I don't think it will be that hard to edit and stuff."

Haley tucked the phone between her ear and picked up their little girl, "You want to talk to Charlotte."

"Yeah." Nathan was eagerly waiting to hear from Charlotte.

Haley put the phone next to Charlotte's ear, "It's Daddy, baby. Talk to him."

"Hey Char." Nathan couldn't help but smile as he said it.

Charlotte held the phone but turned the mouth piece up toward the ceiling. Haley laughed and pushed it down so she could talk into it. "Tell him hi."

"Daddy?"

That little voice made his heart swell, "Hey Charlotte. I miss you."

Haley could tell that her daughter wasn't really in the conversation mood. Not only that, but it wasn't like her vocabulary at that point was big. "Tell Daddy good luck. He's got a game tonight."

Nathan heard Charlotte mumble 'luck' and he smiled, "Thank you."

Haley put the phone back to her ear and laughed, "We'll have to work on that."

Nathan shook his head, "Nah, it was cute."

"Do you want me to go get Jamie? He's downstairs."

As much as he wanted to talk to his son, he would keep his routine and call him after the game, "No, I'll call him later."

Haley nodded and spoke back into the phone, "Thanks for calling. We'll be cheering you on from home. I love you"

"Thank you." Nathan sighed, "I love you too Hales."

"We'll see you when you go back to Charlotte."

Nathan wished that they could be with him in Orlando, but it was hard to keep traveling with a third grader and a two year old. But without fail, he knew they'd be at the rest of his home games in Charlotte. "Alright, see you in a few days. Bye."

"Bye." She hated saying goodbye but it was something that she'd had to get used to. Haley heard a clashing of pots and pans and looked to Charlotte, "Oh man, what did your brother get into?" Haley laughed and made her way downstairs with Charlotte.

Jamie was hurrying over toward the roll of paper towels when he saw his mom come downstairs. "I didn't mean to."

Haley looked at the floor and saw that it was covered with brownie mix. "Jamie!"

"Sorry. I just thought I'd get a head start and open the mix."

Haley knew that he didn't mean to spill it everywhere but it was a huge mess. He'd been able to get the mix open and pour it in the pan, but somehow the pan ended up on the floor. "That's okay. Why don't you take Charlotte to the living room and I'll clean this stuff up."

Jamie handed his mom the paper towel he'd pulled off the roll, "Sorry."

She couldn't help but laugh at her son's attempt to clean up. Paper towels were not what she needed. Haley needed to get the vacuum or broom. As she watched Jamie go into the living room, Haley walked to the pantry to get out what she needed.

It didn't take her long and before she knew it, Haley had cleaned up the kitchen and managed to cook dinner. Jamie had apologized again, and it was sweet how bad he felt. Haley reassured him that it was fine and looked towards the television, "Why don't you turn on the TV. Dad's game will start soon."

Jamie quickly turned the television on and the Haley set up places in the living room so they could watch and eat at the same time.

Once Haley got situated, and made sure Charlotte was fine in her highchair she'd moved from the kitchen, she glanced at the TV.

"Before we begin with the rundown of tonight's game, we've got a special interview for you given by Nathan Scott, who most of you know, had an incident with a photographer almost a week ago. ESPN reporter Mark Stein sat down with Scott and got some answers about that night, along with others."

Haley saw the transition from the pre-game show to Nathan's interview and smiled. He was wearing a blue button down and she loved that color on him. His tie looked good too. She sat quietly as the interview began.

"What can you tell us about that night, Nathan? Was there anything those pictures didn't tell us?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. I know that I was wrong to break that photographer's camera but there are certain things that shouldn't be said, asked, or taunted with when it comes to taking a picture of someone just to get a reaction. He chose to bring up my family and I got defensive."

Mark nodded, "We've all heard the rumors about what the guy said but can you tell us what it was?"

Dreading that question because Haley didn't even know, Nathan hesitated. "Yeah." He swallowed and shrugged, "He said some off handed remarks about my wife, about my daughter. It became too much and I crossed the line. He crossed the line." Nathan glanced at Mark and saw that he was nodding so he continued, "I know I was wrong. I actually had a conversation with my son a few years ago about walking away when there is a bully around. I should have walked away, but...."

"It was your family?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. It seems cliche, but it's true. I would do anything, anything to make sure that they are safe, to keep them out of harms way. That photographer was provoking me and I know that my fans are disappointed, but I couldn't stop myself. I know better. I do."

"Over the last few years, you've kept yourself out of the public eye. Do you suppose your reaction could have been spurred due to the unfamiliarity of the situation?" Mark looked down at his notes then back to Nathan.

"I don't think so. I mean yes, I'm not out in bars every night and I don't have tabloids running all kinds of stories about me, but we do deal with the paparazzi on a regular basis. My wife's a singer. I play in the NBA so it's understandable to have people take our pictures. Normally I'm fine with it. It's just when certain things are said that really irritate me." Nathan felt like he was saying the same thing over and over.

"One of those long standing rumors that people bring up when it comes to Nathan and Haley James Scott would be the one that you two married because she was pregnant?"

Nathan took a deep breath. Not this guy too. "Yeah, that's the worst one. I don't know why people go on about that. Check out my website, Wikipedia page, pull up my marriage certificate...there is absolutely no way Haley and I got married because she was pregnant." Nathan paused and nodded, "We were in high school and by the end of senior year we had our son. That was a coincidence. I want people to know that I would have married her no matter the case."

Haley had been watching Nathan's every move, every word the entire time and hearing him say that had her eyes gloss over with a teary sheen. She continued to watch the interview.

Mark looked to Nathan, "So with that out of the way, and you going on the record, I think it's safe to say that's been put to rest."

"I hope so." Nathan didn't want to hear that question anymore.

"So this incident? Do you think it will affect your game?"

Nathan shook his head, "No. I've had the fortunate ability to be able to stay concentrated when it comes to basketball. I'm focused. I'm ready. I want to win."

Mark laughed, "That's good to hear. I know those Bobcat fans will be excited."

"Yeah,I hope so. I'm excited. The whole team is excited. If we win tonight, we get to go back home for the last game of the series. It would be great to be able to clutch the first round at home."

"Do you think you can attribute your success to anything? You've been through a lot. You overcame a terrible injury, worked your way up to the big time, and now you're on you're way in leading your team to a championship."

Nathan knew exactly what his answer was. He involuntarily twisted his wedding ring on his finger and nodded, "I don't have a lucky rabbit's foot or anything like that, but I've got three people who are behind me, who support me. My two kids and my wife are always there for me. They've helped me get where I am and are responsible for my success. I'm so thankful for that."

"You're a husband and father, so is it hard balancing both fronts? NBA star, and family man."

Nathan shook his head, "I think I'm one of the lucky ones. I play close enough to home that I don't have to be away from them too long. It gets hard when I'm on the road but we've learned how to get through it."

Haley listened to Nathan's last answer and couldn't help but notice that he kept using the word 'we'. He had answered some questions directly pertaining to himself with I, but he would throw in the occasional 'we' and it made Haley's heart flutter. She loved the fact that he spoke that way. He may have not even realized he was doing it, but she loved it nonetheless.

Mark Stein's voice came through the speakers as he asked his next question, "If the Bobcats make it to the finals, what would be the best outcome?"

Laughing, Nathan looked to Mark as if that was a really dumb question, "For us to win. The Bobcats have never won a championship in franchise history so it would be really great to be a part of the first one."

"Last question. What do you think you would have changed from your journey to get here?"

Nathan didn't have to think about it. People may have expected him to say that he wouldn't have gotten involved with point shaving in high school, that maybe he would have walked away that night he was thrown through the window, but that wasn't it. "To be honest, I don't think I would have changed anything. I went through some pretty rough patches but I think it helped us in the long run." He knew it did.

No matter what happened in his life Nathan had Haley to lean on, and she had him. Mark's question had been meant to be in taken from a basketball stand point but only one aspect of his life entered his mind. To the rest of the viewing audience they could assume we was actually talking about basketball, but one person in particular knew he wasn't. She was sitting with their two children, teary eyed, and so in love that she could hardly breathe. She glance at Charlotte then Jamie and under her breath mumbled, "wouldn't have changed any of it."

Nathan Scott had a tendency to say the right things, and he'd nailed it with this latest interview.

Jamie turned to his mom and saw that she looked upset, "Why are you sad Mom?"

Haley wiped her cheek and shook her head, "I'm not sad. I'm not sad at all." She looked back up to the screen and saw that Nathan was spinning that gold band on his left ring finger again. It was the little things he meant when he was talking, the small things he did like fumbling with his ring, and the sheer fact that she knew he loved her like no one else, that made her realize she was the luckiest woman in the world. Nathan Scott was a family man, and she was on the receiving end of his affection.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Nathan rolled out of bed stiff and sore. He'd played his heart out last night and with his effort and the rest of the team, they'd won the game. Game four was a few days away and he wished it was in Charlotte, but that was game 5. Orlando was a great place, but having his family there would have been nice.

He walked into the bathroom and got in the shower. While the water rushed over his body he kept thinking about that interview. He hoped that it had gone well. That it would be received well. He didn't want to come off like an ass. He'd briefly talked to Haley last night and spent the majority of the phone call talking basketball with Jamie. She'd probably call later to talk to him about her reaction to the interview.

While he was in the shower, Nathan failed to realize that someone had come into his room. She'd set her bags down and crept towards the bathroom. She leaned against the wall and covered her heart with her hand. Nathan was singing in the shower. He was awful. Absolutely awful, but what made sweet was what he was singing.

"You're never gonna be anybody else. You're never gonna see until you see yourself. So come on, come on..." Nathan's very shaky, very out of tune voice boomed through the bathroom.

An idea came to Haley and she couldn't resist. She wasn't going to miss the opportunity. As she held her phone just inside the door, she tried not to laugh. He kept on singing and Haley had half a mind to join him in the shower, but she'd wait to surprise him when he came out. It was only a verse or two later that she heard the water turn off. She walked over to the chair next to the bed and sat down.

With a towel wrapped around his waist and running a smaller one through his hair, Nathan came out of the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks, "Hales?"

"Hi."

Nathan stopped running the towel through his wet hair and rested his around his neck, "How, how long have you been here?"

She smirked, "Long enough."

He suddenly felt really embarrassed. Nathan was pretty sure that he was blushing, something Haley normally did. "When did you get here?"

"While you were in the shower." Haley got up from the chair and walked over to him. She pulled on the ends of the towel that was around his neck and kissed him, "I wanted to come see you."

Nathan grinned and nodded, "I'm glad you came."

Haley smiled, "Can I have an encore."

He winced, "You heard that?"

She put her hands on his bare chest and nodded, "Uh-huh. You know the bathroom has great acoustics." Laughing, Haley flashed him a smirk, "I think Lucas will think it's hilarious. It will go viral on YouTube."

Nathan furrowed his brow, "What? What are you..." Haley held out her phone. "You didn't?"

"Oh, yes I did."

"Hales." Nathan warned, "Please erase that. Now."

She started to laugh and shook her head, "Absolutely not."

He reached out for her phone but she flinched. Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Really. Please."

Haley saw the look of panic on his face but she thought it was adorable, "What? I bet it would be a very popular download."

Nathan cut his eyes and sneakily grabbed her phone out of her hand.

"Nathan!" Haley's mouth flew open and she tried to get it back from him. She saw that he put both hands on it and looked like he was about to break it in half. "Don't break it! I'm not the paparazzi!"

He wasn't going to, but couldn't help but tease her, "Oh, I'm gonna break it alright."

"Wait, don't."

Nathan held the phone with one hand above his head and smiled. He looked down to Haley and changed the subject, "So what brings you here anyway?"

Haley tried to jump and reach for her phone but she was far to short. Their height difference was already big, and him holding her phone over his head made it impossible. "Well I kind of fell in love with what you said in that interview and thought I'd pay you a visit, but now...."

Nathan could tell that she was getting irritated. That phone was really important. What if something happened to one of the kids? Brooke would call her on that phone. What if Peyton needed something, or Lucas, they would call her on that phone.

He smiled and looked down at her lovingly, "I was talking about us you know. How you've been there for me, how you've helped me get through it all."

Haley had given up on trying to reach for her phone, "I know."

"I love you."

"I know." The three words he'd said to her made her forget about her phone. She smiled and ran her palm over his cheek, "I love you too." She pulled him down and kissed him again, "You have no idea how much I love you."

He didn't want to argue with her, but he was pretty sure that he knew exactly how much she loved him. He loved her just the same. Nathan lowered his arm and dropped her phone on the floor. They were both too preoccupied to be worrying about a phone.

Haley felt Nathan push her shirt up and she held her arms up so he could get it off. Once they'd passed that barrier, they moved to the bed and Nathan hovered over her. "I'm a pretty bad singer, huh?"

Technically, he was. But Haley didn't care if he was off key or sounded like nails on a chalkboard, "I loved it."

"You're lying." He arched his brow and laughed.

"Nope. It was sexy listening to you sing my song." She pulled on his neck and met him with a kiss.

He smirked, "Oh really?" He moved his mouth from her lips and moved down her neck.

Haley closed her eyes and nodded, "Definitely."

Nathan smiled, "What was better? My interview or my singing."

"The interview got me here didn't it?" She playfully looked into his ocean blue eyes and smirked.

He agreed, "But, my singing got you here." He laughed and looked down at her shirtless body lying on the messy hotel bed.

"Maybe, but I think this was bound to happen."

Nathan laughed, "Getting kind of cocky, huh?"

Haley shook her head and laughed at him, "No, but I think you're talking too much."

He felt her pull on his neck and he happily succumbed to her wishes. There was nothing more he wanted than to be with Haley at that moment. She was his rock, she the reason he'd made it as far as he had, she was everything he needed. There were a few things that Nathan tried to maintain in life and one of them was to always, always protect her. As his body covered hers, and as their faces were in such close proximity, Nathan was sure that he was doing just that. He would do everything in his power to keep it like that. No one was ever going to get to his girl.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N:* 5/8/10 UPDATE*: I won't be able to update chapter 56 until Tuesday the 11th. Sorry for the wait, but I've got finals to worry about. Once they are done I'll be good to go!  
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**But anyways, well that one was a lot longer than the last one, so I hope I didn't bore you to death. Hopefully you guys liked it. Happy OTH Day Eve by the way. I'm hoping the new episode will have lots of Naley...and if not, I guess I'll just have to update this again soon.**

***Important*: I've got another one of those survey/voting things for you all. I've gotten a few reviews and PMs asking me if I'd ever do a separate story or stories about the Jamie/Liza relationship or Charlotte/Graham relationship, and with summer on it's way and no academic priorities, I think I'm ready to take that on. So who of you would be interested to see more of those relationships and want to see an in depth look at what we miss out on in Little Moments? I could go into further detail about things that would feel out of place in this story since this is a Naley story. Show Liza and Jamie meet, Charlotte and Graham's first date...the way those relationships developed, and then continue after that. Jamie finding out he's going to be a dad, Charlotte dealing with Graham being in the Coast Guard.... If it sounds like something you might want, let me know. You can vote for either J/L, C/G, or both. If I get enough responses I'll do it. It's up to you all.**

**Okay, so enough with that. Thank you so much for the reviews guys. You all know how much I appreciate it. To those of you I can't respond to:**

**Emma: Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I think you had mentioned a few reviews ago that you were anxious about the season 5 chapter (if this is the same Emma that is) so I'm glad you liked the end result. **

**Naley (heart): I will be doing chapters surrounding the aftermath of the cornfield-crazy Nanny Carrie fiasco, and one when Haley get's the call that Nathan was in his season 5 accident. It's just a matter of when I do them. They will happen though.**

**Heather: The warm fuzzies! Yay! I'm didn't expect that kind of reaction, but thank you!**

**Hadley: I'm so glad you thought it was realistic. That was a great compliment. Since you were looking forward to this chapter, I hope you liked it.**

**Ann: I don't know if I do things better, but thank you so much for the review!**

**Diane: Even if you weren't thrilled with the scenario it means a lot that you liked it. I hope this chapter was something you liked since it might be more along the kinds of things you like better.**

**SJ: I plan on doing more "actual" missing moments on the show, so you can look forward to them. Thank you for the review!**

**Joan: I'm so happy you liked the bathroom scene. That was probably my favorite part to write.**

**Alexis: I think Nathan hesitating when going into his own house was a pretty significant moment to show that things were still weird between them. Very angsty. I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

**Becky: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. I had intended to show more of the month we missed but couldn't put it to words. Thanks for the review!**

**bethanyfan23: It means so much that you've enjoyed this story and thank you for wanting to check out my new one!  
**

***Review Please. Don't forget to let me know if you want a spin off story (or stories) for the kids.  
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	56. Tattoos and Motorcycles

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 56: Tattoos and Motorcycles**

**Disclaimer: Um, I'm running out of ways I can say this: I don't own anything!**

**A/N: So sorry for the delay guys...finals were a bitch and then I had to move from school back home so I got pretty sidetracked. But good news...summer has officially started for me and you know what that means? Frequent updates! Not that I normally made you all wait but at least I won't have classes to worry about..... To my reviewers: You rock! And an even bigger thank you to those of you who told me whether you wanted to see a story about Jamie and Liza, or Charlotte and Graham. I appreciate the feedback. This one includes the kids, but as always, I tried to make it as Nathan and Haley oriented as I could. Enjoy!**

***Flashback in italics**

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte was seventeen and like most teenage girls, she was going through a bit of a rebellious stage. It wasn't anything drastic, or at least not yet, but when she got home from working at Clothes Over Bro's she needed to run something by her mom. As she walked inside the house she felt confident that her mom wouldn't mind, but since she was under eighteen she needed parental consent.

Haley heard the front door shut and saw her daughter walk in. "Hey, how was your day?"

Plopping her bag down on the counter, Charlotte took a seat at the counter and shrugged, "Fine. School was alright, nothing too exciting. The store was pretty busy though. Aunt Brooke sold like a million dresses."

Haley laughed, "I remember getting swamped at the cafe after school. All those kids coming in for ice cream...." She thought about her younger days and loved the fact that Charlotte worked in the same place she had when she was in high school. It wasn't Karen's Cafe anymore, but it had been, a long, long time ago.

Sometimes Charlotte wished she had known what her mom had been like back then. It wasn't that she didn't love her mom, she did, of course she did. There was just a small part of her that was curious to know about her back then. Charlotte saw Haley put up some dishes from the dishwasher and when her mom's shirt rose up she could see the small tattoo on her lower back.

Charlotte cleared her throat, "Did it hurt?"

Haley turned to Charlotte and raised her brow, "Did what hurt?"

Pointing at her mom's back, Charlotte nodded, "Your tattoo?"

"Yeah." Haley wasn't going to lie, it was incredibly painful. "Like a thousand little knives digging into your skin."

When she heard her mom describe it that way she was starting to have second thoughts. "Really? I've heard that it's not so bad."

Haley turned around and cut her eyes, "From who?" A sudden worry washed through her body. Why was Charlotte suddenly so interested in her tattoo?

"Well Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke never said anything about it hurting."

Haley laughed out loud, "Yeah, well they were drunk when they got theirs. Really drunk."

Charlotte had heard the story a bunch of times. Lucas and Brooke had gone out one night and somewhere between bars and pool tables they ended up with tattoos. Lucas's was smack on his upper arm and Brooke's a little bit lower. A lot lower actually.

The young girl glanced at her mother's back, "Dad freaked when he saw yours, right?"

Nodding, Haley let out a laugh, "Yeah. I did it so fast and didn't even mention it to him." Haley thought about the day Nathan had confronted her about it. She'd been nervous and scared but none of her worries mattered in the end. Nathan was what mattered and she just so happened to want to permanently remind herself of him. "Your uncle Lucas was probably more upset with me than your dad."

"Really?" Charlotte didn't know this part of the story. She'd heard bits and pieces and knew why her mom had gotten and, she thought it was sweet, but Charlotte didn't know Lucas had been against it.

"Yeah. He saw it a few days after I got it and thought your dad made me get it." Haley shook her head, "Something about branding me."

Scrunching her nose, Charlotte frowned, "So Uncle Lucas was the only one against it?"

Haley shrugged, "Pretty much. My parents didn't really care what I did back then. They knew I was responsible enough to make my own decisions. After your father got over the initial shock I think he started to like it." That was an understatement. Haley knew Nathan loved her tattoo, but she'd leave out those details. Her seventeen year old daughter probably didn't want to hear them.

Charlotte was nodding, she knew that she was a lot like her mom when she was her age. They were both incredibly responsible, smart, had the world at their fingertips, and they shared something else in common. Charlotte wanted a tattoo.

"So I was thinking..."

Haley turned around after putting up the newly cleaned cups and raised her brow.

Charlotte flashed the smile she'd inherited from her father hoping it might help, "I was thinking that maybe I could get one?"

Had she heard Charlotte right? Her beautiful unmarked, unscathed daughter wanted to permanently scribble on herself. "Absolutely not."

That wasn't the answer Charlotte was expecting, "What? Why not?"

"Because I said so." Haley shook her head and continued to put the rest of the dishes away.

"Wait a minute. We were just talking about how responsible I am." Correction, they'd hadn't talked at all about how Charlotte was responsible. Haley had only mentioned the fact that her parents thought she was responsible. "Mom, I'm not talking about something that would cover my whole body, just something simple, small...."

"No." Haley wasn't giving in.

Furrowing her brow, Charlotte let out a huff, "Unbelievable. You have one!"

"That's different." Haley knew that wasn't all that true but she didn't want her daughter getting a tattoo.

"No it's not and you know it. You're just being a hypocrite." Charlotte was starting to get pissed. She'd just had a nice conversation with her mom about her's so why couldn't she get one?

"You know what Charlotte? I might be a hypocrite but I'm saying no, and that's that. Now, I'm sorry if you thought you could come in here and talk to me about mine..."

"You mean your tramp stamp?" Charlotte didn't technically mean for it to come out of her mouth with such an attitude, but it did and the look on her mom's face told her she was in trouble.

"Excuse me?" Haley turned to face her daughter and raised her brow.

There was no going back now, "That's what it is. A tramp stamp."

Haley cut her eyes at her daughter and shook her head, "For that, how about you go to your room till dinner." It wasn't really a question and her teenage daughter knew it.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She got up off the stool and looked back to her mom, "I thought that maybe once, you'd get to be the cool mom and let me get a tattoo." Charlotte shook her head and made her way to the stairs.

Haley felt her chest fill with anxiety and regret as she took a deep breath. She watched her daughter slowly go up the steps and felt a wave of emotion pass through her body. She was a cool mom, right? She was the one who let friends stay over way too late, the one all of Charlotte's friends wanted as a mom, the one with all the answers, but now, her daughter was having second thoughts.

**OTHOTH**

It had only been about fifteen minutes since the confrontation in the kitchen and Nathan walked through the front door glad to be home. At forty two years old he'd been the coach of the UNCW men's basketball team for about six years and as much as he loved being on the court, his feet on those wooden floors, there was without a doubt that home was his most favorite place.

As he made his way into the house he walked to the kitchen and as soon as he saw that all counter space was covered with kitchen drawers he knew something was up. Haley had her back to him and was sorting silverware. He walked behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. He felt her relax with his touch and couldn't help but smile knowing that still happened.

Haley turned around and he could see that her eyes were glossed over and figured she'd been crying or upset about something. Nathan ran his hands up and down her arms and shrugged, "Hales, what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath she shrugged as well, "Charlotte hates me."

"What?" Nathan let out a small laugh at his wife's absurd statement, "What happened?"

Haley looked into his calming blue eyes and took a deep breath. Charlotte hadn't said those exact words but the look on her face and the tone in her voice was all it took. Haley took a step away from him, "We started talking about my tattoo and then all of the sudden she said that she wants one..."

"And you said no?" Nathan figured that was what happened.

Nodding, Haley answered, "Yeah." Haley crossed her hands in front of her chest and furrowed her brow, "And why do you sound okay with it."

From the look on Haley's face, Nathan knew that he should have sounded a little more concerned about the situation. "It's not that I'm okay with it...it's just...." Nathan walked closer to Haley, "Charlotte wouldn't want one unless it meant something to her. If she knew that whatever it was, it was something that she wanted for forever." His hands landed on her hips and then around to her back. "Isn't that what your thinking was when you got yours?"

"But it's not the same." Haley didn't understand why Nathan didn't seem phased by his daughter wanting to get a tattoo.

Nathan tilted his head back and forth, "It kind of is Haley. I mean did she tell you what she wants, or why?"

"We didn't get that far into the conversation."

Raising his eyebrows, Nathan shrugged, "Maybe you should have."

"Why is it always like this?" Haley shook her head, "Whenever the kids want something it's always good cop, bad cop. And you know who's the bad cop? Me." Nathan was about to speak up but Haley continued. "I'm always the one who says no."

"That's not true." Nathan didn't want her to think that way, "I say no too."

Haley laughed, "What? No, you can't have one scoop of ice cream, have two. No, you can't go to so and so's house next weekend because we're going to the Bahamas. Those don't count Nathan."

Realizing that she was right he grimaced. There were occasions where he did actually say no, but for the majority he liked giving his kids what they wanted. That didn't mean everything or anything, it was just a way for him to do the things he couldn't while he was on the road. When they were younger, Nathan had been on the road for the better part of their lives and it was easier on him to see them smile instead of pout. Was that bad parenting? Probably, but for him, seeing Charlotte or Jamie happy was something he'd want to see for the rest of his life.

A part of him hated the fact that he did it. The fact that Haley would end up being the bad cop because that's not at all how he wanted things to be. They were a team. They won together and lost together. If Haley didn't think it was a good thing for Charlotte to get a tattoo he should be in the same boat, right?

As he thought about what she was saying, Nathan remembered an disagreement they'd had about Jamie.

_Nathan and Jamie walked through the front door both smiling and laughing. Fifteen year old Jamie was holding onto a blue helmet and set it on the counter when they walked into the kitchen. Haley had been helping Charlotte with her third grade social studies assignment when she heard the boys come in. She turned to look at them and saw what Jamie had been holding on to._

_Haley got up from the table and pointed at the helmet, "What's that?" She knew what it was and was hoping that it was a serious upgrade from the normal bicycle helmet Jamie had instead of what she thought._

"_My new helmet." Jamie picked up the heavy duty helmet and patted the top._

_Her heart sunk. It was exactly what she hoped it wouldn't be, "For..."_

_Nathan was grinning like a school boy and patted Jamie on the shoulder, "He's found himself his first car. Well, it's not a car but....."_

_She didn't want him to say it. She didn't want to even hear the word. Motorcycle. Those dangerous two wheeled death traps that didn't have seat belts,a steel frame for protection, or airbags, nothing._

_Jamie smiled at his mom, "It'll be great. The gas millage is so much better than a truck or SUV, and I get to have a special license for it."_

_Nathan glanced to Haley and could tell that she wasn't so thrilled about Jamie's potential new ride. "It really is a good thing Hales."_

_Turning to face her husband she shook her head, "Can I talk to you for a second?"_

_This was going to be bad news. Nathan knew that look, and he knew it well. Nodding, Nathan followed Haley out of the kitchen._

_Once they were out of earshot Haley put her hands on her hips, "A motorcycle?"_

"_Yeah, it'll be great. The dealership..."_

"_Nathan, have you thought about this clearly? A motorcycle? Do you know how dangerous those are?_

_He should have realized that she would be against it, "Haley, Jamie's gonna be fine."_

"_It's not him I'm worried about. It's the other drivers who will hit him. That eighteen wheeler that won't see him and smush him on the highway." Did Nathan not realize that she was worried for their son's safety?_

_Nathan sighed, "It's not like he has to commute a lot. The drive from here to school and around town won't be bad at all."_

"_Most accidents are likely to occur within miles of home so don't give me that." Haley was trying to lay it out easy for him to understand. "It's scary enough to think of him driving a car. A car that has seat belts and airbags, but a motorcycle?" She paused and looked to Nathan, "Don't you think this was something we should have talked about? He's not even sixteen yet."_

_Nathan was slowly realizing his mistake. He definitely should have talked to Haley about it before telling Jamie it would be great to get a motorcycle._

_She took a deep breath, "So now I've got to go back in there and tell him that he can't get one?"_

_Shaking his head, Nathan looked down at her, "No, I'll do it."_

_She didn't want him to take the fall. Haley could tell that he had been excited about it . "Honey, you've already built it up, why don't you let me tell him."_

"_I got it." Nathan nodded and brushed by her to break the news to their son. When he walked back into the kitchen Charlotte was wearing Jamie's new helmet and he was smacking his hand against the hard surface._

"_Can you feel this?" He hit his hand against the helmet and raised his brow._

_Charlotte started laughing, "Sort of."_

_Nathan knew that he needed to get in there fast, "Hey Jame? Come here for a second." Nathan kicked his head toward the back door and motioned for his son to follow him._

_Jamie walked outside and looked at his dad, "What's up?"_

_He had to take a breath before telling Jamie the bad news. "It's just...I don't think this motorcycle thing is a good idea."_

_The teenage boy narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean? I thought you were okay with it?"_

"_Well I started thinking, and it really isn't safe." Nathan sat down on one of the patio chairs, "Do you remember how I told you that I had one briefly when I was in high school?" Jamie nodded and Nathan shrugged, "I left out the part about me crashing it and getting banged up."_

"_You crashed?"_

_Nathan nodded, "Yeah. It wasn't that serious but I got pretty scraped up."_

"_But you were okay."_

"_I was fine." Nathan shrugged, "But when your mom came home and found me in the bathroom pulling glass and rocks out of my arm, she reminded me that she needed me around." Nathan looked to his son, "We need you around Jamie. Me, your mom, and Charlotte. I don't want to risk that."_

_Jamie understood what his dad was saying. In all honestly he was pretty sure that his dad had been more excited about the possibility of a motorcycle than he had been anyway. In reality, Jamie didn't really care what he used as transportation. Not everybody was fortunate enough to get a car when they turned sixteen, and even though they were using money he'd saved up, it was still a luxury._

_Nathan realized that Jamie hadn't said anything, "I know you're probably mad that I took you to the dealership, basically picked a bike out, and now I'm ripping the carpet out from under you, but I think it's better that you keep it to four wheels."_

"_I get it. I was kind of thinking the same thing. Mom would probably rather me have a real car anyway."_

"_Yeah." That was a sever understatement. "We both want you to be safe." Nathan looked a little guilty. "I think I was getting ahead of myself, I shouldn't have put the idea in your head."_

_Jamie nodded, "It's fine. I've got a few months to think about other possibilities."_

_Nathan never could understand how his son was so mature. Even as a child Jamie had been wise beyond his years. He most certainly didn't take after his father, it was all Haley._

_The boys made their way back inside and when the kids went upstairs, Nathan and Haley were left alone downstairs._

_Haley cautiously approached her husband, "How'd he take it?"_

"_Strange enough, he took it really well." Nathan let out an embarrassed laugh, "I think maybe I had been more excited about the idea of a motorcycle than he had been."_

_Laughing right along with Nathan, she couldn't help but agree. It was probably the truth. "So no preverse words or anything?"_

_Nathan shook his head and then a thought crossed his mind. He knew she'd never go for it but couldn't help bu tease,"So since Jamie won't be getting a motorcycle, what about if I..."_

"_Don't even think about it." Haley shook her head and wrapped her arms around Nathan's muscular frame. Resting her cheek against his chest, Haley sighed, "I need you here."_

_Nathan figured she would say that, but he'd only been teasing. After realizing how dumb it was for him to take Jamie to even look at motorcycles there was no way he needed to get one. Nathan squeezed Haley and kissed the top of her head, "I'm not going anywhere."_

When Nathan heard Haley's shoes click against the hardwood floor he was broken from his trace. She had walked a few feet away and when he looked to her he shook his head, "Haley, you know I don't mean for it to be like this. I'm just...."

She looked up and saw that he was genuinely affected by her claim, "I know. I know that you want to make up for lost time but we've got to find a happy medium." She slowly nodded, "We have to figure this out together."

Fully understanding what she meant, Nathan nodded, "I agree. I'm sorry that I've ever made you feel like the bad cop, cause Hales, you're anything but bad." He raised his brow and shook his head, "You're the good one." He meant that with all sincerity. She was a great mother. There was no way she could be labeled the bad cop. It was the ways of motherhood.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Tell that to Charlotte."

"I will."

She saw that Nathan was starting to walk upstairs, "Right now?"

Turning back to look at Haley, he nodded, "Right now."

Haley watched as Nathan walked up the stairs and wondered how things were going to go. She hadn't really gotten a chance to really talk to Charlotte about what tattoo she wanted or why, but if she knew her daughter, it would only be one smile and Nathan was a goner. It was probably just a matter of time before Charlotte got what she wanted.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte was lying on her bed with her cell phone pressed firmly against her ear. She saw that someone was standing in her doorway and spoke into the phone, "Dad's here, I'll call you later Jamie."

Nathan loved the fact that Charlotte had been on the phone with her brother. Their relationship was something he was most proud of. Walking over to the bed, Nathan sat down.

"So she told you?" Charlotte leaned back in her pillows.

"Yep, a tattoo, huh?"

Charlotte took a deep breath and was ready to flash him that smirk and those eyes that Nathan could hardly ever say no to. "Just a small one. Tiny. You'd barely be able to see it." She pointed to her wrist and shrugged, "It's not like it would be super obvious, or in a slutty place."

Nathan hoped she hadn't said that to her mom, "Did you say anything to your mom about her's that may have been along those lines?"

She knew that what she had said to her mom had been out of line, "Yeah, but I didn't really mean it. It just came out of my mouth. I know it's not a tramp stamp."

"You're right. It's not. It's a lot more than some random number too. I know she was younger than you were when she got it but..."

"But... for me it's different?" Charlotte let out a sigh, "That's what she told me, but I don't see how it's that different."

Nathan shrugged, "Because you're her little girl. Our little girl and..."

"I'm not little anymore Dad." Charlotte was on a roll with interrupting.

Nathan laughed, "Yeah you are. It doesn't matter how old you are, you're always going to be her little girl, my little girl. It might seem unfair, but that's how it goes." Nathan looked at his beautiful brown eyed daughter, "If this is something you really want, like really want, then when your old enough to do it by yourself you can. If in a year from now you still feel the same way and want to get whatever it is that you want then you can, just not right now."

Charlotte was getting the picture, "So it's a no?"

"It's a no." Sinking further into her pillows, Charlotte sighed and Nathan got up from the bed. "Looks like I'm the bad cop now. Don't think this was all your mom's idea. We both decided this. If you want to be mad at one of us, let it be me." Before he left Charlotte room, Nathan added one last thing, "You might want to apologize to your mom later."

Nathan left Charlotte's room before she could answer and she slowly closed her eyes. She'd been pretty bitchy about the whole thing and did need to apologize.

**OTHOTH**

After he was done with Charlotte, Nathan walked into the bedroom so he could take a shower. To his surprise Haley was in the room and she smiled when he came in.

"So?"

"Everything's fine." Nathan reassured Haley with a small smile. "No tattoos for Charlotte."

Haley was surprised that their daughter hadn't been able to use her brown eyes and smile to convince him otherwise, "Really?"

Nathan laughed, "What? You had your doubts?"

She didn't want to hurt his feelings, "I just know how Charlotte is and how she works."

"Yeah me too. She didn't get me this time though." Nathan smirked, "She gets that from you, you know?"

"Me?" Haley arched her brow.

"Oh yeah. It's those eyes. The smile. The way she acts most of the time. She's just like you."

It a round about way, that was a huge complement. Since the day Charlotte was born Nathan had been wrapped around her finger and Haley now realized just how much she had to do with it. It wasn't only looks, but their personalities were similar. They were both incredibly kind, good hearted, and encouraging. Neither of them realized their striking similarities but it was obviously apparent to Nathan.

He smiled at her, "I love you Haley James."

This time it was his smile, and his eyes that made her swoon. The way her name sounded rolling off his tongue. "I love you too."

Before any other words were spoke there was a soft knock on the door. It wasn't closed so when they turned they saw Charlotte standing in the doorway. Nathan walked into the bathroom to take his shower to give his girls a little room to talk.

Charlotte was twiddling with her fingers and looked to her mom regretfully, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was wrong to call you a hypocrite and say that your tattoo is a tramp stamp. I know it's not. I was just kind of a defense mechanism."

Haley listened to her daughter and nodded, "I think I may have been a little quick to judge too. I know you wouldn't do anything incredibly irrelevant or juvenile."

"And that's the thing. I can wait. I don't need one now. I might change my mind in a year."

Even if Charlotte would be of legal age to get one in a year from now the thought still made Haley's stomach churn. She didn't want to think about it. "Maybe it will." Haley didn't want to maintain her negativity and wanted to express the fact that she appreciated the apology. She turned to the bathroom door and thought about what Charlotte said. Waiting. Waiting had been something key to her relationship with Nathan, and even though it wasn't about getting a tattoo, it was still relevant. Haley looked to Charlotte and smiled, "I think it's a good for you to wait. Time is a good thing."

Haley looked down at her wedding band and nodded to herself. Twenty six years together and time had been kind to Nathan and Haley. They'd been through the ringer but overcome it all. No matter what the circumstances, no matter the fight, no matter the missed communications, Nathan and Haley had been through it all and come out stronger because of it. This tattoo mess was just another notch on their belt when it came to parenting but even if it had started out as a disagreement, it ended in compromise. That's what it was all about. Twenty six years of compromise and there were headed for many, many more.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay, so I apologize for the delay in posting this. I got seriously tied up with school and coming back home. This chapter was rushed but I couldn't make you guys wait any longer. The typos, grammar errors and other unfortunate things you may have found can be blamed on my crazy week. Again, I'm so sorry. I hope to get back on track soon. It Could Happen to You will hopefully be updated tomorrow so keep an eye out for that if you read that, and again, sorry for the wait guys.**

**To my reviewers. I love you all! Bethanyfan23, naleyfan, Alexis, Hadley, Becky, Joan, blurrystars, and Sally...thank you so much for the feedback!**

**Mazzy: The cancer storyline has been added to the list. Thank you so much for your input on that!**

**Heidi: I think I will be doing a spin off for both kids so look out for those next week sometime.**

**Nellie: When you say Charlotte's first date...that would have to be included in this story because her spin off would really focus on her relationship with Graham. Is that okay? I would focus on a nervous Nathan letting his little girl go on her first date. It has potential right? It could be cute.**

**Moonqueen19: I'm glad you liked the interview. I thought it was nice to add that bit in there and I knew (or hoped) it was along the lines of what you wanted.**

**BDavis: Jamie being upset that he wasn't "planned" could be a potential chapter. I'll think about ways to have that occur. And yes, the Charlotte and Graham story would include the things we miss out in here like their kids.**

**Nita: Thank you so much for the kind words. It means a lot that you've enjoyed the story so far and that you've been nice enough to let me know. You have no idea the impact it has. It means even more that you really like the characters. I try my hardest to keep them in character in relation to the show and the ones I've created...I try and keep them consistent. I'm so glad you like the story!**

**Diana: I'm so sorry that it took so long to update. You're right though, I've been super busy but know that I really tired to find time to write...it just wasn't there. Now that all has settled, look for frequent updates!**

**Review Please! I'm close to one of those milestones!  
**


	57. Number One Mom

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 57: Number One Mom**

**Disclaimer: Uh, no. I don't own any of the characters or things related to OTH.**

**A/N: Sorry I couldn't update this sooner but I was having technical issues. Sorry for the wait. I hate that some of you were probably looking for an update sooner, I apologize for the delay. So if you read the title of this chapter you might know what it's about. I had planned on posting this last Sunday but finals and moving back home got in the way so I ended up being two chapters behind but now I get to post it! So...happy belated Mother's Day to any of my mom readers out there. Moms really do deserve a whole day to celebrate all they do! Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

It was 7:12 in the morning and Nathan slowly opened his eyes. When his distorted vision came to he saw the beautiful woman sleeping next to him. For fourteen years he'd been sleeping by her side, and for the last twelve of those fourteen years they celebrated this day. Mother's Day in the Scott household was always a big to-do. In fact, all holidays were big occasions.

As Nathan saw Haley begin to stir he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the side of her cheek. Her lids began to flutter and soon enough, Nathan could see her big brown eyes.

Haley smiled at Nathan and thought that she had to be the luckiest girl on the face of the earth. If she got to wake up next to him everyday, other than when the season was going on, Haley knew that nobody else could feel the way she did. It was his smile, the way he kissed her cheek, it was the simple way he looked at her that told her there was no one else. He'd love her till the day he died.

Facing Haley, Nathan smiled, "Morning."

"Morning." She leaned towards him and met him in a sweet kiss.

He quickly kissed her cheek once more, "Happy Mother's Day."

Haley smiled, "Thank you." She rolled over to face him and gave him a small pout, "It took you a while to get to bed last night."

"Yeah, I got caught up watching Man verse Food. You know that guy ate a cheeseburger the size of this pillow?" He patted the soft cushion above his head and nodded, "It was captivating."

Haley scrunched her nose, "Sounds kind of gross. Nobody in their right mind should eat that much."

"Says the girl who gave me what...like ten pancakes, eggs, multiple strips of bacon, muffins, and whatever else that time you made breakfast the morning after that Slamball game."

"That was different. You needed to bulk up. I didn't want you to break out there. Those guys rammed into you like football players. I was just trying to help."

Nathan laughed, "Or give me a heart attack."

Haley narrowed her eyes, "Oh whatever."

He smiled and leaned close, "But I loved you for trying to help." Nathan nodded and kissed her on the corner of her mouth.

As they laid in bed, Nathan couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. It could have been the morning sun that slipped through the windows and framed her face, but it wasn't just that. Haley had always been beautiful. Her best moments were in times like these. No makeup, pajamas, messy hair; she was perfect.

Haley could tell that he was staring and playfully rolled her eyes, "Stop it."

Furrowing his brow, Nathan shook his head, "What?"

"Stop staring, it's rude." She laughed as she saw that his expression turned from confused to 'caught red-handed'.

He shrugged, "I can't help it."

The way he sounded so sure of himself made Haley blush. After nearly fifteen years together that still happened. It probably would continue until the end of time. Nathan would never stop adoring her, or she, him. It was how they worked.

Haley looked across the pillow to Nathan, "I love you."

Using his hands to pull her close he nodded, "I love you too."

He kissed her forehead and crisscrossed his hands over her back.

She loved the way it felt. She loved the way she fit in his arms, and like Haley, Nathan did too. And those forehead kisses had become something of an old habit. Some days those were her favorite. Sometimes they were spontaneous, or sometimes they were meaningful. They were the 'I'll protect you', the 'We'll get through this together', the 'Even if I don't say it enough, I love you', and even the 'Just because' kiss. They were simple and used often, but Haley really liked them. She loved them actually.

With her head resting on his chest, she used her fingers to tap a light pattern on his shirt. She could have stayed in bed like that all day. Really, she could have. "Can we stay like this for a while?"

Nathan laughed. As much as he wanted to, there were two children who could burst into that room at any minute, and it was tradition that Nathan be with them and for Haley to be asleep. "How long till the kids get up?"

Calculating the probable time in her head, Haley bit her lip, "Probably not long. Jamie always wakes up early on days like this"

He laughed again, "Yeah he does." Nathan thought about all the Christmases that Jamie woke up at six o'clock on the dot, the time he woke up before the sun came up on Halloween, and even a few Thanksgivings when he's risen right around seven. Their son was always eager when it came to holidays. "Well I guess I better go get them, huh?"

Haley looked up to Nathan and nodded, "I guess so."

Before he got up, Nathan smiled, "So what do you want?" It was customary that on Mother's Day Nathan and the kids would wake Haley up with breakfast in bed, so he figured why not ask her what she wanted.

"Hmm, surprise me."

Nathan nodded. Haley would be surprised alright. He'd fibbed when he said he'd been up late watching Man verse Food, that wasn't the case at all. He was doing something much more entertaining, and Haley would find out what it was later. Nathan rolled out of the bed and stretched, "You better fall back asleep or the Charlotte and Jamie are going to be really disappointed if they come in here with breakfast and you're awake."

Flopping her head on the pillow, Haley closed her eyes, "I'm going, I'm going." She playfully opened one eye and saw Nathan arch his brow, "Okay, I got it. Sleep. Now."

He just laughed and shook his head. She had no idea how much he loved her. How much they all loved her; Nathan, Jamie, and Charlotte. She was everything to them and now it was her day. Haley deserved it.

**OTHOTH**

As Nathan made his way down the hallway he debated on which child to get up first. He was closest to Jamie's door so he went into the room. Curled up in a small chocolate ball was their seven month old lab sleeping at the foot of Jamie's bed. Gatsby woke up when Nathan walked closer and Nathan rubbed his hand on the dog's head. Moving closer to Jamie, Nathan started to speak, "Jamie? Jamie, it's time to get up." He gently shook his son's shoulder and repeated what he had said, "Jame, it's time to get up."

The twelve year old boy started to open up his eyes and with his face flush against the pillow, Jamie smiled, "Hey."

Nathan laughed, "Hey, so you ready to do this?" Nathan raised his eyebrows and the this he was referring to was cooking Haley breakfast.

Jamie slid the covers off and nodded, "Yeah, let's go get Char." As the boy got out of bed he looked to his dad, "So is Mom still asleep?"

Smiling, Nathan nodded, "I think so."

Nathan, Jamie, and Gatsby all walked to Charlotte's room and when Nathan saw his little girl peacefully sleeping, he couldn't help but smile. Her five year old frame was small, and wrapped up in the covers she looked even smaller.

Jamie climbed on her bed and gently put his hand on her shoulder, "Charlotte? Wake up."

Leaning down over his daughter, Nathan placed a sweet kiss on her forehead and while he was lifting up he saw her start to squirm.

"Come on Charlotte, we gotta make Mom breakfast."

The young girl raised her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes. As she slowly opened her eyes she realized that her brother and father were looking at her.

Jamie smiled, "Morning."

Charlotte scrunched her eyes together and blinked a few times. Nathan couldn't help but smile because she was so damn adorable. Just like Haley. "You ready to cook Mom some breakfast, Char?"

She slowly started sitting up and nodded her head.

"Hey Jame, why don't you go on downstairs and take Gatsby outside, fill up his food and water bowls, and we'll be right behind you."

"Okay." Jamie got off Charlotte's bed and patted his thigh, "Come on boy. Let's go, Gatsby."

Nathan watched his son leave Charlotte's room and sat down on her bed. "You want a piggy back ride downstairs?"

Charlotte smiled wide, "Uh-huh."

He laughed and stood up so Charlotte could stand on her bed and get on. Once her legs were wrapped around his torso and her hands around his shoulders, Nathan headed for the stairs. Charlotte was resting her head on Nathan's and could smell his shampoo. She loved the way it smelled, it smelled just like him.

When Nathan, Jamie, and Charlotte were all downstairs and had washed their hands they had a decision to make. What exactly were they going to make Haley?

Nathan opened the refrigerator, "So what do we want to make?"

"Scrambled eggs!" Charlotte let out.

Jamie shook his head, "Pancakes!"

Nathan was thinking more along the line of waffles, "Or what about waffles?"

"Yeah, Mom loves those." Jamie looked up to his dad and nodded.

Charlotte wasn't as impressed, and had yet to say anything.

"What do you say Char? We can make bacon too?"

Jamie's mouth was practically watering. That sounded great. He turned to his sister and tilted his head, "I think Mom will like it, Charlotte."

The young girl sighed, "Okay."

"Alright then." Nathan opened up the freezer and pulled out a yellow box. "My famous frozen waffles."

Jamie furrowed his brow, "Mom says they're _her_ famous frozen waffles."

Nathan laughed, "Okay, well, I'm calling dibs today." He handed Jamie the box of waffles, "You get out seven of them. Two for me, two for mom, two for you and one for Charlotte." He turned to his five year old, "And I need you to press the button on the coffee pot. It's all ready to go, I just need you to turn it on." He watched carefully as Charlotte turned on the pot and nodded, "Perfect."

Returning to the fridge, Nathan pulled out the package of bacon and then got out a pan to cook it in. Jamie had gotten out four plates and cups while Charlotte got out the syrup. While the bacon was sizzling, Nathan popped the waffles in the toaster oven since it could old more than the regular toaster. About the same time it dinged, the bacon started to pop chaotically.

"Jamie can you get the waffles out?" Jamie nodded and Nathan looked at one of the kitchen drawers, "Get out a fork or something so you don't have to put your hand in there."

The twelve year old did as his father told him to do and carefully got out four waffles, "Should I put the rest in there?"

"Yeah, but be careful." Nathan watched Jamie slide the remaining waffles into the toaster oven and told him how far to turn the dial.

When the bacon was done, Nathan quickly divvied up the slices and then poured the left over grease into an old coffee can. He set the pan into the sink and as soon as that was over with the toaster dinged again. Jamie got the waffles out and Nathan got all of them separated onto the plates. Jamie then pulled out the orange juice and while Charlotte held the cups, he poured the juice. They did a great job and didn't spill one drop.

Nathan slid the syrup over to Charlotte and nodded his head, "Take it away Char. Put a little on them all." He looked over to Jamie, "You wanna get the card? It's in the third drawer."

Jamie walked over to the drawer and saw the yellow envelop, "Are the cl..."

"Yeah, I hid them all last night."

Smiling, Jamie walked over with the card, "Nice."

Nathan got out two trays and put one plate, one juice, a cup of coffee, the card, and one purple flower on it. The three other plates and drinks were set on the other tray and Nathan looked at the kids when they were done. "Ready to upstairs?"

Charlotte and Jamie both nodded. Jamie took the tray that had Haley's food while Nathan carried the heavier one that had everything else. Charlotte didn't have to hold anything, but she was the official door opener. It was a very important job.

Jamie cautiously walked up the stairs following Charlotte's every step. When they made it to the master bedroom, Charlotte looked at her father and he nodded. When she saw that it was okay, she slowly opened the door.

Haley was asleep and the only sound coming from the room was her soft breathing. Jamie walked over to the foot of the bed while Charlotte crawled onto it. She made her way over to Haley and whispered in her ear, "Happy Mother's Day, Mama."

Charlotte sat on her knees waiting to see her mom wake up while Nathan leaned on the door frame. He loved this part. The part where Haley would wake up and smile, probably get a little glossy eyed, and then look at him with the most loving look he'd ever receive.

Haley could tell that someone was on the bed and slowly cracked her eyes. Brown eyes that matched her own were staring at her and she smiled, "Hi baby."

Smiling, Charlotte looked to Jamie then back to her mom, "Happy Mother's Day."

Haley started to sit up and saw Jamie at the foot of the bed. He had a smirk he'd inherited from his father plastered on his face, "Happy Mother's Day, Mom."

She smiled and noticed the breakfast tray, "You made me breakfast?" She knew it was coming, but she had the same mind frame as Nathan had, it never got old.

Jamie laughed, "We do it every year."

Furrowing her brow, "I know, but it's just so sweet." She looked from her son to her daughter, "Come here." Haley held out her arms.

Jamie set the tray down on the bed and walked over to his mom's side of the bed. Charlotte leaned into Haley and felt a few kisses on her cheek. Haley had one arm around Charlotte and one arm around Jamie. She kissed his forehead and squeezed them both, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Haley held her children close and looked up to Nathan and mouthed 'thank you' to him.

Nathan nodded and made his way over to the bed.

Charlotte looked up to her mom and smiled, "We made waffles and bacon."

"Yum, I love both of those."

Jamie sat indian style on the bed in front of Haley while Charlotte was snug between her parents. Jamie handed his mom her tray and when it was in front of her she noticed the single purple flower. Picking it up, Haley smiled and looked at Nathan.

Charlotte held out her little hand and Haley gave her the flower. Charlotte studied it for a second then started to squirm a little. She got on her knees and slid the purple flower behind her mother's ear. "You look pretty Mama." The young girl turned to her father, "Doesn't Mama look pretty, Daddy?"

"Beautiful." He smiled at Haley remembering he'd seen that look before. She'd tucked a purple flower behind her ear before her encore performance at Peyton's Friends with Benefit show. That was thirteen years ago but Haley looked as good now as she did back then.

Haley picked up the yellow envelope and Nathan reached for it, "Let's wait for that till after we're done eating."

Curiously raising her brow, Haley narrowed her eyes, "Alright."

Charlotte pointed to her mom's plate, "I put the syrup on."

The mother of two raised her eyebrows, "It looks like you put the perfect amount on."

Jamie let out a laugh after he shoved a big bite in his mouth, "She did." He nodded, "You did good Charlotte."

Charlotte triumphantly smiled and the family of four ate with pleasant conversation.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie rested his hand across his stomach and sighed heavily, "That was good."

Haley looked to her kids and Nathan, "It was perfect. Thank you very much."

"We're not done yet." Charlotte picked up the yellow envelope and looked to her father, "Can I give it to her?"

He nodded so she handed it to Haley. Raising her shoulders with anticipation, Haley slid her finger through the seal and pulled out a card. "_A mother is a person who, seeing there are only three pieces of pie for four people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." _Haley looked at the the note beneath the words: _You can have our slice Mom. We love you_. Jamie, Charlotte and even Nathan had signed their own names and Haley couldn't help but tear up. She loved her family.

Nathan pointed to the envelope, "There's more."

Haley pulled out a little slip of paper and smiled at Nathan's handwriting. She read what it said out loud, "This is the first of many that will lead to something bigger, but before you go on your way stop by the picture with uncle Clay." A scavenger hunt. Haley loved it. Her and Nathan's first date had been the same type of thing, and now they were back to where they started. It was sweet and she was excited to see where it was all going to lead.

Jamie hopped off the bed and waved his hand, "Well come on!" He was getting excited. That had been his clue and he couldn't wait to see how his mom did on their little adventure around the house.

Haley, Charlotte, and Nathan all got out of bed and went downstairs. Haley knew that what they were looking for was the picture of Nathan, Jamie, herself, and Clay all standing under a tree. She knew exactly where it was.

The family of four scurried into the living room and Haley saw the piece of paper taped to the frame. She picked up the next note and read it out loud, _"It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life."_ It was a quote but she was having trouble placing it.

Nathan smiled because this was one he'd thought of. Well he didn't think of it, he actually had to Google the quote but that was besides the point. But it was one he knew she should get because she'd been the one who'd helped him with it in high school. "You were my personal Sparknotes for it. I never did understand all those themes, motifs, and symbols."

As he said that, Haley instantly knew what he was talking about. "It's Gatsby. That quote's talking about Jay Gatsby." She looked around the room and whistled, "Gatsby? Here boy!" Haley felt Charlotte tug on her robe.

"He's outside." The little girl whispered to her mom.

Haley smiled and started walking outside. Their chocolate lab pranced up to Haley and the woman knelt down to their dog. There was a note safety pinned to his collar. She had to give Nathan some creativity points for that last clue. It was pretty good.

Charlotte looked at her mom wide eyed, "This one is from me!" She was extra excited because it was her clue.

"_It's your favorite movie and mine too!_" Haley looked down at her daughter and was pretty sure she knew what it was, but just to throw a wrench in the game, Haley teased, "Shrek two?" She widened her eyes and looked at Nathan.

Charlotte scrunched her brow, "No, Mama. Beauty and the Beast."

"Oh, I know, I was only kidding. Shrek Two is Daddy's favorite." Haley laughed at the look on Nathan's face.

Nathan shook his head and peeled his eyes, "It's not my favorite, but it's pretty good."

Jamie laughed at his father, "I don't know Dad, that one always finds it's way into the travel bag whenever we take lots of movies somewhere."

"Okay, fine. I like it." Nathan lowered his head in defeat.

They all laughed as they made their way to the shelves where Beauty and the Beast was. Inside the movie box was another little note. Haley cleared her throat, "_Back in high school I bought you that little keyboard but since then we've upgraded_." She looked at Nathan and nodded. They'd definitely upgraded from that keyboard he'd smashed against their wedding wall to something much more distinguished and much more expensive.

"I know!" Charlotte took off towards the piano and her family followed just behind her.

Haley took a seat at the bench next to Charlotte and pulled off the note that was stuck between the black and white keys. "You're almost there just a couple more to go, find that picture when we're covered in snow."

Jamie was pretty proud of himself. He'd managed to get his clues to rhyme.

Assuming Jamie was talking about their trip to Utah a few months ago, Haley had an idea as to what picture he was referring to. When they'd taken that trip to Park City, Haley got a picture of both Jamie and Charlotte lying on the ground covered in the fluffy white goodness. When Haley started to walk to where the picture was she didn't realize that Nathan and Charlotte had disappeared from the pack. Jamie was still behind her though.

She picked up the photo and then the clue. "_This is the last one and leads to the prize. Walk fifteen feet then turn to your left. Take a few steps more and you'll be at the door._" It was another one Jamie had come up with and Haley looked to her son. "Where...where are Charlotte and your dad?"

"They're waiting." Jamie smiled, "Fifteen feet then turn to your left. Take a few steps more and you'll be at the door." He nodded and waited for Haley to follow the instructions.

After she walked the said amount she knew exactly where she was going. Haley looked at her son who was smiling brightly and turned the knob. She took few steps in and saw Charlotte holding a big bouquet of purple flowers and that she was sitting on top of her brand new dryer. Nathan was leaning against the new washing machine and he smiled.

"Happy Mother's Day, Hales."

She wasn't expecting it all. A month ago she'd mentioned that her appliances were headed on a downward spiral, but that was expected. They were old. The dryer took double the time it once did and the washing machine's knobs were starting to stick.

"Wow, Nathan...." She walked over to her shiny new objects and shook her head, "You shouldn't have done all this."

Nathan smirked, "I wanted to."

For most it may have seemed not so awesome, but Haley and laundry went together about as well as she and Nathan did. It was something she was in charge of and she liked doing it. So her new gifts were perfect. "Thank you." She looked to Nathan then her kids, "Thank you so much."

Nathan nodded and pointed to the basket of new detergent, dryer sheets, and other things, "I couldn't remember what fragrance you liked...there are about forty to choose from so..."

Haley looked at the bottle and smiled, "It's perfect. This is all perfect."

Nathan laughed, "And I would offer to do the first load..."

"Oh no, I want to try these things out first." Her enthusiasm was adorable.

He laughed again and shook his head, "I thought you might say that."

Haley looked from her kids, to Nathan, and then her new washer and dryer, "Aw guys, you really surprised me! I wasn't expecting this at all."

Jamie smiled, "Happy Mother's Day."

"Yeah, Happy Mother's Day, Mama." Charlotte held out the flowers she'd been holding.

"Oh, and the flowers!" Haley reached for the flowers and brought them close to her nose, "I love you guys." She moved over to Jamie and hugged him tight, did the same to Charlotte, and then moved to Nathan, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He gently kissed her and they heard the kids let out an 'ugh'. Jamie did it because he was at that age where he either did that or had an eye roll and Charlotte only said it because Jamie did.

Nathan laughed at their kids and looked down to see Haley smile. There was something about making her smile that he loved. He wanted her to be happy,and if he could do that, if he could give her something, or say something to get her to do that, nothing else mattered.

**OTHOTH**

After most of the day had passed there was still one more thing Nathan and the kids had planned for Haley. Instead of going out to a busy restaurant, Nathan was going to try his hand at cooking Haley's favorite, but in the end, whatever it was he made did not turn out like macaroni and cheese. It was more like burnt mush and instead of being cheesy deliciousness, it was gross.

Nathan tossed it in the trashcan before Haley could even taste it because if she had, she'd need to find a new favorite food. It was that bad.

So after that disaster, Nathan figured it was kind of late to go out to a restaurant. The wait alone in downtown Tree Hill was bad enough on a regular night. They probably could have cut lines using their celebrity status but Nathan and Haley weren't the kind to do that. Instead, he walked over one of the kitchen drawers and looked through the take-out menus. He heard Haley come down the stairs and turned around holding up two, "Pizza or Chinese?"

Haley furrowed her brow, "What happened to mac n' cheese?"

Grimacing, Nathan shook his head, "Uh, well...."

Jamie walked over to his mom, "He burnt it. Big time." The boy looked to his mom and laughed, "You couldn't even tell it was mac n' cheese."

"It was not that bad." Nathan didn't want Jamie to totally bash it.

Charlotte walked in and stood next to Haley, "Yes-huh, Daddy."

Haley laughed out loud. Both of her kids thought otherwise compared to Nathan. "Well..." She looked down to Jamie and Charlotte,"What do you guys want? Pizza or Chinese?"

For the first time in a while, both Charlotte and Jamie agreed on something. "Chinese!"

Nathan nodded and put the Pizza menu back in the drawer and then picked up the phone, "So I'll get our usual?"

Haley nodded and then looked to the kids, "You two go pick out the game."

It was customary that whenever they had Chinese food, they'd pull out a board game and more often than not, it was Nathan and Charlotte verse Haley and Jamie. But tonight was going to be different.

When Jamie and Charlotte opened up the cabinet with all the board games, Charlotte looked at her brother, "Can I be on your team?"

Jamie pulled out Monopoly, "If you want."

"Yeah, Mama should get to play with Daddy."

He nodded and laughed, "Okay, but we're gonna beat them right?"

"Uh-huh. We make a good team." The little girl was so sincere with her words.

Jamie rubbed his hand over the top of Charlotte's head and laughed, "I think you're right Charlotte."

The two kids walked back to the kitchen and Jamie set the game on the counter.

Haley saw that they picked Monopoly, "We're gonna have to set a time limit on our game." She laughed, "That game takes days to finish."

Nathan raised his brow, "You've actually finished a game of Monopoly before."

"Yeah. Lucas and I were like twelve and one day we started playing and then the next thing I knew, it was four days later."

"You played for four days!" Charlotte's eyes grew wide with concern.

"Well not consecutively. We took breaks, ate our meals, and went to bed, but overall it took us four days." Haley smiled remembering.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh, "You're such a dork."

"What? No I'm not." She shook of Nathan's words even though it was true.

Jamie looked at his mom and nodded, "That was a pretty dorky thing to do, Mom."

Haley cocked her jaw and squinted at the boys. She picked up Charlotte and looked at her daughter, "You don't think I'm a dork do you Charlotte?" The little girl shook her head. Haley smiled at Charlotte, "Thank you."

Nathan found himself smiling at his two girls. He secretly loved the fact that Haley was a dork, and actually, it probably wasn't such a secret. If anything was a secret, it was that he wanted Charlotte to be on the dorky side too. His logic was that if she was nerdy or dorky, then boys would stay away for a while. But what he failed to realized or remember was that he fell for Haley. The superstar jock fell for the tutor hook line and sinker so if Charlotte was going to turn out like Haley, he'd have to fend off a lot more boys than he thought. And in ten years he'd find out that was exactly the case.

He cleared his throat and looked at Jamie, "You want to ride with me to go pick up the food?"

"Sure."

The father and son headed out and left Haley and Charlotte by themselves. The girls got out plates, and whatever else they'd need and before long they heard footsteps coming back into the house. Jamie was holding the bag of food and Nathan was right behind him.

The family of four pigged out on Chinese and after thirty minutes of playing Monopoly, Charlotte started to get a little stir crazy. She was tired and watching the same thing happen over and over again was not all that exciting. Roll, land on a space, pay rent, do it all over again. For a five year old, it wasn't impressing.

Haley took note and then glanced at the clock, "Think we should call it night and save it for a rainy day?"

Charlotte looked up to her mom, doe-eyed, and nodded.

Jamie shrugged, "We don't have to save it. I mean. It will take us three more days to finish."

Nathan laughed at his son,"You two did good though. I think you guys were beating us." In all honesty, that wasn't the case at all, but as a parent, Nathan knew it was the right thing to say.

Haley got up and held her hand out, "Come on Charlotte, let's get ready for bed." As they headed for the stairs she turned back to the boys, "Jame? Don't you have a book you need to be reading for school?"

Jamie's head sunk, "Yes." He looked to his father with pleading eyes, "Can't I stay down here a little bit longer?"

"You heard your mom." Nathan shrugged, "And besides. If you start to fall behind now, you'll never catch up."

Slowly, Jamie got up and went upstairs. Nathan started cleaning up and after he started the dishwasher Haley walked back into the kitchen. She picked up two things off the counter and threw him one fortune cookie. "Here."

Nathan smiled and opened the wrapper while Haley opened hers. She was done first so she read her's out loud, "Good luck bestows on you. You will get what your heart desires most."

Nathan couldn't help it so he added, "In bed."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes, "You do not have to add that in every time. That was a perfectly good fortune without your prepositional phrase."

He laughed, "But it's true." Nathan smirked and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, if you count the fact that Jamie's _in bed_, and Charlotte's _in bed_." What her heart desired most, what she loved to no end were her children, and they were safely tucked away upstairs.

Even if Nathan had something else in mind, she was right. He loved their kids as much as she did. Nathan walked closer to her and rested his hands on her hips, "You have a good Mother's Day?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I did." Haley reached for his neck and kissed him, "Thank you for everything. I loved it." She rested her cheek against his chest and saw his fortune cookie on the counter. Haley picked it up and held it out, "Read yours"

Nathan took the cookie in his hand and started to unwrap it. Once the little slip of paper was out of the cookie he cleared his throat, "It could be better, but it's good enough." He furrowed is brow and looked up to see Haley smiling.

"Oh, you better say it now." She took the fortune and repeated what it said, "It could be better, but it's good enough...in bed." Haley started laughing hysterically, "You're little trick has backfired now, huh?"

Nathan was at a loss for words, "That's not what it means."

She playfully bit her lip, "But isn't it?" She couldn't' fight off her laughter.

"Hales, that's not funny."

Haley turned to go upstairs and hit the lights leaving him in darkness, "_But it's true_." She laughed again, "You're words not mine."

Nathan was standing in the middle of the kitchen in darkness. There was nothing he could say to make it go away. He could hear her laughing up the stairs and he hung his head. That was the worst fortune he'd ever gotten.

He stood in the kitchen for a few more minutes, nervous to go upstairs. He didn't think it was true, and he certainly hoped Haley didn't think it was true. Once he shook off his worries he started to go upstairs. He opened their bedroom door and saw that the bathroom light was on. He striped his clothes and pulled on some pajama bottoms and slid into the covers.

Haley came out of the bathroom and smirked at him when she got in the bed. Turning her face in her pillow, she laughed out loud. Her laughter was semi muffled but Nathan could feel the bed shake as she laughed. She rolled over to face him and smiled, "I'm sorry, but how can you not think that was funny?"

The wrinkles on his forehead scrunched together, "Uh, because it's not funny."

"Honey, yes it is." Haley bit her lip and nodded. He rolled his eyes and she could tell he wasn't taking it well. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest, "It's not true." Haley placed a soft kiss on his chest, "If that's what you're worried about. It's not true."

Nathan looked down at her and wrapped his left arm around her back.

She loved the feeling and shook her head, "There is nothing better." Haley smirked and slowly ran her hand over his abs and stomach, "Don't think that there is because there's not." Looking, up to him she gave him a kind smile and a simple nod.

He took a deep breath and couldn't help what he did next. He turned so he was looking over her. Nothing was said and silence filled the air. It was just him looking at her, and her looking at him. He leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips. He could feel her arms start to roam over his sides to his back and kissed her with all he had.

His torso was covering hers and their pressing bodies was a feeling she'd never get used to. Haley felt Nathan move his mouth from her lips to the spot below her ear. The pressure she felt from his weight and the feeling of his lips on her skin was more than enough. If she felt as good as she did then, there was no possible way the rest would only be _pretty good_.

Pretty good was an understatement. For the last fourteen years, it just kept getting better and better. Nathan Scott had absolutely nothing to worry about.

**OTHOTH**

**So it was fluffy, but all stories need a little fluff here and there. The next chapter will either be drunk Haley or something a little more emotionally charged (I guess I would call it that) and has to do with one of the kids getting "hurt", but I haven't decided yet. So if any of you want to see one over the other sooner than later let me know.**

**Oh, and on another note. The finale is tomorrow! Ah...I'm like nervous excited. I such a spoiler junkie (I try not to be but I can't help it) and from what I've read...I'm pumped. Still waiting on the official announcement for season 8 and hopefully we'll get to have one so we can get a good wrap up. Cause I really don't see them wrapping up all the storylines like the fans want in only 42 minutes. So I'm crossing my fingers! Sorry for my little rant, but I'm so ready for this finale I can hardly stand it, lol.**

**To my reviewers...I wish I had a magic dial that would like give you some big awesome something. Ha, that was original. But really, you guys are great! Bethanyfan23, Hadley, and Joan...thanks so much for the feedback!**

**Heather: I ended up cutting the phone conversation with Jamie and Charlotte that would have let you know what tattoo she wanted and why but it just got to long, so sorry about that. I will say that she didn't want to get it because it was her boyfriend's jersey number. It was more spontaneous. She got an idea, liked it, and wanted to do it. But obviously it wasn't that important to her since she didn't (or couldn't get it) but she never ends up getting one even when she's older.**

**Alexis: You screamed! Ha, that's funny in a very sweet way. I'm glad you liked Naley semi arguing and semi not. And I think I'm on to you...reviewing another chapter to get me closer to that milestone, lol. It worked but due to my tech issues I couldn't upload the chapter so sorry for the wait, but I really appreciate the review...all of them!**

**Eda: Wow, the best one on the site? Nah, I know there are some really great, really well written stories on here but the compliment was incredible. So for your idea: Nathan being moody. I like it, I just have to figure out how to make it fit into a chapter or be able to make it a full chapter. That's always the hardest part. I appreciate the feedback!**

**Blurrystars: I'm glad you liked the throwbacks! I'm a sucker for those, lol. I think most parents have to deal with the good cop, bad cop scenario, and like you, I always felt for Haley in that regard. Oh, and I don't think it was lame of you thatyou liked that Jamie didn't get a motorcycle and Charlotte didn't get a tattoo. I thought the same thing. So we both might be lame. Since you've got a busy month ahead of you I'll try and update as much as I can!**

**Diana: It means a lot that you said you missed my writing, and to make sure that I hadn't forgotten about my readers. Haha, no. I defiantly didn't forget you guys. I always feel bad whenever I have a lengthy stretch between updates.**

**Kutebloo: I like the Naley teamwork as well. I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

**Emma: Yeah, I think I laughed when Charlotte called Haley's tattoo a tramp stamp too. And I am sorry for the delay between chapters!**

**BDavis: Finals did go really well, thank you for the concern. I knew what you meant when you said it would be hard to see Charlotte as a mean teenager. I had a hard time myself trying to figure out the best way to go about that. As for the "unplanned" scenario: If he finds out before Charlotte's born that makes him around seven and I think if he had questions about being planned...that would lead to a whole bunch of other questions that I'm not so sure I want to write about now, lol. But I'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate it somehow. Charlotte and Graham's story is still in the outlining phase, but it's nearly done. I just picked out names for their potential children so yay for that! I should be publishing chapter 1 this upcoming weeks sometime!**

**Review Please!**


	58. This Rain Taste Like Vodka

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 58: This Rain Taste Like Vodka **

**Disclaimer: All things related to OTH belong to Mark and co. I applaud him for creating the characters we know an love!**

**A/N: Double fist pump for the news that we are getting a season 8! Ha, I was so excited to hear that, and of course the big news we got in the finale. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet...Thanks to everyone who said they'd like to see this chapter first. I hope I don't disappoint! Enjoy!**

***IMPORTANT UPDATE* June 2, 2010. As of right now (it's 9:09pm, my time) and in the morning I am waking up at 4:00am to drive to North Carolina and I still have to pack. So that means the new chapter will probably have to wait to be updated on late Thursday (it's a twelve hour drive...so time is limited), Friday or even Saturday. I hate that it has been so long but it is what it is. Sorry!  
**

**OTHOTH**

He walked through the bedroom door and saw her flipping through the pages of a magazine. Up against the pillows, her brow was scrunched and whatever she was looking at must have been important. He'd just come home from dropping off the kids at Brooke's house and thought Haley might be getting ready when he came back home. But instead, she was lying perfectly still immersed by the pages in front of her.

Haley looked up and smiled, "How about we stay in tonight?" She knew that they had to go to the gala but she wasn't really in the mood. It was going to be the first time they'd really gone out since she'd had Charlotte and a peaceful night without the kids sounded good to her.

"But it's the My Hero Gala, Hales." Nathan walked to his closet and pulled out the dry cleaning bag.

She sighed, "I know, but..."

He turned to her and raised his brow, "You'll look beautiful." He knew that she was kind of nervous about getting all dressed up. For some reason the few months after she'd had both Jamie and Charlotte, Haley was always super conscious of her body image, but what she didn't realize was that she was going to be the most beautiful woman in the room. "And it's a good cause, it benefits the Bobcats Youth Foundation and the Presbyterian Hospital Community Care Cruiser."

"I know, and I love that you're so active in all the Bobcat's organizations, I do, it's just..." Haley knew that there really wasn't a way of getting out of going to the gala but it didn't mean she couldn't try.

He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, "I know this isn't your thing. You're not a red carpet girl, and I know that you'd much rather stay home and watch a movie than sit down with a bunch of wealthy doctors, Bobcats affiliates, and other random people. I do." He laughed and gently kissed her cheek, "I love that you're beside me through it all, but look at the good news. At least they are holding it in Wilmington instead of Charlotte this year. It means we're close to home."

She looked up and nodded. It was really nice that they could stay in Tree Hill for the weekend. Normally, Haley would end up going to Charlotte and meet Nathan there but this year he got to come to them. He got to sleep in their bed, see their kids, do everything he couldn't while he was away. Haley looked longingly at the clock and then to her husband, "I guess we better get ready, huh?"

Nathan nodded, "I pulled my tux out." He looked towards his closet then back to Haley. He ran his fingers through his hair, "I guess I'll take a shower. Do you need to too?"

"Yeah, but go ahead. You only take a second in there." She tilted her head towards their bathroom and smiled, "I've got to pick out my dress anyway." Nathan was about to say something when he felt her hand on his cheek and nodded, "Green, I know."

He laughed and kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and watched him walk into the bathroom.

Haley made her way to her closet and roamed through the potential dresses. There was a really cute black one that she thought about wearing but Nathan wanted green. For some reason or another he really liked her in that color. By the time she'd picked which green dress she was going to wear she heard the water turn off. After striping her clothes, Haley tied her bathrobe on and ran her fingers through her hair.

Just as Nathan walked out of the bathroom, Haley walked out of her closet. With only a towel wrapped around his soaking wet, shimmery body, Haley definitely couldn't help but stare. And she was on the receiving end of wandering eyes as well. Nathan couldn't help it. Haley was perfect. The way her bathrobe hit mid thigh had him zoned out.

She gently squeezed his arm as she past by him and Nathan took a deep breath. It was the little touches and simple looks that he missed most while he was off playing basketball. There was nothing better than to know she was there, to feel her touch or to look at her deep brown eyes. He was completely wrapped up in anything and everything Haley.

As he dried himself off and started to get dressed, Nathan pulled on his pants and then an undershirt. He finished getting dressed to only have to tie his bow tie and put his jacket on right before they left. He ran a comb over his hair just to make sure it wasn't sticking out in random places, and not long after that Haley walked out of the bathroom.

Her hair was wet and she had it wrapped up in a towel on top of her head. "Hey, I won't be much longer. I've just got to dry my hair and do my make-up." She walked over to the dresser to pick up her moisturizer. "I'll meet you downstairs in like fifteen minutes."

Nathan nodded, "Alright."

He walked in his closet to pick out his shoes and then headed downstairs. After exactly fifteen minutes had past he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She was holding two pair of shoes and he laughed at her.

She furrowed her brow, "What? I still can't believe we are supposed to wear tennis shoes with our dresses. I don't know which pair goes better." She held up her white Chuck Taylor's and then a pair of gray New Balance. "This is kind of ridiculous. Tennis shoes and dresses don't go. I'm pretty sure if Brooke saw what I had planned to go on my feet, she would have a major freak out."

Nathan laughed and walked over to her, "I bet you're right."

Haley nodded and looked at her husband's feet. He was wearing his black high top Converses and they happened to semi match with his tux. It was kind of adorable to see him all dressed up with tennis shoes on. "So, which ones."

Nathan didn't have to think about it. "Converse."

Haley looked at her Chuck Taylor's and figured that's what he would say. She had thought the same thing but wanted his opinion just in case. She threw her New Balances toward the stairs and pulled on her no-show socks then slipped her feet into her shoes. There was absolutely no heel on her shoes and her and Nathan's height difference was really noticeable without the added inches she normally got.

She looked down at her shoes with her green dress and frowned, "I look so dumb."

He gave her that all inclusive smirk and shook his head, "You look beautiful."

Haley glanced up to Nathan. He always knew the right things to say. She looked him over and smiled, "You look pretty good too."

Nathan laughed, "Only pretty good?"

Rolling her eyes, Haley raised her brow, "Okay, sexy." She took a step forward and put her hands on his arms, "Damn sexy."

That classic Scott smirk reappeared and he nodded then leaned down to kiss her. When they parted he looked into those chocolate brown eyes he loved so much, "You ready?"

Haley slid her hand into his and intertwined their fingers, "Yeah."

They walked out hand in hand ready for the charity gala. It was sure to be a fun time, but what they didn't know was how _fun_ it would turn out.

**OTHOTH**

When the happy couple arrived at the Convention Center they walked down the red carpet and although it wasn't some huge Hollywood to do, there were still a bunch of photographers lined up ready to snap a few photos. Prominent business men, doctors, lawyers, Bobcat boosters, players, and staff were all entering the building. Haley recognized a few faces but being that Nathan had only finished his first year in the pros a few months ago, she still didn't know everyone. To be included with so many distinguished men and women was still a little overwhelming.

Once they got inside, Nathan found himself immediately in conversation with one of the heavy contributors and Haley decided that she might as well go get them drinks while he was busy talking away. Nathan would normally do it, but it was a nice change, and besides, she wasn't feeling like wine tonight anyways. That was her normal drink of choice, wine. Sure she'd have a beer here or there but that was really it. She was never a heavy drinker and for the last year she'd hardly touched the stuff. Her pregnancy with Charlotte deterred her away, and for the last three months it only consisted of about twelve glasses of wine total.

But tonight was a new night. Haley was going to be a little adventurous.

When she approached the bar she smiled at the bartender and ordered two of Nathan's usuals, scotch and water. One for him and one for her. When she had the drinks in hand, she took a sip of hers and felt the burn as the liquid courage rolled down her throat. It certainly packed more of a punch than her normal glass of wine but one cocktail couldn't hurt.

Nathan saw Haley walking towards him and excused himself from his conversation. He looked down at the drinks in her hand and raised his brow, "Are those both for me?"

She playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head, "No." She took a sip from the one in her right hand and smiled, "This one's mine."

He wasn't one to worry about Haley and her alcohol intake but this was something knew. She wasn't a whiskey drinker, she was hardly a drinker at all. Nathan looked down at his incredibly tiny wife and realized that her tolerance for scotch wasn't going to be the same as wine or beer. Not to mention she hadn't even been drinking much lately. This night might turn interesting.

"Hales..." His voice sounded full of concern and warning.

She took note almost instantly and waved it off, "What? It's one drink. I'll be fine." She laughed

him off.

He didn't want to argue with her but he knew Haley than he knew himself. "Well, look, our table's over there and the auction starts in twenty minutes..." He looked toward the stage and then back to Haley, "I've got to go see if they need me for anything. You okay on your own for a while."

She nodded and saw a few of the other player's wives she knew, "Yeah. I'll be fine. Go do what you need to do, I'll see you at the table in a little while."

Nathan walked in one direction and Haley the other. She met up with the other wives and joined in conversation with them. They were all gorgeous, seemed like six foot tall supermodels, and Haley was halfway coherent on what they were talking about. They were talking spas, lavish trips, shopping sprees, and the best nannies. Haley wasn't that kind of girl. She'd only been to a spa twice, they didn't take lavish trips once a week, maybe a couple times a year, but that was it. She wasn't a big shopper unless she went out with Brooke and they didn't have a nanny. Haley was basically a full time mom. She loved her kids. They were her world, so listening to these women talk about their lifestyle made her realize just how good she had it.

When all the women laughed at some aimless joke, Haley joined in and raised her glass to her lips. She didn't know what they were laughing at but she cracked a smile and nodded. For the next fifteen or so minutes the ladies talked about the same boring thing and when the bartender approached with a tray of drinks he handed them all refills. Haley wasn't really planning on having another but the guy handed it to her so she took it.

By the time the lights had dimmed and people started making their way to their respective tables, Haley's drink was half empty. Nathan was sitting when she walked up and he assumed she'd been working on that first drink the whole time, not realizing it was her second.

"Hey." He looked at Haley and watched her sit next to him. "My jersey goes up for auction second to last so I've got a while before I've got to go back on stage."

"Oh, okay." Haley turned her eyes toward the front when she saw a man approach the podium.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I want to welcome you to the fifth annual My Hero Gala supporting the Bobcat's Youth Foundation and the Presbyterian Hospital Community Care Cruiser. Over the last year with the help of generous donations we were able to raise over two million dollars for those two important causes." A loud applause echoed through the room and the man took a minute to clap himself. "As we begin the night, we start with our customary auction. We've got cars, vacation packages, Bobcat memorabilia, and just about anything else you may want..."

Nathan turned to Haley and held out their paddle, "Don't go crazy with this thing."

Haley laughed and shook her head, "I won't."

She'd kept to her word and while she'd bid for a few things, ultimately all of the items she'd been interested in went to higher bidders. She knocked back the last of her drink and looked to Nathan, "I don't think we're gonna get anything tonight. All these people keep bidding higher than us. They must have money growing out of their ass."

Nathan was taking a sip of his water and nearly choked when he heard that, "Ugh..." He wiped his mouth and laughed, "Well, it's for charity so a lot of these people will spend ridiculous amounts of money on the smallest of things."

A waiter came by the table and dropped off another scotch and water and Haley took a sip, "I guess so."

Nathan looked at the stage, "Looks like the players' jerseys are next." He saw Theo holding up his jersey as the auctioneer called out bids. Nathan wasn't exactly looking forward to having to go up there in front of this large audience of people have display his jersey. Couldn't they just put it in a frame and have some other person hold it up?

Haley watched and listened as the bidding went on and when the highest bidder was crowned they got up on stage and shook hands with the player. As it went on that seemed to be what happened. Each bidder got to go up and collect the jersey. If it was a guy, they shook hands, if it was a girl the player kissed her on the cheek.

There were only two players left before Nathan's was up and Haley was starting to get excited for him. She hoped that his went for a lot of money. He turned to her and smiled, "I should probably head up there."

Nodding, Haley rested her hand on his back and watched him get up to leave. Once it was Nathan's turn the auctioneer started calling out the bids and suddenly Haley had deja vu. It was like she was back in high school at the boy toy auction. That was almost ten years ago but she could distinctly remember all the woman throwing themselves towards a night with Nathan. This wasn't that inclusive, it was just a jersey, but when Haley noticed that it was mainly women bidding on Nathan's jersey she got a little defensive, jealous almost.

"Can I get five-hundred? Any one, any one?" The auctioneer's voice rang out and Haley couldn't stop her hand that raised her paddle.

"Lady in green, thank you." He pointed to Haley and looked to the room, six hundred? Any takers on six?"

A few women stuck their paddles in the air and Haley huffed. The money kept rising as women kept bidding and Haley wasn't such a fan of this whole auction thing anymore. Raising her paddle she smiled deceitfully when that auctioneer asked for fifteen hundred dollars. But Haley's fun was quickly shattered when someone from the back yelled out.

"Two thousand!"

Haley turned her head so quickly the room spun. She narrowed her eyes and took a swig of her drink. Clearing her throat she raised her paddle, "Twenty five hundred!"

Another lady spoke up just as soon as Haley stopped, "Three thousand."

Furrowing her brow, Haley tried not to take it personally, but this was Nathan they were bidding on. No it wasn't, it was just a signed jersey coupled with either a hand shake or kiss on the cheek and she didn't want anyone else getting what was rightfully hers. "Three thousand, five hundred."

The woman who had posted three thousand wasn't going down without a fight, "Thirty seven hundred."

Not phased, Haley held out her paddle, "Four thousand."

"We've got ourselves a bidding war here ladies and gentlemen. Anyone want to jump in?" The auctioneer chuckled as the money climbed to nearly five thousand dollars.

Haley wasn't going to let his random woman who looked like she had fake boobs and well... a fake everything else get his jersey. She wanted it. She didn't need it, they had plenty, but she wanted it bad. "Five thousand." Haley turned to the woman and saw that she didn't have a counter offer.

"Going once."

Nathan took a deep breath and was completely shocked that Haley had even bid on his jersey.

"Going twice."

Haley couldn't believe that she was about to be the highest bidder but a part of her was proud as hell. A rush of excitement ran through her veins.

The auctioneer hit his gavel, "Sold! Ma'am you can come up her and claim your purchase."

She couldn't help but laugh as she made her way to the stage. Nathan was standing up there pretty dumbfounded by Haley's actions but loved that she'd done it. Once she made it to the stage she sashayed across and bit her lip.

When she made it to Nathan he just shook his head and held out his jersey, "Hales...?"

He'd bent down and she kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "My son's a big, big fan."

Nathan laughed out loud and shook his head at her smirking. They walked back to their table together and when Nathan saw her almost empty glass he had to wonder what number that had been. Haley was certainly getting a little loose and there was more where that came from because once dinner was served Haley was really feeling it in all the right places. The decorations around the room really seemed to pop, and the music made her sway, and the food almost made her drool. She was having a good time, a really good time.

They were seated with two of Nathan's teammates, Ray and D.J., and their respective dates along with a doctor and his wife, and one assistant coach and his wife. The chatter mainly consisted of basketball but every once in a while a few random topics would pop up.

Haley was getting a little bored so she leaned into Nathan, "Wanna cut out of here early?"

He turned to her and raised his brow, "They haven't even given out the 'my hero' awards yet."

Placing her left hand on his right thigh she slowly moved it up his leg and inward, "But I think..."

Flustered by her actions, Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Haley..." He used his hand to get hers off his leg, "What..what are you doing?"

Her glossy eyes narrowed and her voice became husky, "Trying to make things a little more interesting." She seemed so calm and poised, as if there weren't five hundred other people in the room.

He was sure the alcohol in her system had her in some sort of mood. It had to. The Haley James Scott he knew wasn't about public displays of affection, much less indecent exposure. They'd had a tryst in the Tric ladies restroom at Lucas and Peyton's wedding but that was a while ago and this was not that. This was an event where anyone who's anyone in the Bobcat's organization was there. Nathan did not need to make a spectacle of himself. His rookie year had gone really well and he didn't want to open his second season with any kind of drama.

He turned to Haley and smiled, "It won't be much longer."

She sunk back in her chair as disappointment washed over her face.

It would only be thirty more minutes until things started to wrap up. After a few team pictures they were good to go. Home was calling and Haley couldn't wait to get there.

**OTHOTH**

When Nathan pulled onto their street Haley turned to him and smiled, "Let's do something fun."

He laughed, "Just how many drinks did you end up having?" Nathan was all about fun and he thought he knew what kind of fun she was talking about after their earlier encounter, but he found it humorous that she was so keyed up or in less attractive terms, drunk.

Haley narrowed her eyes and scrunched her brow, "Not many?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. He just laughed and shook his head. "Okay, well what do you want to do?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she turned to Nathan, "I don't know."

Pulling into their driveway, Nathan thought about what they might want to do. He knew what he wanted to do. "We can go upstairs and..."

As the car stopped she shook her head, "Nah, that's not fun."

His jaw hit the floor. Yes it was. Nathan watched her get out of the car and walk into the house. He was still having a hard time with her last comment. Maybe she was thinking about sleeping upstairs. Yeah, that had to be it. Sleeping wasn't exactly a fun activity. He slowly got out of the car and when he got inside he didn't know where Haley had gone.

"Haley?" He didn't hear her but noticed that the back door was open. He walked outside and saw that she was going towards the swing set.

She sat down in a swing and smiled when Nathan walked to her. "Wanna give me a push?"

"Sure." He brushed by Haley and gently pushed on her back.

As she swung through the air she laid her head back and closed her eyes, "I feel like I'm flying." Haley felt something wet hit her right in the center of her forehead. She drug her feet on the ground, slowing her momentum and turned to Nathan, "Did you just spit on me?"

"What? No." He shook his head and he had to laugh at the question. It had to be the alcohol talking.

She stopped herself and looked long and hard at him, "Are you sure?" She wiped her forehead and shook her head.

Nathan felt something cool land on his head and looked up, "It's raining."

Haley watched as Nathan walked toward the center of their backyard. She felt another drop land on her arm and her heart skipped a beat. Slowly getting off the swing, Haley walked over to him. She tugged on the lip of his jacket and smiled, "You know what that means?"

He looked down at her and nodded, "That I get to kiss you." He bent down and met her mouth with his before she could even say yes. It hadn't really even been a question. He didn't need to ask. It was just common courtesy for them.

The rain showered down harder and Haley moved her hands to Nathan's neck. She really had to pull him down far since she didn't have heels on.

When they broke away Nathan couldn't hep but smile. He loved it. The rain, Haley, all of it, the combination of the two; they were perfect.

He could see a few drops hit her cheek and his kissed them away. Haley got up on her tip toes to kiss him again and as they stood under the spray she got an idea. Nathan felt her start to move away and watched her as she walked up the stairs to the pool deck. She was so incredibly beautiful. He started to follow her and when he made it up the few stairs he saw that she was unzipping her dress.

"Haley!" Before he could do anything to stop her she was in the water. Only in her strapless bra and underwear, she plunged into the pool and came up laughing.

"Come on. Live a little!" She splashed some water his way and raised her brow.

He looked at his hardly dressed wife and knew that he needed to get in that pool fast. Sliding the jacket off his shoulders and untucking his shirt, he threw off his clothes as fast as he could. Once he was down to his boxer briefs he jumped in.

She swam up to him and put her arms around him, "Hi."

He smiled and kissed her, "Hi."

Running her hand over the top of the water she turned to him, "Can you feel it? The rain makes the water warmer."

Even drunk, Haley knew a plethora of information. He shook his head, "Why's that?"

Swimming up close to him she smiled, "The humidity. It creates a lower surface area and the moisture can't escape so it goes into the water.

He loved it when she talked like that, all smart and scholarly. It probably was something any person could figure out or find out from The Weather Channel, but hearing it out of Haley's mouth was really a turn on. "You're so sexy Haley."

She laughed, "Well, thank you."

He shook his head, "No, I'm serious."

"Wanna know something serious?" She shot him a playful look and he nodded. "This is the correct way to do the backstroke."

That had been the last thing he was expecting her to say. Using her feet and arms to propel her backward, Nathan watched as Haley zigzagged across their pool. That was definitely the alcohol's fault. He tired not to laugh at her floundering but he also noticed the way she moved across the water. While it wasn't as graceful as it normally was, she still looked great.

Nathan could see that Haley was closing in on the wall. "Haley!" He started to swim over to her so he could catch her in time but he was too late. The back of her head made firm contact with the side of the pool and he grimaced.

"Ow!" Haley instantly reached for the back of her head and rubbed it.

He swam over to her concerned, "Are you okay?" He put his hand over hers and frowned, "I tried to get over here before you hit the wall."

Haley laughed, "I'm okay." She looked at him and nodded, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Nathan just wanted to make sure.

She smiled and kissed him. "I'm fine. I promise."

He nodded and watched her swim to the shallow end of the pool. She looked up to the sky and then back to Nathan, "This rain taste like vodka."

Nathan laughed out loud and pushed off the side of the pool so he could swim over to her. Once he emerged from underwater he laughed again. "It's just the chlorine, Hales." They both heard the thunder rumble and the night sky lit up as lightning danced from cloud to cloud. "We better get inside." August rain storms could turn nasty at any minute and Nathan knew it.

The look of worry on his face was priceless. Haley didn't know if he was worried about both of them or just her, but either way it was endearing. Another boom echoed and the sharp crack that followed afterword made Haley scream. "You're right. Let's go inside." She laughed and swam to the stairs

They both got out of the water and Haley rung out her hair. Conveniently, there were three towels already outside so Nathan gave one to Haley and then wrapped the other around his waist. He couldn't help but notice that Haley was sliding her underwear down her legs and her bra was already on the ground. The towel wrapped around her body was shielding him from any view but he liked what he saw nonetheless.

Following her lead, he pulled off his boxer briefs and dropped them next to Haley. She heard the sound of water logged cotton hit the ground and turned to face him. She had taken off all of her clothes so she could get dry faster but the look on Nathan's face told her that he was thinking of something else.

Haley had tucked her towel so she could free her arms and put them on his sides. "Wanna go inside?" She moved one of her fingers to trace the line of fine hair that traveled from his belly button to the edge of the towel.

He didn't actually answer her with words. Instead he captured her in a deep, passionate kiss. He pressed his body firmly against her and she was pushed into the side of the house. The hard surface wasn't quite as comfortable as his lips on hers were so he broke away from him. "Upstairs." She kissed his jaw and he could feel her tongue on his skin. Her hand were against his back and she looked to him, "Now."

He fully understood what she meant and moved out of her way so she could go in first. As he watched her walk inside their house he couldn't wait to get upstairs.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Haley woke up and the pounding in her head was nearly unbearable. Nathan quietly walked into the room and sighed as he watched his wife sleep. He placed the glass of water on her bedside table and plopped two Alka-Seltzers in it causing the water to bubble uncontrollably.

Haley felt the mattress dip a little as Nathan sat on the bed and ran a gentle hand across her shoulder.

Leaning down he smiled and kissed her forehead, "Morning."

Haley started to sit up and a wave of nausea hit her. "Ugh, what happened?"

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Somebody was knocking back the scotch and waters last night."

Resting her hand on her forehead she took a deep breath, "Ugh, how many did I have?"

Nathan honestly didn't have a clue, "Enough."

Haley moved her hand from her forehead to the back of her head where she found a super tender bump, "Ow!"

Nathan tried not to laugh because she was in obvious pain, "Yeah, you hit your head in the pool last night."

"Oh, so that wasn't a dream?" She'd thought she'd dreamed that she went swimming last night.

"Nope. That was real." He smiled, "I got our clothes this morning and I think my tux and your dress are ruined. We left them in the rain all night."

Haley closed her eyes then realized what she was saying, "Wait? Where we naked in the pool?" Suddenly she was embarrassed.

"No." He laughed and shook his head, "That happened after we got out."

Her memory was incredibly fuzzy so she was trying to remember what had happened with his words. She look a peek under the covers and raised her brow when she saw that she was fully clothed. "What...how?"

"You really don't remember?"

She shook her head, "No."

Nathan took a deep breath, "We came inside to go upstairs but when we passed the kitchen you got a little side tracked."

"Me?" Haley laughed at herself.

"Yeah, you saw the jar of peanut butter on the counter and really wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So you made one and brought it up here." He laughed, "But for some reason you only ate the crust, and while you ate I took our wet towels to the laundry room and by the time I came back up you were out like a light."

Haley sighed, "I'm sorry."

Nathan shrugged, "It was fine. I got you in some clothes and that was it."

She sunk further into the pillows and shook her head, "I know that's not the night you were expecting."

He reached out for her hand and shook his head, "No, but I had fun. We had fun."

Haley loved that he was so kind about their night. She looked around the room and saw a jersey on the floor. "What's that?"

Nathan laughed, "That's the jersey you bought for five thousand dollars."

"I did what?"

He nodded, "Yeah, apparently you didn't want anyone else to buy my jersey so you did."

Haley's mouth hung open and her head stared pounding harder, "For five thousand dollars?" She saw him nod and she covered her mouth, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

Nathan shook his head, "It was for a good cause."

"Please tell me that's all I did."

He slowly nodded, "Yeah."

Haley could instantly tell there was more, "Nathan." Her tone was warning.

"You sort of tried to grope me at dinner."

Closing her eyes, she shook her head, "In front of everyone?" She prayed that he would say no.

"Uh, well. I mean we were sitting down at the table and you were just being extra friendly." She threw the comforter over her face as she turned beet red. Nathan peeled back the covers, "Hey, it was okay. No damage done. That was it."

"I'm a horrible person." She whined.

Nathan shook his head, "No, you just had a little too much to drink." He looked at the glass of water, "Drink that and you'll start to feel better." Glancing at the clock, Nathan smiled, "I've got to go pick up Jamie and Charlotte from Brooke's so just try and stay away from any scotch while I'm gone."

She laughed and then realized that she'd forgotten about the kids, "Oh my God, the kids. I forgot. I'm a horrible mother!" She started to get out of bed but Nathan stopped her.

"Hey, I got it. They're fine. I'm on it. I'm going to pick them up right now."

Haley fell back in the pillows and shook her head, "Thank you."

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, "I love you."

She was on the verge of tears because he was being so great. "I love you too."

As he walked out of their bedroom she sighed heavily. There was nothing that man couldn't do. He was a superhero, a wonderful husband, the best father, and Haley suddenly realized that Nathan Scott was everything she'd ever need. The funny thing was, as Nathan walked down the stairs he thought the same thing about Haley. Even during her moments of weakness she was the best part of him and that would never change. Together, they would never change.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: There you go guys did it meet your expectation? I hope so. I know that the normal My Hero Gala takes place in Charlotte but I changed the venue so it could better fit the story. Sorry if that bothered you. Most of you probably didn't even know that it was a real thing. But anyways, I hope you liked it, and I know it was out of character for Haley to get drunk but it was all in good fun.**

**On a side note for those of you who haven't checked it out. I did post Jamie's spin off story. It's called Little Moments: Like Father, Like Son. If you are a fan of the Jamie and Liza relationship click on over to their second generation love story.**

**Thank a million times over to my reviewers. I love you all! Kutebloo, bethanyfan23, Rachel, Alexis, tasha, and Naley23 thank you all so much for the reviews!**

**Joan: I do plan on continuing this story through the summer. As long as I get enough reviews, this story isn't going anywhere.**

**Mazzy: Well, this drunk Haley wasn't exactly how you suggested but I hope you liked it. Maybe I can use your suggestion in a later chapter.**

**Hadley: Thanks for telling me about being interested in "moody" Nathan. I'll try and figure out a way to incorporate that into a chapter.**

**Blurrystars: Yeah, the scavenger hunt thing was a lot like what Quinn and Jamie did in 7.21 but my family actually does that for big/fun presents so I thought I might throw it in there knowing that it would also correlate with the show. And I think we see a very similar Charlotte. I'm glad she's growing on you.**

**BDavis: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and I really appreciate your adoration for the story. Charlotte's will hopefully be updated Sunday night so be on the lookout for that!**

**Emma: I'm glad you like my version of Jamie. I have to agree and say that sometimes the one from the shows gets a little annoying. I mean that kid has solved more people's problems then any two characters combined. He should be a shrink or something.**

**Heather: Sorry for the wait, I hope you liked it!**

****READ THE IMPORTANT UPDATE AT THE TOP IF YOU ARE STILL WONDERING WHERE IN THE WORLD I AM. THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED JUST AS SOON AS I CAN GET IT DONE. SORRY FOR THE WAIT GUYS.**

**Review Please!**


	59. A Two to Three Inch Scar

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 59: A Two to Three Inch Scar**

**Disclaimer: All characters and themes relative to the show...belong to the show, not me.**

**A/N: Okay, so I know you guys had to wait a ridiculous amount of time for this chapter and I do apologize. The two weeks before this I was incredibly busy and now I'm in North Carolina on a family vacation and my writing time has been cut down to a couple paragraphs a night. I know you guys don't want to hear excuses so I'll stop at that. Just know that I'm so sorry for making you all wait this long. **

**OTHOTH**

Bouncing the ball to half court, Nathan motioned for the play to begin. As he ducked into the lane he faked a pass to the post and then bounced it over to his shooting guard. Once his teammate shot, the ball floated through the air and the sound the ball made as it swished through the net brought a smile to Nathan's face. It was a great sound.

Just as soon as the ball left the net a whistle blew and all of the players turned their attention to their assistant coach. Bobcat practice was always intense, and if things didn't go right the first time, the team would run each and every play until they had it down pat. Lucky for them, Nathan was a good leader and normally it didn't take long for things to start clicking. He was in his ninth season with the Bobcats and things were going well. It was April and post season was getting into the swing of things. Their first round game wasn't until the following week but practices were still going strong. However, the team did have an off day tomorrow, but it wasn't all it sounded like. Each player would have to work out in some way for a few hours, but actual team practice didn't start back up for a couple days, so that meant Nathan would get to go home.

Home. Haley, Jamie, Charlotte. Tree Hill, that was home. Each year he played, the time away started to wear on him but those moments he'd get to drive home and see the smiles on his kid's faces, or that look from Haley that made his heart beat uncontrollably, were enough to keep him doing what he loved.

"Good work guys. Let's run it a few more times." Assistant Coach Brown nodded his head in approval and glanced back down to his play book.

The team continued to run plays for the next half hour and when that was over with Nathan and a few others took an extra twenty minutes to work on free throws. Nathan didn't struggle in that area but when it came down to the playoffs, fouls were common and he needed to be on top of his game. If the Bobcats got into the one and one foul situation, he'd need to make sure he'd make every single shot.

His feet were just behind the line and his form perfect. He didn't need to jump, instead, Nathan gracefully arched the ball and watched it swish through the net.

"Man, you don't need to practice those anymore, go on and get home." Ray walked up behind Nathan with a bag slung across his shoulder. "We're ready. You're ready." Ray laughed, "They can't beat us."

Nathan smiled at Ray's comment. They'd been teammates since the beginning and Ray knew Nathan about as well as anyone. He knew that Nathan didn't need to work on any more free throws. Walking under the basket, Ray caught Nathan's shot, "Go home Nate. Go see your girl and those kids. I know Jamie and Charlotte are probably waiting."

"Yeah." Nathan nodded. "I'm going." He looked to the locker room, "I'm just gonna take a shower and then I'll be on my way." Nathan saw Ray smile, "So I'll see you in a few days?"

Ray nodded, "Yep, ready to whoop some ass."

Nathan laughed out loud and the two friends walked in separate directions. When Nathan made it to his cubby the first thing that caught his eye were the few pictures taped to the inside wall. There was one of Haley and the kids. Jamie was around twelve and Charlotte near five. All three of them were smiling and Nathan took a deep breath. He would do anything for them. The picture next to that was a recent one. It was from the trip to New York they'd taken a couple months ago. The family of four had been walking around Time's Square and happened to come across the naked cowboy. Charlotte hadn't been able to contain her laughter, and when Charlotte laughed everyone laughed. So the picture was a candid shot of both Charlotte and Jamie laughing. Nathan could remember that day vividly and could hear in his head the way his kids had sounded. He couldn't wait to get home and see them, to hear them. All three of them.

Quickly pulling his shirt over his head and removing his other clothes, Nathan wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the shower. He'd left his phone sitting in his cubby and when it started to ring he couldn't hear it, and when it rang again and again he still had no idea that someone was trying to get in touch with him.

When Nathan dried off after his shower and put some fresh clothes on it was then that he realized he'd missed a call. Nathan picked up his phone and saw that he hadn't missed one call but five. He had three messages and the missed calls had come from a combination of the house phone, Haley's cell, and Jamie's cell. Worried that something was wrong, Nathan hoped that wasn't the case.

Raising his phone to his ear he decided to listen to the messages first.

"..." The first one was voiceless. He could only tell that someone had hung up the phone.

Clicking the delete button he listened out for the next one. "Hey, it's me. Listen, call me as soon as you get this. It's important." Instantly, Nathan knew that Haley's voice was fully of worry. Her shaky tone had given it away. Now he was beginning to worry. He was dreading the next message. Gulping, Nathan sighed heavily. After pressing the appropriate button, the next message began to play.

"Dad, Mom needs you. Something's wrong with..." The connection had failed and Nathan didn't get to hear the rest of what Jamie's message said.

"Shit! Dammit." Nathan pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen like that would help. Obviously it didn't and his stomach was in knots. From both Jamie and Haley's messages, Nathan could tell that something was wrong. He grabbed for his bag and checked his pockets to make sure he had his keys and while he rushed out of the building toward his car he pressed number one on his speed dial.

"Come on, come on, pick up." He was nearly running to the car as he waited for Haley to answer her cell phone. Nathan had made it outside when he heard the other line pick up.

The line clicked and Nathan spoke. "Hales? Haley? What's going on?"

She was quiet for a moment and then her soft voice echoed through the phone, "Nathan, don't come home. Come to the hospital..."

Nathan's worst fears were coming true, his family needed him and he wasn't there. Haley had continued to talk about what was going on but Nathan couldn't really comprehend it all. All he knew, was that Charlotte was getting prepped for surgery, that his family was at the hospital and that he was three and a half hours away.

**OTHOTH**

*14 Hours earlier in Tree Hill

It wasn't too often that Haley had the house to herself, but tonight was one of those nights, at least for a little while longer. It was just after seven thirty and both of the kids were out. Jamie was with Lucas at his house working on an old Toyota FJ-40 they were restoring together. It was hard to believe that her son would be driving in a couple months. And Charlotte, she was out of the house too. She'd gone to a friends birthday party and would be coming home within the next thirty or so minutes. So as Haley roamed the house it wasn't surprising that she found herself sitting in front of her piano. Her fingers delicately touched the black and white keys and she was wondering what she should play.

A soft melody came to mind and she pressed the keys with each beat. It was something new, something she'd just started playing, but so far it sounded pretty good. A few key changes here, and an increase in tempo there, Haley liked what she was doing. Time had run by and before she knew it, she heard footsteps walking through the house.

Jamie walked close to his mom and smiled, "That sounds nice."

Haley looked up, "Thanks, Jame." She noticed the paint on his forearms and raised her brow, "So you picked out green?"

The teenager nodded, "Yeah, gorilla green, actually. You should see it, the thing looks brand new."

Haley laughed, "I bet. Your uncle Lucas knows a thing or two about cars."

"I can't wait to show Dad. Uncle Lucas said that it will be ready to go in the next few days."

"I'm sure he'll love it." Haley knew that Nathan would love it. She also knew that it might hurt a little though too. The fact that Jamie and his uncle refurbished a car for him to drive would be just another something that Nathan missed out on. That kind of thing was something fathers did with their sons. But, Lucas was great, the best uncle there was, and Haley loved that Jamie and Lucas got to do it together. He wasn't Nathan,but he filled in perfectly.

Jamie looked down at the paint on his arm and laughed, "I'm gonna go jump in the shower and get this stuff off of me."

"Alright." Haley suddenly thought about dinner, "You ate with Lucas and Peyton, right?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Aunt Peyton made mac n' cheese. Sawyer and Keith loved it but it just didn't compare to yours."

Haley couldn't hide the smile that swept across her face. She watched as her son went upstairs and she glanced toward the clock. Charlotte should be coming home soon. She was at a friends birthday party and one of the moms was dropping her off, and just like clock work, she saw headlight beams coming through the front windows. Haley got up off the bench and walked to the front door.

Charlotte hopped out of the SUV and hurried to the front door. Haley opened it before Charlotte reached it and the young girl smiled brightly, "Hey, Mama."

Haley ran her hand over Charlotte's head as she walked into the house, "Hey baby." Haley then looked to the car in the driveway and waved, "Thank you." The other mom waved and Haley went inside the house. Charlotte was sitting at the kitchen counter opening up her party favor. Haley laughed at the sight, "I guess you had a good time, huh?"

Charlotte's big brown eyes widened, "Uh-huh. So much fun, and we had pizza, and ice cream and cake."

Haley's eyes mirrored her daughters. She never really understood the logic of having a birthday party on a weeknight and feeding young kids more sugar than they could possibly need. "Well, I guess you're never going to sleep tonight?" Hopefully all that sugar would just make Charlotte crash.

Shrugging, Charlotte smiled, "Maybe."

Haley laughed at her eight year old. "Well you better, you've got school tomorrow."

Charlotte slid one of the plastic rings she got in her favor bag onto her finger. She held it out and looked at her mom.

Haley nodded, "Looks, great."

Jamie had come down the stairs, freshly showered and laughed, "Well thank you. I do clean up nice."

Haley turned her attention to her son and laughed. Charlotte furrowed her brow at her brother and looked at him, "Mama was talking about my ring, not you, Jamie."

"I know, I know." Jamie walked toward Charlotte and gave her the Scott smirk. He noticed her favor bag and raised his eyebrows, "How was the party?"

"The best." Charlotte nodded and looked up to Jamie. "I got pizza, and cake and ice cream!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Haley saw Charlotte yawn. "Hey, Charlotte? You about ready to go upstairs?"

Before the girl could even answer Jamie butted in, "I'll give you a piggy back ride." He turned around so all she needed to do was get on his back and when he felt her small arms around his shoulders he boosted her up a little.

Jamie headed up the stairs and Haley was just behind them. They all went into Charlotte's room and when Jamie put Charlotte on her bed he said goodnight to his little sister. She wasn't going to go to bed yet, she still needed to get in the bathtub first.

Charlotte was lying on her bed and saw her mom get out a fresh set of pajamas. "Do I have to take a bath?"

Haley smiled, "Yes. You'll stink up your sheets if your not clean."

"But I don't want to take a bath."

Sighing heavily, Haley shrugged, "Well you can take a shower. That's faster and you'll be in and out in no time."

"Okay."

Charlotte slid off her bed and headed into her bathroom. A part of Haley felt a little sad. Her little girl didn't need anyone to help her do those things. She could get dressed by herself, she could bathe by herself, before Haley knew it, Charlotte would be a teenager. Her nostalgic trance was broken when she heard the water turn on and she left Charlotte in her room to go about her business. She'd come back in later to check up on her.

The minutes passed by and when Haley returned to Charlotte's room she saw her daughter combing her towel dried wet hair. She was dressed in her pajamas and Haley loved the way Charlotte looked.

"Here." Charlotte turned around and held out the comb, "You do it better."

Haley could feel a swelling in her chest and smiled. She walked over to her daughter and preceded to comb through Charlotte's light brown hair. Once they were done with that, the younger Scott girl hopped into bed. Charlotte had had a big day and was particularly tired. Haley knew that it wouldn't be long before her daughter was fast asleep.

Pulling the covers over Charlotte's chest, Haley smiled, "Night, Charlotte. I love you."

"I love you too", Charlotte softly whispered back.

Walking out of the bedroom, Haley closed the door behind her and stuck her head in Jamie's room. It was still too early for him to go to bed but when she saw him busily working on some sort of school work at his desk, she'd figure she'd leave him alone. Jamie had apparently inherited Nathan's procrastination but Haley's smarts, so him doing his homework last minute wasn't uncommon. It wasn't that Haley agreed with his method, but she knew that he'd get his school work done nonetheless.

Haley then found herself retiring to her own room, well her and Nathan's room. With both her kids either asleep or busy, she was safe to get lost in her newest book. Actually, it wasn't even a real bound novel. Instead, it was the very first draft of Lucas's newest novel. Haley always got first dibs on his new stuff.

Approximately, two hours passed and the only reason Haley knew that was because she'd heard Jamie's footsteps go downstairs. He always got himself a glass of water before bed, and it was more or less always sometime around 11:00pm. Haley figured she would read just a little bit more and then turn in for the night. She wanted to get a decent night's sleep before Nathan came home. So shortly after she'd finished chapter twelve, she turned out her lights.

That was a good plan for about three hours. Haley had just three hours of deep sleep, three hours of peaceful dreams, and then it all came to a crashing halt.

A sweet voice broke the silence from the bedroom. "Mama?"

Even though Haley hadn't been completely aware of what was going on, she knew that name, and she knew that voice. It was Charlotte. Raising up on one arm she looked through the darkness. "Yeah."

Taking a few steps forward, Charlotte held onto her stomach, "My tummy hurts."

Haley sat up and used her arms to wave her daughter over, "Come here."

Crawling on the bed, Charlotte made her way over to her mom. The young girl slid next to Haley and laid her head down on the fluffy pillows.

Knowing that Charlotte had had a sugar filled dinner with nothing but junk, Haley figured that was the problem. Pizza, ice cream, cake, and probably some candy was not exactly a good combination. Lying next to her daughter, Haley furrowed her brow when she saw Charlotte wince. "Where does it hurt?" It was that old question that mother's always had to ask.

Charlotte used both her hands to cover her belly, "Here."

Haley propped herself up even more and turned on her bedside table light, "You want me to go get you some medicine?" The little girl didn't say a word and only nodded. Haley pushed the covers off her legs and started to get up, "I'll be right back."

When her mom left the bedroom, Charlotte sunk even further into the pillows. Never again would she eat so much junk.

Haley returned with a glass of water and some Children's Mylanta. She sat down on the bed and got Charlotte to sit up so she could take the medicine. Once that was all over with, Haley told Charlotte that she would probably feel better in the morning.

"Can I sleep with you?" Charlotte's big brown eyes looked into the matching pair belonging to her mother.

Haley nodded, "Sure."

Charlotte laid down and Haley turned out the light. Pretty soon, Charlotte's deep breaths gave it away that she was already asleep. Haley closed her own eyes and drifted off to sleep.

But, it wasn't over. Five hours later, Haley felt something start to squirm in the bed. Opening her eyes she saw that it was close to six so she would be getting up soon anyways. She thought that Charlotte was just moving around in her sleep until she heard the whimper that went along with it.

Immediately, Haley perked up and looked at Charlotte. "Hey, hey, Charlotte. Baby, what's wrong." Nearly on the verge of tears, Charlotte held onto her stomach. Haley quickly got out of the bed and walked over to Nathan's side of the bed that Charlotte was taking over. "Do you feel like you're going to get sick?"

Charlotte couldn't tell, she only knew that at the moment, her stomach was killing her. More notably, the lower right side.

Habitually, Haley raised her hand to Charlotte's forehead. "Oh honey, you're burning up." Haley slowly pulled the comforter off Charlotte's body to get rid of the added heat. She was pretty sure that the thermometer was down in one of the kitchen drawers and knew that with a fever, Charlotte would need fluids, "I'm going to go get you some juice and the thermometer. I'll be right back."

While Haley hurried downstairs Charlotte felt her stomach cramp up even more. She gingerly pressed the lower right half of her stomach and the pain increased. This was no ordinary stomach ache.

Haley returned to her bedroom only to find that Charlotte wasn't in bed. Setting the juice on the bedside table, Haley walked into the bathroom. She opened the door and heard Charlotte's soft cries. It didn't take long for her to realize that her daughter had gotten sick and when she started to put the pieces together, Haley realized that it certainly wasn't some ordinary upset stomach. Charlotte had a fever, she had thrown up, and her pain was coming from the lower right side of her belly. Haley suddenly realized that something was wrong with Charlotte's appendix. They needed to get to the hospital.

**OTHOTH**

It was 11:28 am when Nathan pulled up to the emergency room. He didn't care about parking or getting a ticket, all he cared about was seeing his little girl. Rushing through those door, Nathan immediately walked toward the nurses station with his phone firmly against his ear.

"Pick up, pick up." Under his breath, Nathan wished that his son would answer his phone. He'd tired to call Haley but she wasn't answering and he knew that Jamie was at the hospital.

When Nathan approached the nurses, he took a deep breath. A young woman looked up to him and could see the worry painted over his face. "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes. My daughter, Charlotte...Charlotte Scott, she's here."

The nurse looked through her chart and nodded, "She's on the pediatric wing." Looking at the man, the nurse saw that really wasn't much help. She pointed down the hall, "Walk to the east wing and take the elevator to the third floor. There will be signs pointing you in the right direction."

Nathan nodded and took off. He was trying not to worry, to think nothing was wrong, that things like this are common and turn out fine. In reality, it was, and would be, but for any father to have to rush to a hospital, the worst was hard not to think about.

Finally reaching the elevators, Nathan got in as soon as the doors opened and punched the three button so hard that he thought he may have broken it. He didn't, and when the doors opened he stepped out and wondered which way to go.

"Dad!"

Nathan turned his head sharply to the left and saw Jamie walking to him. "Hey, where's your mom? Where's Charlotte?"

Jamie looked behind him, "I think they are about to take her into surgery."

"What? Where is that? I want to see her?"

The teenager shook his head, "You can't. Only one person is allowed back there. Mom told me to wait here and look out for you."

Nathan sighed heavily, "Well how long is it going to take. Is your mom coming back?"

Jamie nodded, "Yeah, I don't know when, but she'll be back sometime."

The two Scott men walked to the little waiting area and Nathan took a seat. He was in a position no husband or father ever wanted to be. There was nothing he could do. It was all about waiting now.

Jamie sat down next to his dad, "Charlotte will be fine, Dad." The boy was trying to make things better.

Nathan looked over to his son and nodded, "I know." Actually, he didn't know, but he certainly was hoping for that outcome. "I just...this happened so fast..."

Haley walked through the doors and nearly burst into tears when she saw Nathan. He instantly got up and walked over to her wrapping her up in a warm embrace. Her breath hitched and she buried her face in his chest, "I...I thought it was just a stomach ache."

Nathan rested his cheek against her head, "You couldn't have know, Hales."

"I should have though." Haley took a step backwards. "I should have known that it was her appendix. I should have known."

His heart broke as she spoke. "You did everything you could. You got her here."

Haley pushed herself further into Nathan and the emotion that had built up over the last few hours was starting to come out. She didn't mean to bee so vulnerable but Nathan was her rock. He was the one that kept her strong, and crying in his arms didn't seem like such a bad thing.

As he held his wife close, Nathan thought about what might be happening with Charlotte. "How was she? Before surgery, I mean."

Haley suddenly realized that he hadn't gotten to see her, "Oh, Nathan I'm so sorry." She shook her head upset with the situation. Looking up to him she shrugged, "She was fine. I think I was more nervous that she was." Haley wiped away a tear as she laughed. "I almost threw up when the doctors rolled her away."

"And what did the doctors say?" Nathan's eyes were full of concern.

"That the procedure was minimally invasive. They were pretty sure that her appendix hadn't burst yet but the sooner they got it out the better. She'll probably have to stay in the hospital two days, maybe three depending on how it goes."

"That sounds good." Nathan nodded, "Considering, what could have been, I think it's all going to be okay."

Haley took a deep breath, "Yeah." she hesitated before she spoke her next sentence, "She asked for you." Her brown eyes had a glossy sheen, "While we were waiting in pre-op, she wanted you."

Nathan almost wished Haley hadn't told him. That little bit of information felt like a knife through his heart. "I'll see her when it's over. I want her to know I'm here."

Smiling, Haley nodded. "She'll like that."

Jamie approached his parents with two bottled waters, "Here. I thought you might want these."

Haley took a step closer to her son and wrapped an arm around him, "And this one...he was like some hero. He drove us here. I was with Charlotte in the back and Jamie did perfectly."

Nathan felt a swirl of pride run through him. That was probably really stressful. Charlotte was probably crying, Haley was probably close to panicking and all the while learner's permit holding Jamie, was behind the wheel trying to get his little sister to the hospital. Nathan looked appreciatively to his son, "Thank you."

It wasn't anything he needed to be thanked for. Jamie would have done it no matter what. "Ah, it was nothing. I just hope Charlotte get's better."

Haley nodded, "She will."

The three healthy Scotts all took seats in the waiting room and did just that. They waited. They waited to hear the news that things went accordingly, that they could see Charlotte, that everything was going to be okay. Nathan took Haley's hand and looked at her. Everything had to be okay.

And then it was. After waiting for what seemed like forever one of Charlotte's nurses approached her family and smiled. Haley stood up and Nathan got up beside her.

"She's in recovery now. The surgery went great. I can take one of you back to wait with her."

Haley looked up to Nathan and they both saw relief in each others eyes. She knew which one of them was going back to recovery with the nurse. There was never a question about it.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte slowly opened her eyelids and her surroundings were coming to. She moved her arms and felt something strange. Looking down, she realized a tube was coming out of her arm. More precisely, it was an IV but to an eight year old it looked more like a tube. She roamed her eyes and saw a set of two familiar blues. They looked just like Jamie's but they didn't go with light brown hair, these eyes were paired with hair much darker.

"Hey Char."

A smile instantly spread over Charlotte's face, "Daddy!"

Nathan found himself smiling too, "Hey." He gently ran his hand over her head, "How do you feel?"

Charlotte moved her hand to her stomach and contoured her face, "Sore."

Playing the concerned father, Nathan perked up, "Sore? Do you need anything. Can I get you something." He looked around the recovery room wondering if there was something he could do to ease Charlotte's pain.

A nurse walked over with some apple juice and smiled, "Here you go. Drink some of this if you feel up to it."

Nathan took the juice and thanked the nurse. He turned to Charlotte and raised his brow, "So you want some." She nodded and watched her father struggled to open the straw from the little wrapper. Charlotte tired not to laugh but couldn't help it. The only problem with that was that it hurt to laugh. Nathan saw Charlotte wince, "You okay?"

Grimacing, Charlotte nodded, "It hurts to laugh."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Nathan handed Charlotte her juice and as she drank a little he took a deep breath. He could watch that, just watch her drink her juice for the rest of time. It seemed strange and weird but seeing his little girl in a hospital gown, hooked up to machines, he realized that any and every little moment was precious.

Charlotte started to lift her gown over her stomach and Nathan shook his head, "Don't mess with that Charlotte. You should keep that still."

"Is it a big scar?"

Nathan hadn't seen it, but from what he had been told, it wasn't going to be ginormous. "No. I think it's gonna be two to three inches." Nathan saw Charlotte's eyes bulge. He smiled and shook his head, "But you know what?"

Charlotte leaned back into her pillows, "What?"

"You'll have a scar like mine." Nathan pointed to the spot on his chest was a scar underneath his shirt.

"But yours is higher." Charlotte didn't find it all that similar.

"That's okay."

Charlotte thought about it for a minute and kind of liked the idea of having a scar like her fathers. In reality, it wasn't that much the same, but good enough. Nathan's was on the left side on his chest and Charlotte's was on her lower right stomach. Near her belly button.

Nathan saw the doctor approach and talked to him for a few minutes. The operation went smoothly. Her appendix was definitely inflamed but that it was taken out without complications. They would be moving her to her room in a few minutes and Nathan shook the doctors hand and thanked him for all his work. When he was done talking with the doctor he walked back to Charlotte. "You get to go to your room soon." He could tell that Charlotte was interested in that. "You're mom can't wait to see you."

It was then that Charlotte realized that only her father had seen her, "Where is Mama?"

"Only one of us got to come back here. She's waiting in you're room with Jamie."

A couple nurses walked over and told them that they were about to move Charlotte to her room. Nathan was always just a few steps away from his daughter as they rolled her down the hallways. Shortly, they made it to her room and before the nurses moved Charlotte's bed in, Haley was at Charlotte's bedside.

"Hi, baby."

Charlotte smiled, "Hi, Mama."

"How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Well you can rest as much as you want in here." Haley nodded and moved out of the nurses way so they could position Charlotte's bed.

Jamie walked over to Charlotte, "Hey."

"Hey Jamie." Charlotte looked into the blue eyes that matched her father's, "Thanks for driving us here so I could sit with Mama in the back."

Again, Jamie didn't know why he was being thanked for that. It wasn't something he had to think about. "I'm just glad we got you here fast."

While the brother and sister continued to talk about small things, Nathan and Haley talked amongst themselves in the corner.

"I'll do it. Let me do it." Nathan nodded. He wanted to stay with Charlotte during her first night in the hospital. "You've been up for a while and I already called Clay to tell him I'd be missing my workout tomorrow."

"I don't know..." It wasn't that she thought Nathan was incompetent as a caregiver but this was her daughter too. Her second grader was in the hospital and she wanted to be there for Charlotte, but she also knew how Nathan was. She knew how much Charlotte meant to him. She knew that it killed him to be away and a night in the hospital, while it didn't sound like much, was actually so much more.

"You're probably exhausted from today and I'll be happy to stay here so you can get a good night's sleep at home. I'm sure you'll be able to stay here late though. She'll probably fall asleep while we are both here."

He had a point. Charlotte probably would fall asleep while they were both there. "Okay."

Nathan took a step forward and nodded. He looked to Charlotte and then back to Haley. Nathan was about to say something but Haley beat him to it.

"I love you." She rested her cheek on his chest and breathed him in, "I'm so glad you're here."

There was nowhere else he'd rather be. Okay no, he'd rather not be in a hospital but Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte were all there, all together, all healthy (or getting there) and there were no other people he would rather be with. "I love you too."

Nathan gently kissed the top of Haley's forehead. He most certainly loved her. For the last seventeen years he'd loved her and never stopped. As he held Haley close he couldn't help but smile at where he was. The hospital. So many things had happened in the hospital for them. They seemed to have to go there a lot but one thing was always the same. No matter what the problem was, no matter the sickness, or accident, Nathan and Haley always came out strong. It's just how it was. Nathan and Haley Scott could defy all odds, could overcome all catastrophes, and could outlast them all; even if it included about a thousand and four hospital trips.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: Hope you liked it! For those of you who don't like kid centered chapters, sorry. That one was pretty heavy with them. I'll try and make the next few more Naley centered. **

**Oh, if any of you are interested, Charlotte's spin off is up. I posted it last week so check it out if you haven't already. It's called, Little Moments: Like Mother, Like Daughter. I'm going to try and update that soon as well as the Jamie one!**

**That brings me to my next point. I'm close to a milestone and you all know that means...next day update. Well, I'm on vacation with my family in North Carolina and I don't know how much free time I'll get in the next few days but if and when I do pass the 1500 review mark I'll try and get the chapter up ASAP!**

**To my reviewers...THANK YOU! I know a lot of you were asking for an update soon and I hope to never again leave you all hanging like that. Tasha, Hadley, Megan, Heather, Caroline,Lilly, Jennie, Carrie, Mackenzie, Emma, thank you for the reviews! Again I'm so sorry it took me so long.**

**Anon: Don't worry about not keeping up with reviewing. I'm just glad you leave your thoughts occasionally. It really does help the writing process. I hope you enjoyed the Jamie spin off.**

**Mazzy: I'd love it if the show "adopted" my name next year. That would beyond perfect!**

**Blurrystars: Haha, "Did you just spit on me?" That my favorite line too. If you read the Jamie/Liza story I hope you liked it!**

**Alexis: I'm glad you liked the, "Nah, that's not fun" line. I could just imagine a very drunk Haley saying that. And sorry for the wait. Everything with me and or my family is fine...I have just been super busy...so sorry.**

**BDavis: I'm so thrilled that you thought the last one was one of the best. That means a lot. A few others have requested a chapter about when Nathan finds Haley high after the camping trip so I might do that one soon...maybe. To answer you're Charlotte story question. It will be chronological but one-shots too. It will span from Graham and Charlotte meeting to someone's death. Sad I know but...that's how it goes.**

**Danielle: I hope your senior prom went well! I'm glad you liked the chapter and the throwbacks mixed with jealous Haley. **

**Amy: It's okay that you haven't reviewed in a while. Believe me, I know what it's like when life get's hectic...ie, this chapter not being posted for a while**

**Becky: It's such a great compliment to read that you think the way I write N/H is realistic. That means a lot. I'll try and keep people's Naley filled hearts still beating with updates...I just hope I can pull through and never have another dry spell like this last one. Sorry it took me so long!**

**Rachel: Don't apologize for the late review...I'm here posting a super late chapter. I'm so happy you liked the moment when Haley says, "Nah, that's not fun."...I thought a drunk Haley would say something like that. I'll try and surprise you with each coming chapter...but remember if you do ever have a request don't hesitate to let me know!**

**Allie: I do have both a fight chapter and a storm chapter coming up...not together but I'll see what I can do.**

**Diana: Yes I did have a good weekend. Actually it's been two good weekends since I've updated...ugh, sorry. I'm going to try and write more though!**

**Tp404: Yes, I'm okay. I felt so bad when some of my readers were wondering if something had happened to me. I'm fine...I was just so busy that I couldn't find time to write. Sorry for the delay.**

**Kristin: I'm so glad you like all the little moments. I don't think I could do something similar for Brooke and Julian cause honestly...I don't write the other couples like I do Naley. I mean I like them and everything but I don't think I'll be doing a Little Moments: Brooke and Julian unless I get so many request I can't not do it so...for now, no. But never say never. Hmm, about your chapter idea...Nathan getting hurt, I've done a few moments like that but I'll try and add something along the line of what you want. I will be doing a chapter surrounding the aftermath of Nathan's accident (when he's put in a wheel chair) so that might be what you're looking for. Thanks for the suggestion/request.**

**Please Review!**


	60. Adventures in Babysitting

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 60: Adventures in Babysitting**

**Disclaimer: Well you'd think after 60 chapters this wouldn't be necessary but...I don't own anything, just give me credit for creativity!**

**A/N: Well sorry that this is late, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I planned. I tried my hardest to get this done soon so I could reward all you guys for getting me past that 1500 review mark. Over 1500 reviews! Wow guys, that's really awesome. You have no idea how great it makes me feel that so many people like this story and take the time to let me know. It's the reason I keep this going! This one starts off when Nathan and Haley are older but then has flashbacks to when they are young so if you don't like them old just hold on. The "main" parts of the chapter are the flashbacks! Enjoy**

***Oh yeah, flashbacks in italics**

**OTHOTH**

The kitchen phone was pressed firmly against Haley's ear and she winced as Brooke's voice kept getting louder and louder.

Nodding, as if Brooke could see her, Haley answered Brooke's question, "Yes, he's coming over in just a few minutes."

The perkiness in Brooke's voice couldn't be avoided, "Well, when can I come over? I want to see him."

The him Brooke was referring to was Bennet. Jamie and Liza had moved from Columbia to Tree Hill just a week ago and needed their new bundle of joy to stay with grandma and grandpa for the day, well the night too. He was five months old and it was going to be the first time that Nathan and Haley got to keep their grandson overnight.

Haley smiled, "I know you do. Why don't you come over around ten thirty or so?" Haley looked at the clock and saw that it was now close to eight in the morning.

"Okay, yeah, I can do that. Ten thirty it is. I'll see you then."

Haley found herself laughing at Brooke. She couldn't help it, she just thought it was so funny that Brooke was super excited about seeing Bennet, she'd seen him before. But Brooke Davis Baker and babies was just about the same as Brooke Davis Baker and shopping bags, she couldn't get enough. "Alright, and just in case, be quiet when you come in. He might be asleep then. I'm not exactly sure of his schedule yet."

"Okay, bye Tutor-Grandmom."

Again, Haley laughed. That was a new one: Tutor-Grandmom. Haley would just have to get used to it because there would be more grand kids to come. "Bye Brooke."

Nathan walked from the outside porch and smiled, "Hmm, Brooke, right?"

"How did you know?" Haley shot him a curious eye.

Nathan just knew, "Oh I don't know, there will be a baby in the house. Brooke likes babies."

Haley laughed then looked toward the back porch, "So what were you doing?"

"Making sure the gates were locked. I checked the doors going outside too. They're good."

Smiling and raising her brow, Haley looked at her husband of over twenty seven years, "Nathan, you do know that he can't walk yet. He won't be wandering off anywhere."

Nathan knew that, kinda. He was just being extra careful, he couldn't help it. This was their grandchild they were taking care of. "I know." He gave her a goofy look and shook his head, "It's just in case."

"Right." Haley laughed and rolled her eyes. She couldn't deny the fact that it was incredibly cute though. Nathan was going to be a wonderful grandfather. He already was. Haley heard the front door open and smiled, "They're here." She turned to Nathan wide eyed and as excited as Brooke.

The older Scott couple walked toward the younger and smiled when they saw Jamie holding a car seat. Liza had a diaper bag slung around her shoulder and her hands were full of stuffed animals, a blanket, and something else fuzzy Haley didn't recognize, or couldn't tell what it was.

"Hey Mom," Jamie gently set Bennet's car seat down and hugged his mom and then looked at his dad, "Hey Dad."

Before either Nathan or Haley could reply, Liza set down the contents of her hands and opened the diaper bag. She got out a bottle and looked at Haley, "He ate about two hours ago so he might want a little something later. Maybe a bit of a bottle...or he might just want to bite on this all day." Liza picked up Bennet's teething ring and grimaced. "Watch your fingers, his teeth are sharp."

Jamie laughed an held out his index finger, "Yeah, look at this." He shook his head and looked down to his son, "He's only five months and already beating up on his dad."

Nathan smiled and kneeled down to get Bennet out of his car seat. "Hey buddy."

Haley watched as Nathan scooped up Bennet and turned to her son and daughter-in-law. "So what's his usual day like? Two naps a day, right?"

"Something like that." Jamie nodded.

Liza looked at her watch. It was 8:15 now so he'd probably get tired around 9 or nine thirty. "Uh, I'd say he'll go down in about an hour. Then sometime after lunch he'll take his second."

Haley nodded, listening to every bit of information that was coming out of Liza's mouth. She was proud of her, of Liza. She'd really come into the whole mom thing. Haley remembered what it was like to be a young mom. Of course, Liza wasn't a pregnant teenager but none the less, she was a new mom and was doing a great job of it. Jamie too. He was just as hands on as Nathan had been.

Once Haley had gotten the run down she smiled, "Alright then, I think we're set." Haley saw that both Jamie and Liza's eyes were glued to Bennet. It looked like they were about to get their first taste of child withdrawals. Haley didn't want to laugh, it was cute, she'd gone through it. Nathan went through it. It was something all parents faced. Laughing, Haley shooed the young couple toward the door, "Go on, the longer you two watch him the harder it will be. I promise we'll call if anything comes up."

Jamie and Liza made it out of the house and Jamie looked at his mom, "Thanks for keeping him."

"Yeah, thank you so much Haley." Liza nodded and smiled appreciatively.

Haley shook her head, "You don't have to thank us. We've been wanting to keep him for a while now."

In a lower, softer voice, Jamie smiled kindly, "Thanks."

She simply nodded and watched as Jamie and Liza walked to the car. Haley watched them start to pull away, gave a kind wave in their direction and then heard footsteps behind her. Haley turned around and a smile curled from her lips. Nathan was holding Bennet with one arm, and she could see that their blue eyes were copies of each others. Bennet had gotten them from Jamie and Jamie got them from Nathan. It was a family tradition.

Nathan noticed Haley staring, "What?"

She shyly shook her head, "Nothing, sorry." Haley walked toward them and when she was close enough she smiled at her grandson, "Who's got you?" She gently poked Bennet's belly and laughed, "Who's this big guy holding you?"

Nathan looked down at Bennet and smiled, "Grandpa?"

The blonde haired little boy looked to Nathan and only showed off a few of his teeth. He wasn't talking yet but he didn't need to. He knew who Nathan was. He knew exactly who Nathan was.

The three Scotts walked into the living room where Nathan proceeded to get on the floor with Bennet and Haley sat down on the couch. She didn't get a book, she didn't turn on the TV, it was entertainment enough watching her husband with their son's son.

"Hales, watch." Nathan securely put one hand on Bennet's chest and the other on his thighs while he laid on his back, "He's gonna help me stay in shape."

Bennet was old enough and strong enough to hold his own neck up and Haley looked on as Bennet became a nice substitute bench press. Each time Nathan extended his arms Bennet laughed and laughed, and when Nathan brought him down he'd blow raspberries on the side of Bennet's little cheek. It was really sweet.

But watching Nathan make Bennet laugh brought back a flood of memories for Haley. Nathan had been able to do that with their children as well. Call it a natural ability, but just as well as Nathan could shoot a three pointer, he could put their children into a fit of giggles. One particular instance came to Haley's mind. Charlotte was about a two years old and it involved a lot of shaving cream.

_Haley walked into the bedroom with Charlotte on her hip and when she felt the little girl start to squirm she set her down. Charlotte knew where she wanted to go, or who she wanted to see. The pitter-patter of her small feet headed in the direction of the bathroom._

_Nathan was leaning over his sink lathering his face with creamy white shaving cream when he felt arms wrap around his leg. Looking down, Nathan saw that his doe eyed little girl had attached herself to him. "Hey Char, whatcha doing?"_

_Charlotte held out her hands, "Daddy up."_

_Nathan picked up Charlotte and sat her down on the bathroom counter. The young girl looked at her father and giggled. Nathan looked particularly funny covered in white. Nathan smiled and leaned close. He scrunched his nose and teased Charlotte like he was going to get the stuff on her. Charlotte's eyes widened and she laughed._

"_I'm gonna get you." Nathan nodded and leaned his cheek to Charlotte's. When he pulled back he saw a nicely placed dollop of shaving cream on his daughter's face._

_Her mouth fell open and she immediately looked in the mirror. She used her fingers to lightly run her fingers over the fluffy cream and started to laugh, "More."_

"_More?" Nathan raised his brow._

_Charlotte looked to Nathan and nodded, "Pease."_

_There was no way he could say no to that face, that particular shaving cream covered face. Leaning to her other cheek, Nathan pressed his against her's and now Charlotte had two blotches of shaving cream. She turned to the mirror and laughed again. The little girl used her hands to rub the cream across her nose and held her hand out to Nathan's face._

"_You want to help me?" Nathan smirked at Charlotte._

_The girl nodded and pushed her hands all over Nathan's face. Everywhere. His nose, his chin, his forehead and then Nathan felt hands somewhere else._

"_Charlotte, my hair? Don't do that."_

_Charlotte smiled and nodded, "Hair." She continued to rub her hands through the tops of his hair._

_Nathan took a deep breath. It was just shaving cream. He could take another shower. Watching Charlotte smile and giggle was more important than his hair._

_Haley had come into the bathroom and leaned on the door frame. She loved seeing them together, Charlotte and Nathan. He was too cute with her._

"_More." Charlotte looked at her father and wanted more shaving cream._

_Nathan held out the can and squirted the white goop in her hand. As soon as Nathan put the can down he felt a soft hand smack his cheek. He laughed which caused Charlotte to laugh._

_Haley smiled, "You helping Daddy shave, Charlotte?"_

_The two year old nodded, "Uh-huh."_

_Nathan turned around and looked at Haley, "Looking good, right?"_

_Haley laughed, "Sure." She walked over to the sink and got a washcloth. "Let me get some of this stuff off you kiddo." Haley got the washcloth damp with warm water so she could wipe off Charlotte's cheeks. While she was doing that she heard the familiar sound that the shaving cream can emitted and figured that Charlotte was adding to her father's face or hair. She was wrong._

_Nathan had the stuff in his hands and pressed one finger over his mouth so Charlotte wouldn't blow his cover. He smirked and cleared his throat, "Hales?"_

_As soon as she looked up, a handful of whiteness connected with her face. It wasn't hard and it didn't hurt but it was definitely messy. Charlotte shrieked at her father's actions and started laughing big time._

_To say Haley was startled was an understatement. She cracked open one eye and used one finger to scrape away some of the stuff that covered her lips. "Hmm, thanks a lot."_

_Nathan started laughing, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."_

"_I bet you couldn't." She sarcastically said as she used the washcloth to wipe away the rest of the shaving cream from herself and Charlotte. Then Haley turned to Charlotte, "Daddy's trick was funny, huh?"_

_Charlotte smiled, "Daddy funny."_

_Haley held out her arms so she could take Charlotte back into the bedroom and gathered up her daughter._

_As they walked toward the bedroom Nathan shook his head, "Hey, wait a second." Haley stopped and Nathan walked up and kissed her on the cheek. "Mmm, mentholated. Just how I like it." Joking about the way the shaving cream made Haley's skin smell, he couldn't help but smile._

"_Me too!" Charlotte leaned toward Nathan so she could get a kiss on the cheek as well._

_Nathan nodded, "You too." He sweetly kissed Charlotte's cheek._

_Haley took the time to plan her payback. She swiftly grabbed the shaving cream can while he wasn't paying attention, "Honey?" _

_Nathan turned to find the nozzle of the can in his face. He couldn't do anything now. And when he heard the sound and felt the stuff on his face he took a deep breath. Charlotte was laughing hysterically and when Haley was happy with the complete whiteout she'd done to Nathan's face she smiled to herself then Charlotte, "Mommy's funny too?"_

_The little girl nodded and smiled, "Mommy's funny too."_

"Pretty good, right Hales? I think I could get used to pumping iron like this._" _Nathan was still lifting Bennet up and down.

Haley was knocked from her trance and smiled at the guys. "Yeah." She heard the giggles that were falling from her grandson's mouth and her eyes almost filled with tears. She'd been thinking of an incident from twenty years ago and he still had it. He still was the man that made the children laugh and was still the man that stole her heart each time.

**OTHOTH**

Bennet had been awake from his morning nap for about twenty minutes when Nathan heard the front door open and the footsteps that followed. He was standing in the kitchen waiting for Brooke to make her grand appearance. He knew without hesitation that it was her. Nathan leaned on the counter as his brunette friend walked toward him.

She was basically tip toeing and raised her sunglasses up, "Hi."

Nathan didn't say hello back, instead he just pointed to the living room. "He's awake."

That was all it took. Brooke's calm and collected demeanor went out the window, " Ah, lemme see him! Lemme see him!"

Haley heard that familiar voice and turned her attention to the kitchen. Brooke walked the few feet that led her to the living room and smiled, "He's so cute!"

Nathan smirked, "He get's it from me."

Haley laughed and rolled her eyes. "Bennet, this is Aunt Brooke. Remember her?"

Brooke waved Haley off, "Of course he remembers me. I'm not forgettable." Holding out her hands, Brooke took the child in her arms. She could smell the no tears shampoo and his baby powered skin. "Hi there, Mr. Adorable." She could have squeezed Bennet all day. Brooke sat Bennet in her lap and looked to Haley, "I miss this. The baby stage."

Nodding, Haley understood, "Yeah, it goes by fast."

"Tell me about it. I feel like Davis was in diapers for about a millisecond then all the sudden he has hair under his armpits." Brooke's son was in junior high now so those baby days were long gone.

Haley smiled, "Just wait for grand kids, they're great."

Brooke laughed, "Well I can wait a while. I'm not sure I want Davis to pull a Naley in high school." She shook her head, "Not that it's a bad thing. You guys are like the poster couple and parents." Brooke looked to the child in her lap, "Poster grandparents thanks to you mister."

Haley couldn't help but laugh, and for the next hour or so Brook continued to cuddle and coo over the baby. He was just too cute.

Once Brooke was gone it was close to lunch time. Nathan walked over to the diaper bag and pulled out one of the bottles, "What do you need me to do to help?"

Haley looked to her husband and kindly smiled, "If you want to get the formula out you can."

Nathan did just that and scooped the appropriate amount of powder into the bottle. Once the water was ready Haley gave the bottle to a very hungry Bennet. She went to sit on the couch with the boy when she heard Nathan speak up.

"Are you hungry too? You want me to make us some sandwiches while he eats?"

Haley tuned back to Nathan, "Sure, that'd be great."

Nathan opened up the fridge and when he pulled out the turkey and cheese his memory was jogged to a certain time when he was home alone feeding their son lunch.

_Lucas had just left to go the the library and Nathan glanced from his almost two year old son to the clock, "You hungry bud?"_

_Jamie's eyes lit up and he nodded, "Eat."_

_Sometimes Haley would set out what Jamie would eat for lunch but that morning she'd been running late. She had been up almost all night working on some Shakespeare paper and barely got out of the house in time to get to her morning class on time._

_Nathan walked to the kitchen and opened up the fridge. "How about some turkey and cheese?"_

"_Mmm, cheese!"_

_Laughing at his son's enthusiasm, Nathan pulled out the food. Jamie certainly got his love for cheese from his mom._

_As Nathan set the meat and cheese down on the counter he knew that he should cut it up into small pieces. That's normally what Haley did. So after he cut up about a bazillion little squares of turkey and cheese, Nathan was set. Jamie didn't have to eat all of it, Nathan could help out in that department._

_After the young father put his son in the high chair, Nathan pulled up a seat. He set a plate in front of Jamie and looked on fondly at his little boy. Nathan reached for a piece of cheese and popped it in his mouth. Jamie looked a little disappointed that his father was taking his food so Nathan apologized._

"_Sorry, Jame." Nathan picked up a piece of turkey and held it out, "This is your lunch, right." Jamie nodded and Nathan got an idea. "Hey Jamie?" The young boy looked up to his father and Nathan tossed the turkey his way. As the deli meat was floating through the air Nathan was wondering if it was going to work, wondering if the turkey would stick to Jamie's face._

_With a nice sound, the turkey did just that. Jamie was pretty surprised by his sudden accessory and squealed. Nathan smirked and reached for some cheese. He tossed it toward his son and saw the cheese stick to Jamie's face too._

_Both of the guys were laughing and Nathan found it an incredibly entertaining way to for Jamie to eat his lunch. Nathan would toss Jamie some cheese or turkey and the boy would peel it off his face and cram in it his mouth. It definitely wasn't a conventional way to feed a toddler, but it sure was fun._

_The only question was, was Haley going to think the same thing? They'd find out shortly._

_While the Nathan was busy throwing food at Jamie, Haley quietly entered the home she shared with her family. Normally she wouldn't be back so early but the only thing she had to do in her English class was turn in her paper. So as she walked into the house she figured she'd be the one surprising the boys. But actually, it was the other way around._

_Haley set her bag down and walked into the kitchen, "What is this?"_

_Nathan instantly went wide eyed and got nervous, "Uh, we were, this is only, uh, you know..." Nathan was really stammering. "He's eating lunch."_

"_Mama!" Jamie smiled at his mother._

_Haley smiled right back then looked to Nathan, "Eating lunch or wearing lunch?"_

"_Well...both, but he's eaten a lot more than it looks."_

_Moving closer to her son, she peeled off a piece of cheese that was stuck to his chin. "Is Daddy being silly?"_

_Jamie reached out for the piece of cheese and put it in his mouth._

_Nathan nodded, "See, he's eating." He felt like he'd been caught doing something bad so he had to let Haley know that he was in fact feeding their son. _

_Haley didn't say anything, instead just raised her eye brows._

_Nathan was going to start pouring on the charm now. He didn't want Haley mad at him. Getting up from his chair, he motioned for her to take his seat, "How was your day?"_

_Sitting down, Haley shrugged, "Fine." She handed Jamie a piece of turkey and watched him eat. Noticing the random pieces of food splayed on her son's face she couldn't help but smile._

_He saw it, a smile. That was a good sign. Nathan figured she couldn't be that mad. He was trying to figure out what to say next when he noticed Haley getting up._

"_How about some apple sauce, Jamie?" Haley walked to the refrigerator and got out a little cup. She made her way back to Jamie's high chair and gave him a spoon. "Here, bud." She started to walk back to her chair but felt someone grab her wrist._

"_Come here." Nathan looked up to her and nodded._

_Haley playfully laughed, "I can't fit there."_

_Nathan knew that she couldn't actually fit on the chair with him but his lap was open. "Uh-huh, come here." He tugged a little harder until he got what he wanted._

_Once she was sitting on his legs she smiled, "So..."_

_Nathan looked over at their son and back to Haley, "You're a great mom."_

_That was her favorite compliment to get from Nathan. She'd take that over a 'you look good tonight' or something along those lines any day._

"_I mean it." He was being so sincere that she could see it in his eyes. "I do."_

_Haley gave him a warm smile and wrapped her hands around his neck. Intertwining her own fingers she pulled him toward her, "You're a great dad too."_

_Their faces only inches apart, Nathan laughed, "Even if I throw food at our son?"_

_Haley looked at Jamie then back to Nathan nodding, "Even if you throw food at our son." She pulled him closer and just before their lips brushed together she whispered three little words. "I love you."_

_He hadn't had to time to respond but as soon as they parted he did. "I love you too."_

"_Mama!" Jamie's voice broke the silence between the young married couple. The boy started to squirm in his high chair, "Out."_

_Nathan looked at Jamie's plate, "A few more bites Jamie."_

_Haley nodded, "You'll grow big and strong like daddy if you eat you're food."_

_Jamie sunk back in his chair, "Babbleball?"_

_Nathan loved the way his son said basketball. "Yeah Jame. One day."_

_She could watch and listen to that all day. Forget lectures and lab class. Haley would rather stay at home and take it all in. Nathan, Jamie...they were the two people she'd never want to be away from._

_Nathan smirked at Jamie and turned to Haley. Her eyes were deep and welcoming and he wondered if there was a name for the color of her big brown orbs. Nobody else on the planet had eyes like hers. Nobody. Maybe in the future someone else would, a little girl, their little girl. But until that day came he'd just have Haley. And that was okay, that was all he needed. His wife and his son were the two people he needed most in his life._

Nathan looked up from the kitchen and saw that Bennet was really sucking that bottle down. So scratch that. As he thought about the memory that had just come to his mind, it wasn't just Haley and Jamie he needed. The two of them plus Charlotte, throw in Liza, and add in Bennet were the people he needed now.

Haley turned her head and called out for Nathan, "You still in there?"

Nathan was putting the finishing touches on the sandwiches, "Yeah, sorry. I'm coming."

The forty three year old man walked out of the kitchen and headed in the direction of his wife. "Here." He placed the sandwich on the table next to her and put down a bottled water too. "I didn't know if you had a drink so I got you this." He took a seat next to Haley and smiled at his grandson.

Haley took a deep breath. It was the little things Nathan did that she loved. "Thanks."

Nodding, Nathan took a bite of his sandwich and smiled.

She leaned over just enough to bring her lips to Nathan's all the while keeping Bennet in a fine feeding position. "I love you."

It was like deja vu. Nathan had just been thinking of a time where something like this had happened. When they parted he smiled, "I love you too."

Both of their eyes went down to the small child in Haley's arm. Nathan still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he was a grandfather but it was amazing. Bennet was amazing.

"You too kid. We love you too." Nathan gave Bennet the Scott smirk that he was sure to inherit and smiled at Haley.

As Bennet and his grandparents ate their lunch they realized that their first day babysitting their grandson was halfway done.

**OTHOTH**

A little while after Bennet's second nap the threesome was back in the living room. Nathan was holding Bennet his his arms, both of their eyes glued to the television. Baby Einstein was playing and apparently it was pretty interesting.

Haley needed to find the video camera. It was hystercial. Nathan's eyes were literally glued to the screen, and it wasn't SportsCenter. But aside from getting the camera, Haley only cleared her throat, "So what are you thinking for dinner? Chicken? Steak? Pasta?"

Nathan wasn't paying any attention.

"Nathan!" He was laughing as she shook her head.

He turned to Haley wide eyed, "Huh?"

"Dinner, what do you think you might want?"

Shrugging, he shook his head, "Uh, I don't care. Whatever."

Rolling her eyes, Haley sighed. She hated that answer. That was not a choice. There was not a food called 'I don't care' or 'whatever'.

Throwing out the options again, Haley thought it might help. "Chicken, steak, pasta? I could made spaghetti."

Nathan didn't want spaghetti. It gave him indigestion. "How about grilled chicken with angel hair pasta."

That was more like it. Haley liked it when he gave specific answers.

"Alright, we'll do that."

Nathan nodded and went back to watching the all encompassing Baby Einstein.

Haley had gotten up to answer the phone a few minutes later. Charlotte was calling to check in and the mother daughter conversation lasted a good thirty minutes before Nathan hollered to Haley that he wanted to talk to Charlotte.

After talking to Charlotte for a bit, he pressed the phone to Bennet's ear so Charlotte could talk, or try to talk to her nephew.

"I think it's confusing him." Nathan laughed into the phone.

"Ah, well, I tried. Tell Jamie and Liza I say hey when you see them tomorrow."

Nathan nodded, "I will." He paused then spoke back into the phone, "I love you Char."

"I love you too, Dad. Bye."

Haley heard Nathan say bye and right around that same time she smelled something funny. It was a smell that nobody wanted to be familiar with but after raising two kids, you just knew what it was. But Haley didn't want to jump to conclusions. Sometimes the first person you thought it might be turns out to be innocent. It was a common misunderstanding that Nathan and Haley often got into and Haley laughed as she remembered one particular moment where she thought Nathan was the culprit.

_Nathan walked into the bedroom after dropping Jamie off at school and smiled at what he saw. Haley was lying on the bed with a three month old Charlotte next to her. He slowly climbed on the bed and laid on the other side of his daughter. He hovered over her small body and smiled._

_Haley propped herself on her arm, "Watch, she'll smile back at you."_

_They waited for a second and sure enough Nathan and Haley saw a gummy smile._

_Nathan leaned down and kissed Charlotte on her forehead, "You've got a pretty smile Charlotte."_

"_Remember when Jamie fist started smiling?" Haley looked to Nathan._

_He nodded, "Yeah. It was right before we went off to school, right?"_

"_Uh-huh. I think the first time he was smiling at you."_

"_Mmm-uh, it was you." Nathan shook his head. "You'd just come out of the shower with a towel on your head and you leaned down to him an he smiled. I remember."_

_Haley had forgotten about that, "You remembered that."_

"_Yeah, of course."_

_She smiled but then her smile turned into a frown. "Ew, honey. Not on our bed." She smacked Nathan on the shoulder. "That's gross." The wave of disgusting that had passed by her nose did not belong in the bedroom. "Gah, leave the room next time."_

_A look of horror washed over his face, "What! That wasn't me." He shook his head and looked at Charlotte. "It was her."_

_Haley looked down at her little girl and laughed, "That could not come from her. Don't play the blame the baby card."_

"_Really it wasn't me." Nathan sat up on the bed, "I promise. It's her."_

_Shaking her head, Haley just couldn't believe it. "I don't think so." She got up off the bed and picked Charlotte up, "Let's go check."_

_Nathan hopped up off the bed and followed Haley. He was going to prove her wrong._

_Haley laid Charlotte on the changing table and when she peeled the diaper off she turned to Nathan with a smile, "Nothing."_

_Furrowing his brow he shook his head. He didn't understand it. He most certainly wasn't emitting that smell. "Wha..."_

"_Can't blame her now..."_

_Just as Haley said that a soft little toot came from the baby. Both of Nathan and Haley's heads turned quickly and while Haley's mouth hung open in shock, Nathan just laughed, "Told ya." He smiled, "See, it wasn't me."_

"_Charlotte, my goodness." Haley held her hand over her nose and looked to her husband, "Well that...I just...I didn't know she had gas."_

_Nathan laughed out loud and nodded, "She doesn't get it from me."_

_Haley's face turned red and she narrowed her eyes, "Hey wait a second. Babies get gas sometimes..."_

_Shaking his head, Nathan looked at her, "Oh, don't play the blame the baby card on me, Haley James."_

"_I'm not... I'm generally speaking that babies have a tendency to get gas."_

"_Same thing. Blaming it on babies."_

_Haley sighed. She wasn't getting out of this. "Okay fine. You win."_

_Nathan strapped Charlotte's diaper back on and picked up his little girl, "I think your mom owes me an apology Char."_

_Rolling her eyes, Haley put her hand son her hips, "Sorry I thought you stunk up our bedroom."_

_Nathan was looking for a little more, just to really get Haley going. "And..."_

_Haley shrugged, "And I never should have thought that."_

_Still wanting her to continue he laughed, "Because..."_

"_Ugh..because..." She didn't know what to say next. "Because you smell too good to do that."_

_Laughing, Nathan looked down to Charlotte, "Now that's more like it."_

_Haley rolled her eyes again. She watched Nathan take Charlotte out of the nursery and a part of her loved that he still had that cocky attitude about things. He was able to pull it off and use it as sex appeal. That side of Nathan reminded her of the guy she fell for all those years ago and she loved it_

"You smell that?" Haley looked at Nathan who was holding Bennet.

He looked at her, "Wasn't me."

She laughed, "I didn't think it was, but I think that little guy in your arms needs changing."

Nathan cautiously lowered his nose and grimaced, "How did you smell that all the way over there?"

Haley shrugged, "It's a mom thing."

Laughing, Nathan started to get up and take Bennet to get changed. "I'll take him."

"Are you sure, I'll do it if you don't want to."

"It's a boy thing." Nathan smirked and looked down at his grandson. "We can handle it. Right, Bennet?"

Haley watched as the two walked out of the room and she sunk back on the sofa. God she loved that man. He was all for changing diapers, dirty, stinky diapers and none of it phased him.

**OTHOTH**

Like most babies, Bennet was being a little ornery while he was about to fall asleep. Fighting it with everything he had, he didn't want to succumb to bedtime.

Haley was sitting in the rocker him and hoping that he'd fall asleep soon. She was getting exhausted trying to get him to bed. A about ten minutes later she saw a shadowy figure walk into Bennet's room.

"Hey, you want me to try?"

Haley looked through the darkness, "If you want to."

Nathan nodded and took the little boy in his arms. Haley walked out of Bennet's room but before she ws completely out she leaned on the door frame and watched Nathan's silhouette in the darkness. Again, her memory was jogged and she found herself thinking of the days when Jamie was that age.

_Haley was on her way home from the library after a meeting about a group project for a sociology class and when she looked at her watch she realized that Nathan was probably trying to get Jamie to sleep. Sometimes that was the hardest parts. A lot of the time he liked for both of his parents to be there and considering Haley was halfway across campus, she wondered if Jamie was giving Nathan a hard time. Hopefully not._

_Back at the house that was exactly what was happening._

_Nathan rocked Jamie, had him wrapped up in his favorite blanket, tried to get him to fall asleep on their bed, but nothing was working. He needed Haley, but Haley wasn't home._

"_Shh. It's alright Jamie. Shh, just close your eyes." He was getting a little desperate since he was plain out telling Jamie to shut his eyes._

_Nathan was walking around their bedroom a thought hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course. Jamie wanted Haley, so why not give her to him. Not in actual physical form, but the sound of her voice would probably work too._

"_Hey bud, hold on." Nathan whispered as he opened up his laptop and opened iTunes. Using one finger he typed out a name. H, A, L, E, Y, J, A, M, E. That was all he needed. A handful of songs popped up and while they weren't all lullabies they would have to work. Some of them were scratchy recordings caught on a cell phone but it was better than nothing. Nathan double clicked one of the songs and turned up the volume._

_As soon as Jamie heard the familiar voice he quieted down. Nathan took a heavy breath, thankful that it at least quieted him down. Nathan pushed the computer toward the center of the bed and laid down with Jamie on his chest. "You hear that. Mama's singing to you."_

_Running a soothing hand over his five month old son, Nathan took slow deep breaths so Jamie might follow the same pattern._

_Soon enough both of the boys were out like a light._

_Haley walked inside, and saw Lucas in the kitchen. "Hey, did Nathan get him down?"_

"_Yeah, I think so. They've been quiet for a while now." Lucas nodded. Haley started to walk away to go check on Nathan and Jamie but she heard Luke speak up. "How did the library go?"_

_Shrugging, Haley sighed, "Oh you know who group projects are."_

"_Let me guess. You'll be doing most the work?"_

_Haley slowly nodded, "Yeah, probably."_

"_Well if you need any help or want me to watch Jamie more this week I'll be happy to."_

_Haley smiled, "Thanks Luke." He nodded and watched her walk toward her bedroom._

_She cracked the door slowly and was surprised to hear music playing. She quietly stepped in the room and saw something adorable. Nathan was asleep on his back with two strong hands securely holding Jamie on his chest. But it wasn't only that, the music she'd heard wasn't just ordinary music. It was her music. It was her voice._

_Haley put her bag down and looked at the computer screen. She saw that her name was typed into the search bar and that the songs were on repeat all. There weren't many, but obviously just enough to but her two boys to sleep._

_Walking over to Nathan she leaned down and kissed him on the side of the mouth._

_His eyes fluttered a little and he saw his wife, "Hey." He was whispering because he knew Jamie was on his chest._

"_Hi." Haley smiled and leaned close, "You want me to take him to his bed?"_

_Nathan looked at the sleeping boy on his chest and shook his head, "I'll do it." It would have been kind of awkward for Haley to scoop Jamie up at that weird angle. It would be easier for Nathan to get up and do it._

_So Haley watched as Nathan took their son away and she turned up the baby monitor. She'd put on some pajamas and slid into bed as Nathan came back in._

_He took the computer of the bed, "Tired?"_

_She nodded, "Exhausted." Haley closed her eyes and felt Nathan scoot closer to her. She peeked her eyes back open, "So my music, huh?"_

_Nathan smiled, "He wanted you and I was running out of options." He moved his hand under the covers and placed it on her side, "And it worked too. On both of us."_

_Haley laughed, "I saw that."_

"_You know how much I love to hear you sing." She felt a slight blush run across her cheeks. It was dark in their room but he knew it was still there. "I love you Haley."_

"_I love you too." She leaned up and kissed him perfectly on the lips and they both leaned back into the pillows._

_Nathan wrapped his arm tighter around her and pretty soon she heard her warm breaths. It was simple Nathan needed Haley to sleep and Haley needed Nathan. As simple as that._

Haley left Nathan with Bennet and walked into their bedroom. Knowing him, it was only going to be a little bit until he came in and said that the boy was out like a light. And just like clockwork, that was how it happened.

Nathan came in with a cute smile and nodded, "Out like a light."

"You're kinda good at that."

Nathan flopped down on the bed, "Practice. Jamie and Charlotte taught me all the tricks."

"Care to share?"

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "Not just yet."

Haley took one of the small pillows and tossed it at him, "Gee, thanks."

He ran his hands over his face, "I forgot how tiring it is. Taking care of kids."

"Yep, it's a lot of work." Haley smiled.

Stretching, Nathan yawned, "But it's worth it."

Nathan's yawn was contagious so she yawned as she spoke. " Definitely worth it."

He moved over to his side of the bed, "It's weird though."

Haley turned to him, "What's weird."

"Us being grandparents. You being a grand mom." Nathan smiled, "You've got to be the best looking grandmother out there."

Haley laughed, "Right." She playfully rolled her eyes. A forty three year old grandma was hot stuff, yeah right.

"I'm serious, Hales."

Putting her palm up to his cheek she smiled, "Thanks. You're not a bad looking grandfather yourself."

"But I think my graying hair gives it away."

Haley shook her head, "I don't think so. I love it." She ran two fingers over the hair above his ear. "You look great."

It was true. Nathan aged well. Haley did too. If any stranger passed them on the street and were told that they were grandparents, they'd just laugh out loud and the insanity of it. But, that's the way it went. They were grandparents. Bennet was their first and there were more to come. It was just a matter of time.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: So there you go guys. Hope you all liked it!**

**To my reviewers: You are all awesome! I almost got 50 reviews for the last chapter and that was simply mind blowing. Crazy, kick-ass, awesome! Keep it up! Serah, Amanda, Carrie, Leslie, Kristin, Allie, Lauren, HaileyBOTH, Molly, Mya, Whitney, Heath782, SARAH, Caroline, Lily, tasha, Natalie, Maddie, Becky, Cailin, Heather, and Aleix...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!**

**Mary Garland: I don't know if I can give you an actual number of how many ideas I've got but I'll ball park it. 35 maybe. And that number will be on the rise considering the request I get and the random things I think of on a day to day basis. So to sum it up...enough for the fic to go on for quite some time.**

**Jaclyn: There was a bit of college Naley in this one so I hope you liked it!**

**: You're top ten? Wow, that's great. I'm so happy you liked it that much! Oh, and don't worry about the death in Charlotte's spin off storry. It's not for a while and it's probably not who you think.**

**Mazzy: I will be doing Nathan's accident chapter. One about the aftermath of him being put in a wheelchair so maybe that will be something you will look forward to. As for Haley and an accident. I was thinking for to do a cancer scare. It's just a matter of when.**

**Hadley: Sadly, Wilmington is not where I'm visiting now. I'm in the Outer Banks. But I am planning on going in July!**

**Always and Forever: Wow, what a nice review! Thank you so much! I hope you liked the new chapter1**

**Trista: I think others have requested some kind of fight and adding it with inclement weather so we'll see. I just have to find the right age to write Naley. Any suggestions? Oh and I will be doing the day Jamie goes off to college. That's been on the list for a while so it's just a matter of time.**

**Amy: I'll think of ways that Haley can save Nathan.**

**Rachel: I'm so glad you thought I portrayed things as real. That's a great compliment! About a college fight...I'll see what I can do!**

_**Review Please!**_


	61. A Different State of Jealously

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 61: A Different State of Jealousy  
**

**Disclaimer: Dear Mark and co, Thank you for letting me use your characters in my story. I love writing these little moments for Nathan and Haley. PS, it would be nice if you named the new baby Charlotte... Well how's that for a disclaimer? Obviously I don't own anything.**

**A/N: I'm loving all the great feedback I've been getting lately. Keep it up and you'll be getting one of those next day updates soon! I appreciated it to no end. Literally. I feed off of reviews. They are the reason this story has continued as long as it has. I love my reviewing readers! I hope you like this chapter...someone's getting a little jealous. Who? Read on!**

**OTHOTH**

Airports and planes had a funny smell about them. It wasn't like something just anyone could point out and say, 'Hey you smell like an airport', but there was definitely an airport odor. Now whether that was a good or bad thing, that was a toss up. Plenty of people loved to travel and found that airplanes and airports were great, that they smelled fantastic. Then there were the others who hated the smell of vinyl seats and air conditioning that was hard to control. Then there were the people who didn't even notice or didn't care.

Haley was trying to make up her mind about whether she liked the smell or not. She could definitely smell something though. Good, maybe? Bad, maybe? Sitting in a hard black chair at gate B of the Tree Hill airport, she watched as six year old Jamie stood by the window watching various planes land and take off. He was adorable. His arms were extended and he was leaning right and left as if he were piloting his own aircraft.

Haley studied the two plane tickets in her hand and smiled. First class. She was still getting used to this new life of luxury. With Nathan being in the NBA, things she never once dreamed of were falling into her lap. It was Nathan's first season and so far Haley and Jamie had made it to every Bobcat game. There had only been three, but who was counting? But mainly, it was the reason they were flying to Dallas.

The first two games of the season had been in Charlotte and now it was the first away game. Nathan told his wife and son that he understood it was a major trip for them and he wouldn't mind if they skipped out, but Jamie had been adamant. That boy didn't want to miss anything. He was so proud of his father and wanted to see every game, every warm up, every little thing he could.

A woman's voice came over the loud speaker, "We will begin boarding first class momentarily. All other passengers please note that after this we will begin with the numerical sections starting with three. Thank you again and we appreciate you choosing American Airlines."

"Jame, come on, that's us."

Jamie turned to his mother and quickly walked over to her. Haley took him by the hand and they made their way to the line of passengers and boarded the plane. Jamie got the window seat and Haley put their carry on bag in the overhead compartment. It was all they were traveling with, all they needed. They weren't staying in Texas long so they didn't need much.

"Mama? What goes in those crates right there?" Jamie pointed his small finger toward the luggage cart outside.

Haley leaned over and shrugged, "I think those are pets."

"Pets? You mean Chester could have come?"

Realizing that Jamie didn't fully understand that rabbits and basketball games didn't go well together she sighed, "Not exactly. Those pets are probably flying on vacation with their owners who will be gone a _long_ time."

Jamie was seriously thinking it over. "So next time we go out of town Chester can come?"

Haley hesitantly laughed, "We'll see bud, we'll see." Smiling, Jamie nodded and turned his attention back outside.

More passengers walked down the narrow isle and Haley started to think about Nathan. He was always the calm one whenever they flew. It wasn't that she was scared of flying, but it was pretty nerve wracking. She imagined that he was next to her. Holding her and and smiling with that smirk of his. It had only been a few days since she'd seen him but if felt like a lifetime.

The line of people never seemed to end and Haley wondered just how big their plane was. She turned her head to look back toward the tail and as soon as she turned back around, she saw that the passengers were all aboard. One of the flight attendants was holding the intercom to her mouth.

"Ladies and gentleman as we prepare for takeoff please make sure your seats are in the upright position and that your seat belt is secured properly."

Haley felt the plane begin to taxi toward the runway and then she felt something else. A small hand had been placed over her own and she looked down. Those fingers that were over hers belonged to her son. She glanced to him and was met with the same blue eyes that Nathan had.

"Daddy said for me to hold your hand while we took off and land. That you get nervous."

She didn't know what to say and could feel the lump forming in her throat. Gently nodding her head, she leaned toward her son. God she loved him. She loved him and she loved Nathan. More than they would ever know.

The roar of the engines told them both that they were about to take off and Haley wearily looked out the window. Once they were in the air she'd be fine. But better yet, she'd be in an even better mood when they landed in Dallas and got to see her husband.

Jamie's grip on mom's hand loosened when the plane leveled out and he turned to her and smiled brightly. Haley smiled at him in return and saw one of the flight attendants approach.

The tall blonde leaned down and held out a set of wings, "Compliments from the pilots."

"Whoa." Jamie took the plastic captain wings from the lady and turned to his mom, "Look at these, Mom."

Haley let out a small laugh when she saw how excited her son was, "Those are pretty cool bud. Here." She took the wings from Jamie and smiled, "Let me put them on you."

Jamie watched carefully as his mother pinned his wings on his shirt and he felt like the king of the world. Actually, he felt like a very sophisticated pilot.

Haley glanced to the flight attendant and nodded, "Thank you."

The woman nodded her head and walked down the aisle.

"Those are really neat, Jamie."

Smiling, the boy agreed, "You think Dad will like them?"

"He's gonna love them."

The boy sat back in his chair and Haley glanced out the window. Nathan would definitely like them. He'd probably even want some of his own. Nathan was like that. Still childish, but in a mature type of way. Haley knew that it didn't make sense but she couldn't describe it. He was what he was and she loved him for it.

The flight attendant walked back by and Haley cleared her throat, "Ma'am?" The woman turned and smiled. Haley looked at Jamie and then to the blonde lady, "Do you think I could get another set of wings?"

**OTHOTH**

The wheels of the airplane touched down in Texas without too many bumps and for Haley that was a good thing. She turned to Jamie and saw the excitement on his face. He loved going to new places. Texas was new to both of them. Well, she'd been once in high school, Honey Grove, but she was pretty sure that Dallas was going to be far from that small town she'd visited long ago.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dallas, Texas. It's currently ten thirty seven in the morning, seventy one degrees with sunny skies. I'd like to thank you all on behalf of our crew for choosing American Airlines and we hope you enjoy your time in Dallas."

Jamie looked up to his mom and smirked, "You know what Uncle Skills told me?"

Haley shook her head, "What?"

The little boy widened his eyes and laughed, "That everything's bigger in Texas. That the girls..."

"Okay..." Haley laughed and cut her son off. "Remind me to have a nice little talk with your uncle Skills when we get home."

Passengers started getting up and removing their luggage from the overhead compartment and Haley took that as her cue. She stood up and reached for their bag when someone walked over.

"Here, let me help you." The man looked to be around thirty. He was attractive with dark hair like Nathan's.

Haley turned to him and smiled, "Thanks."

"Sure, no problem." The man pulled out Haley's bag and smiled her. "I'm Jack."

"Well thank you, Jack. I'm Haley and this is my son, Jamie."

Jamie looked to the guy and started conversation. "We're gonna see my dad play the Mavericks tonight. He's Nathan Scott."

Haley bit her lip as Jamie started talking about his father. He was so cute.

"Then I guess my team might loose tonight. Nathan Scott's a pretty good player." Jack was from Dallas and as a big basketball fan, he knew who the little boy's father was.

Jamie nodded, "The best."

People started heading out of the plane and Jack looked toward the exit, "It was nice to meet you both and maybe tonight I'll be rooting for the Bobcats."

Haley smiled and watched as Jack disappeared in the sea of travelers. She turned to her son and smiled, "Ready bud?"

Jamie got out of his chair and put his hand her hers. Haley picked up the carry on and headed off the plane. They followed the signs that said baggage claim and knew that the exit was in that same direction.

"Can I roll the bag, Mama?"

Looking, down at her son, Haley nodded, "Sure." She watched as Jamie pulled out the handle and started rolling their bag. She'd packed them together since they were only staying a little while. Jamie was doing a good job not rolling over anyone's toes so Haley whipped out her phone. She waited for him to pick up but when she heard his voice mail pick up she frowned. Although she didn't get to talk to Nathan directly, she left him a message.

"Hi, it's me. We're here. I know you're probably warming up or something so we'll meet you at the hotel. Clay told me he would be waiting on us so I guess we'll see you in a little while. I love you."

The crowds started to part and Haley saw that they were approaching the baggage claim. They didn't need to go pick up a bag but they did need to find Clay. Jamie saw him first.

He was wearing sunglasses, that old black leather jacket and a smirk...the size of Texas. Haley and Jamie weren't looking at Clay, they were looking at Nathan.

"Daddy!" Jamie ran over to his father.

Nathan smiled and hugged his little boy, "Hey, Jame!"

She'd walked up to him and was shaking her head in disbelief. "What...what are you doing here? I thought Clay was picking us up?"

Nathan shrugged, "I don't have to be with the team for another hour and I thought I'd come pick you up." He took a step closer and smiled before he kissed her, "I'm glad you're here."

She nodded and looked up to his hazy blue eyes, "Me too."

Jamie butted in, "Me too! And Dad, look what I got." The boy pointed to the wings pinned on his shirt. "I got wings."

Nathan smiled, "Whoa, that's cool Jamie. I always wanted some of those."

Haley reached in her purse and smirked, "Well..." She held out the extra pair of wings, "Here you go." Haley brushed his jacket to the side and pinned his wings to his shirt. Patting, his chest, she smiled. "You make a pretty cute pilot."

He laughed, "Oh yeah?" She nodded and felt his hand take hold of hers. "Come on." Nathan took the bag from Jamie and watched as held on to Jamie with her free hand. The family of three walked outside and headed to the car. Nathan liked Dallas alright, but now that his family was there it was even better.

"Dad? Does the hotel have a pool?"

"Uh-huh." Nathan nodded and could see the smile spread across his son's face.

Haley had in fact packed Jamie a bathing suit but grimaced, "Honey, it's October, the water will probably be cold."

"It's heated, Hales."

"Oh, then never mind." Haley laughed at herself for not thinking the pool was heated. They were staying at a luxury hotel, after all.

The car ride to the Stoneleigh was full of Nathan and Jamie chatter about the game and how excited Jamie was. If there was one thing in life he loved doing, it was going to his father's basketball games. The car pulled up to the newly renovated hotel and Haley thought it was beautiful She felt like she'd stepped back in time. It looked old but in a classy, high dollar, type way.

Nathan already had the room so there was no need to check in. While the family rode the elevator Jamie counted the buttons as they rode to the ninth floor. Nathan led them to the room and Jamie marveled at all the cool things. "Does this pull out?" The boy pointed to the couch and looked at his parents.

Haley didn't really know. This room was new to her too. Nathan nodded, "Yep. So if you want, you can have the whole thing to yourself."

Jamie smirked, "Cool." He always thought that pull out couches were neat. He felt special if he got to sleep on one. But more than likely, he'd get all excited about sleeping on it and end up crashing on the king size with his parents. Right in between them with his feet somehow under Haley and his arms splayed in each direction.

Haley looked around the suite and liked what she saw. It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. For the three of them for a day or two it was perfect. "This is great."

Nathan checked his watch and sighed heavily. He needed to head to the arena for a team meeting. "I gotta head out. I'll see you there though." He looked at their son and shrugged, "Take him to the pool. Do whatever you want. The car will be here all day."

She didn't want him to go. She never did. Nodding, Haley got up on her tiptoes and over the years Nathan had come to realize what that meant.

He kissed her once and then again before telling Jamie bye. Running his hand over Jamie's head he looked down to his boy, "Be good for you mom, Jamie." Jamie nodded and Nathan headed for the door.

Nathan kissed Haley once more on the cheek before leaving their room, and as he walked out the door he knew he was gonna have a good game that night. For whatever reason, Nathan seemed to play better whenever they were around, and he didn't know if he was more excited they were there or if the adrenaline from the upcoming game had him excited. He may have be oblivious to the obvious choice but it was that Haley and Jamie were there, hands down.

**OTHOTH**

The American Airlines Center was absolutely packed. It looked like a sellout crowd. Jamie had a soft pretzel in his hand the size of his face and an oversized drink on top of that. His and Haley's seats were about fifteen rows up from the Bobcat's bench and had a great view of the court. They'd gotten there just in time because the house lights dimmed and music started blaring through the speakers. The Bobcat starters were announced and Haley looked down at her arm and could see the goosebumps. It was still hard to get used to the fact that Nathan had made it. He made it to the NBA.

After the Bobcats were announced Nathan and Haley made their usual pre-game eye contact. Call it eye sex if you'd like, but either way, he looked at her and she looked at him. One of those looks that took her breath away, that told him he'd married the most beautiful woman in the world and then they both glanced at Jamie. Not saying it out loud, but both thinking it, Nathan and Haley had it all.

Their sweet moment was interrupted when the Mav's starting line was revealed and the place started going crazy. The music had been turned up about a thousand notches and Haley could feel her bones shake with the amount of bass that was pouring through her ears.

Finally the lights came back on and things started to settle down, but something caught Haley's attention. A couple rows in front of her she noticed a group of four or five girls wearing Bobcat's colors. From the behind it was hard to tell but she was pretty sure that they were part of the Lady Cats, the Charlotte Bobcat dance team. That was great and all, but weird, the Lady Cats didn't travel to away games. They must have flown to Dallas to take in a game just for fun. And that was fine and dandy, but something else that stood out was the fact that one of them was wearing number twelve.

Normally, Haley loved to see fans wearing Nathan's number, but something about that insanely fit, uber flexible, cheerleader slash dancer, whatever you wanted to call her wearing Nathan's number irked her. None of the other girls were wearing Bobcat jerseys. Sure, they were in Bobcat t-shirts and or colors but none of them were sporting a specific player's jersey.

"Dad's gonna play so good. I know it." Jamie looked up to his mom and then out to the court. He waved at Nathan who gave Jamie a thumbs up.

Haley saw the whole exchange and loved it. That cheerleader girl had been forgotten about momentarily.

Clay walked down the stairs over to Haley and Jamie, and found his seat. Holding a beer that had to be Jamie's weight in fluid ounces, Clay sat next to Haley and smiled at the boy. "What do you think Jamie? Thirty points tonight?"

The kid nodded, "Probably. Maybe even higher."

Catching a glimpse of that girl, that girl whom she decided to name Hobag, the one wearing Nathan's number, Haley looked at Clay. Maybe he would be able to answer questions she had? "So what's the deal with some of the Lady Cats being here? I didn't think they went on road games."

Looking around for the girls, Clay zoned in on the group Haley was talking about. He shrugged while enjoying the view. "I don't know. A couple of them probably get to come to away games to help support the guys." He winked at Haley and smirked, "You know what I mean?"

Disgusted, Haley knew exactly what he meant. "And what's the story on that one." She pointed to the buxom blonde sporting number twelve.

"Mmm, Kelli with an I." Clay remembered her well. "She's an interesting story." He glanced at Jamie and knew better than to go into detail.

Haley was not really enjoying the conversation so far. She needed more information. Well less info on Clay's personal life and more about why Kelli with an I had on her husband's jersey. "So, she's a fan of Nathan's?"

"Oh yeah. All of them are. He really knows how to charm them." Clay forgot to mention the fact that Nathan charmed the Lady Cats with the fact that he was a doting dad. Dad's who looked like that and acted how Nathan did could charm straight men.

The conversation was only getting worse. Hopefully Clay was not inferring what she suspected he might. He wasn't and didn't mean to. Haley's mind was just elsewhere, caught up ina fit of jealously and envy. She shook her head because Nathan wasn't that guy, not anymore. He hadn't been _that_ guy since high school. Haley caught a glimpse of Kelli with an I again and realized that the feelings she had about previously named Hobag might have had a lot to do with the fact that the number she was wearing and the person who went with it were hers.

Was it envy? Jealousy? Probably a little bit of both. Haley knew that it was dumb to get so worked up over it but she couldn't help it, she was on autopilot. It was a natural reaction.

The game had started and Nathan scored the first basket on a fast break. He laid the ball graciously in the basket and Haley felt her heart begin to pound. He'd told her once before that every basket he made in the first game she watched him in was like a personal pick-up line and over seven years later it still worked. Forget that girl who was wearing Nathan's number, he sure as hell wasn't scoring those points for her, he was scoring them for Haley.

Half time had come and gone and before Haley knew it they were at the two minute mark. But basketball was funny. Two minutes to go didn't literally mean two minutes were left. There would be fouls, time-outs, and various other things that would delay the end of the game. Haley's mind had wandered away from that girl for a while, only temporarily drifting her way when things got boring. She tried not to think about it, really she did. It was just a jersey, just a number, just like any other fan. Sort of.

With ketchup in the corner's of his mouth from his hot dog, Jamie looked to his mom. "I think we're gonna win."

Clay widened his eyes, "Don't speak to soon. There's still time left."

Haley looked at the score and had to agree with her son. The Bobcats were up by fifteen. That would be some comeback if the Mavericks won. "I think you're right Jamie."

"Haley, you going to jinx it." Clay shook his head.

"Nah, I've seen Nathan play in enough games to know that he won't let this lead get away." It was true. She'd been to more games that she could remember. Clay had only been Nathan's agent for a couple months and it was his third game, there was no way he could know Nathan's game by then. He would eventually, but not that night. Jamie and Haley were right. So when that final buzzer blew and the scoreboard showed 112-95 Bobcats, Jamie smirked.

"I told ya."

Nodding, Clay smiled, "Touche."

Jamie looked up to Haley confused, "What does that mean?"

She laughed, "Uh, just that you were right bud."

Crowds of disappointed Maverick fans started getting up, leaving the arena and Haley glanced down on the court. Nathan had a huge smile on his face and he looked happy. Not only had they won, but he played phenomenally.

"We going to celebrate?" Clay had a goofy grin on his face and looked at Haley.

She knew that Clay wanted to go out but she'd flown to Dallas to be with her husband, for her son to be with his father. Clay would get to have more celebratory nights later. "You know. I think we'll probably just go back to the hotel."

"Alright, that's cool. Maybe I'll see if Kelli with an I remembers me." Clay started walking out of the aisle and turned back to Haley, "I'll tell Nate to meet you two back at the hotel."

Haley nodded but her attention turned to the court. She'd been so good about forgetting about Hobag for a while and Clay had to go and mess it up. If only he hadn't said anything. It wasn't his fault though. He didn't know that she was having surges of jealousy and envy, and maybe a little bit of hatred toward the girl. And the poor girl. She wasn't doing anything wrong. At least not really. She was just supporting her team.

Jamie took Haley's hand and started to get up. She looked at her son and could tell that he was going to zonk out as soon as he was near a bed. All the excitement on top of the sugar high he'd been going through was about to crash and so was Jamie.

Walking up the stairs to the exit, Haley looked back to see if she saw Nathan on the court. That was a bad move. He was standing with a few other players and none other than Kelli with an I herself. They were taking pictures for something and Haley had to turn away. She was over it.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan opened the door of their hotel suite and didn't know if Jamie was asleep so he kept quiet just in case. Walking past the couch he smiled, if Jamie was asleep, he was in the king size bed. Nathan made it too the bed and saw his son spread out in the middle fast asleep. He looked so peaceful, so calm, so little in that big bed. Nathan looked around the room and wondered where Haley was. He set his phone on the bedside table then he saw that the bathroom door was cracked and heard water slosh. She had to be in there.

Peeking in the bathroom he whispered, "Hales?"

Sitting up in the bathtub she smiled, "Hey." After she got Jamie to bed Haley figured she'd take a relaxing bath while washing off that grotty layer of arena grime off her. She smelled like fried food mixed with wooden floors and sweaty men.

He walked in and couldn't help but smile. "Didn't want to wait for me?" Letting out a small laugh she shrugged. He realized he wasn't getting and answer more than that so he bent down, "How long did it take till Jamie was out?"

Using her fingers to pick at the bubbles she smiled, "About a minute."

"Faster than normal." He laughed

"Yeah, he was so excited I think he wore himself out. He was so proud of you."

Nathan heard his phone start to ring and immediately got up, "Ugh, I hope that doesn't wake him up."

Haley saw Nathan vanish behind the door and she got out of the tub. Wrapping a towel over her body she made her way to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes. Nathan had gone out to the hallway to answer the phone call and Haley finished getting dressed. Towel drying her hair, she figured it wouldn't be too terribly bad to sleep with it wet.

Jamie made a sweet noise and rolled over just a little bit. Haley walked to him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. The rise and fall of his chest was mesmerizing. Kissing him on the cheek, Haley smiled and whispered an I love you before walking to the living room section of their suite. Nathan was still on the phone so she turned on the TV and set the volume really low so it wouldn't wake Jamie. He was a heavy sleeper but it was just habit.

Flipping through the channels she found herself in a predicament. TBS was showing _The Office_ but the Food Channel was showing _Unwrapped_. That was a hard choice. The program about how some of the nation's most beloved candies were made won the coin toss. Who wouldn't wan to see how they made a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup?

Nathan hung up the phone and tried the handle of the door. It was locked and he didn't have his key. He knocked on the door feeling like an idiot and hoped Haley heard him.

Getting off the couch, Haley laughed as she realized Nathan locked himself out. She opened the door to his blue eyes. She propped the door for him and walked back to the couch. Marc Summers was about to explain how Butterfingers were made.

He watched her walk back to the couch and wondered what was up. She hadn't been her usual self. Nathan sat down on the couch next to her and put his hand on her knee, "What's going on?"

She turned to him and shook her head, "What?"

"You've been acting kind of weird."

Sinking into the couch, Haley looked at him, "It's just...I..." Haley got up.

Nathan didn't know what she was thinking so he got up and walked to her, "Hey, what is it?"

"I used to be one of those girls. The one on the sidelines, the one cheering you on. The one wearing your jersey"

He was still confused, "Used to be? Haley you still do that." Nathan wasn't really sure what she saying. He loved that she was at his games without fail. Maybe she didn't don the cheerleading uniform from high school or wear a jersey but she didn't need to.

Nathan wrapped his hand around her waist and moved his fingertips to the small of her back, "But you do." He moved the hem of her shirt so his fingers rested on her tattoo. "You've been wearing my number for almost eight years."

She sighed heavily and realized he was right. "It's just... Tonight I saw one of the Lady Cats...well Kelli with an I to be more precise, and I think I was envious of them, of her." She used her words carefully, making sure she said envious instead of jealous. Haley didn't want him to think she was even if it were true.

"Why? Because she was wearing my jersey?" He laughed and shook his head, "She only wore that because Clay gave it to her for free after he slept with her. It's not like she's my personal cheerleader." He kissed her cheek. "You are."

Haley took a deep breath. She didn't know why she'd gotten so upset over it. "I love you."

He smiled and nodded, "I love you too." His fingers danced along the skin of her lower back and he smirked, "And you know, they hold open auditions for Lady Cats every year." Nathan was only teasing, he didn't want her to do that. He liked her sitting in the stands, wearing that green dress, next to their son. Sure, it was great to see fans wear his number, but it never even compared to seeing his wife and son supporting him.

Rolling her eyes at the though of joining Lady Cats, Haley laughed, "You know, I think I'll be okay from the stands." She laughed at herself embarrassed that she'd gotten upset at all. "I don't even know why I was so bothered by it."

Nathan was still holding on to her and shrugged, "It's fine. We're just gonna have to deal with this type of thing. This distance is going to be hard and maybe this was the first test." He smiled, "And the Haley James I know doesn't fail tests. She doesn't fail, and won't let me." Smiling, Haley agreed. They would get through it. They would hit obstacles and probably have issues but that's how life worked.

They sat back down on the couch and Haley leaned into him while they watched the rest of the show. Her head was on his chest and she realized she was a lot more tired that she'd though. After struggling against sleep she finally gave up and told Nathan she was headed to bed. He followed shortly and they slid into bed next to Jamie.

It didn't take long for them all to be asleep. All four of them. Yeah, four. The reason Haley had been a little moody about the jersey, the reason she had really noticed the way the airports and the arena smelled were part of something bigger she didn't know about. She was only about two weeks along but she was pregnant. That little life inside of her had a huge effect on the way she was acting. She just didn't know it.

Let the hormones begin!

**OTHOTH**

**A.N: So...how'd you guys like that one? I know some of it was a bit fluffy but what can you do? Naley fluff is good sometimes right? How many of you thought it was gonna be a jealous Nathan chapter when that Jack guy appeared? Don't worry if you wanted jealous Nathan he's coming soon!  
**

***On a side note. I've posted chapter 2 for both the Jamie and Charlotte spin offs and I encourage everyone to give them a try. Click my name at the top to go to my profile and check them out.,  
**

**To my reviewers! You know I love you! tasha, Hadley, Diana, BDavis, Hailey, ann, Melissa, HaileyBOTH, Emma, Natalie, and Satcher...thank you so much for the feedback. I sincerely appreciate it!**

**Kutebloo: I'm so glad you liked the young and old parts. I though it would be an interesting mix up.**

**Tp404: I've been meaning to have a chapter about Charlotte's first baby/pregnancy and how Nathan and Haley deal with that but I was hoping I could wait and put it off till I go into it in her spin off story. But that seems like it will be too far away so I'll probably be doing it soon. If you read Like Mother, Like Daughter the name of Charlotte's first child is kind of foreshadowed in chapter two of her spin off. ;)**

**mazzy: I don't know when the emotional one will be, I guess late 60's early 70's (chapter numbers) so you can look forward to that.**

**Trista: Well thank you for the review! I'm always trying to please my readers so thank you for the suggestion!**

**Laura: I really appreciate the feedback you've given for the multiple chapters you've reviewed recently. Thank you so much! However, don't get your hopes up for a Brooke and Julian Little Moments, that probably won't be happening.**

**Always and Forever: I'm glad you liked Nathan and Haley as grandparents and that I named Brooke's boy Davis. It just felt wrong not to, lol.**

**Rachel: I'm a sucker for Naley with a baby too! No matter if its their child or grandchild, sign me up, I think they are cute with little ones!**

**Amy: So I was thinking...there has sort of been a chapter where Haley "saves" Nathan. 'Blame it on Me" has parts in it where Nathan just needs to hear "it" from Haley...don't want to spoil you if you haven't read it but that might be what your looking for. No fear though, I am still working on trying to find another one where he is "saved". Vulnerable Nathan is coming up so you might like that one?**

**Leah: I hope you get to read this before you don't have internet anymore. I tried to update as quick as I could.**

**Annemarie: In response to your request... I've had multiple chapters where Haley feels insecure about her body after having kids, 'Summer Day', 'Hey Jealousy', and 'We Can Work it Out' come to mind first and they include bits of what you're talking about. I'm planning on having Nathan and Haley get in a fight soon so you can look forward to that. I've had chapters were the kids are sick, 'You Give me Fever' and 'A Two to Three Inch Scar' which was posted recently so it won't be for a while until I have another one like that. I'm really happy you're liking the story so far and I hope you liked the newest chapter.**

**Blurrystars: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the one before that. I will be doing a fight chapter since a lot of people seem to want it. I guess I'll need to do it soon.**

**Please Review! I'd love to hear what you think. Suggestions, comments, concerns...whatever.**


	62. Ladies Night

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 62: Ladies Night**

**Disclaimer: Uh, no. I don't own anything.**

**A/N: So I don't think I've ever posted two chapters back to back that have been so close in time frame. This one takes place a few months after the last chapter.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley rounded the corner of their bedroom and saw Nathan come out of Jamie's room. Their son was spending the night with Chuck giving Nathan and Haley time for a much needed guy and girl nights of their own. Nathan had been home from Charlotte for a week and Haley loved having him home. As she stood in the hallway looking at her husband, Haley's hands roamed over her ever growing belly and smiled. Especially now. She loved that he was home especially now. And as much as she loved having him home, spending the night in wither her girlfriends sounded good too. She was just about eight months and more excited than she knew how to express. It was a good thing Brooke and Peyton were coming over.

Walking toward his beautiful pregnant wife, Nathan smiled, "He's about ready. I'm gonna drop him off and then I guess I'll see you later."

"Okay." She felt him put one of his hands on her stomach and looked up to him with a sweet smile. "We'll be here when you get back."

He nodded, "I won't be out too late."

Haley hoped not. She certainly didn't want to already be asleep by the time he got home. Having Jamie out of the house was a real treat and she wanted to be sure and take advantage of it later. "Have fun, tell Lucas hey for me."

Nathan shifted his hand on her stomach, "I will. I'll call you after while."

"Dad, I'm ready." Jamie came out of his room with a bag slung around his shoulder.

Before Nathan walked away, Haley pulled on his shirt and lifted up on her tiptoes. She kissed him once and looked to him sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nathan nodded and felt Jamie brush by him and watched his son put his face close to Haley's belly.

"Bye, Baby Scott." Jamie looked from her stomach up to his mom's brown eyes, "Bye Mama."

After seeing her son say goodbye to their unborn daughter she had to blink away tears, "Bye bud, have a good time. I love you."

Jamie turned to walk down the stairs and called out an 'I love you too' over his shoulder.

Nathan smiled at Haley and gave her a quick nod. He'd be back later.

She watched as her husband and son disappeared down the steps and Haley walked into the bedroom. Brooke and Peyton would be there soon and she needed to get into an appropriate girls night outfit. A girls night in, that was. Brooke said she was coming over in pajamas, and Haley would put money on it that Peyton would show up in an old band t-shirt and sweatpants. But what was she going to wear?

Haley walked to her closet but with her growing bump her selections were getting slim. She wanted a soft waist band that stretched, and an oversized shirt. After searching her closet she realized she was in the wrong place. Nathan's had the goods.

She knew what she wanted before she even opened the door; a soft blue button down, the one that was at the far right of the closet. And for bottoms, she knew what would be most comfortable. It may have seemed a bit strange for her to rifle through Nathan's underwear drawer but she couldn't help it. His Calvin's were soft, stretchy and comfortable. No wonder guys liked them. So Haley grabbed a pair of white ones and was set.

After she had what she wanted, Haley slipped on her husbands clothes and headed downstairs. Brooke and Peyton would be getting there any minute so she figured she'd go ahead and order the pizza. Since Haley was the pregnant one she got the rights to pick. It was only fair. Hopefully, Brooke wouldn't mind the mushrooms.

The phone started to ring and she waddled over to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey Haley, look, Sawyer's sick. I don't think I'll be able to do our girls night." The desperation and regret could be heard in Peyton's voice.

Disappointed, Haley shrugged, "Oh. Is she okay? Can I do something?" It was in Haley's good nature to always want to help.

"No, no, she's got a fever but I think she'll be fine. I just don't want to leave her now."

Haley understood that. Sawyer was a year old and sick babies without their mothers was never a good combination. "That's fine. We'll do it next week sometime. I hope she feels better."

Peyton sighed into the phone. "Me too."

Hearing the cries of a baby echoing through the receiver, Haley widened her eyes, "I'll let you go. It sounds like you've got your hands full."

"Thanks, bye."

Walking over to the kitchen, Haley set the phone down on the counter and wandered around. She wasn't hungry, not yet, but she was bored and waiting on Brooke. Eating was just a habit. A healthy habit if it counted as nurturing a child.

"Why do you want me to eat all the time?" Haley glanced down at her stomach as if her baby could respond. She rolled her eyes and opened up the fridge. Right before she picked up the cottage cheese the phone rang again. "Jeez, we're pretty popular tonight, huh?" Again, there was no answer from her belly but when she lifted the phone to her ear she got one.

"Don't hate me." Haley instantly knew it was Brooke. The raspy voiced brunette spoke again, "Julian came home to surprise me from the movie shoot and..."

Haley didn't need all the details, "That's fine. Go on. Have fun. We'll do it next week." Knowing what it was like to have a significant other gone for long periods of times, Haley sympathized with Brooke.

"I really am sorry that Julian surprised me. Okay, no, I'm not sorry, but I feel bad."

Laughing at Brooke, Haley shook her head, "Brooke, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I'll call you tomorrow."

Brooke really did feel bad so she sighed into the phone, "Okay, bye Tutor-Mom."

"Bye." Haley set the phone down and looked around the big empty house. There were supposed to be two other girls that brought the number to three. There should have been three girls who would act like they were all in high school again, paint nails, gossip, curl hair, and watch a chick flick. But now, it was just Haley. Scratch that, Haley and her belly. Technically that was two.

The situation seemed laughable and then Haley saw headlights coming up the driveway. At least the pizza was there.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had just dropped Jamie off at Chuck's and was headed downtown. He couldn't even remember the last time he hung out with the guys. For the last six, almost seven months he'd been in Charlotte busy with basketball, and the time he got to come home he tried his hardest to spend with his family. Regretfully, that meant his friends had been kind of pushed aside, but with the off season picking up, Nathan was ready to have a beer with the boys.

As he pulled out of the neighborhood he felt his pants start to buzz. Someone was trying to get in touch with him. He glanced as the screen as saw that it was a text from Luke.

_Sawyer's sick, can't make it tonight._

Nathan's face fell. That sucked. He hadn't gotten to spend quality time with is brother in a while. Skills and Mouth would be good company for the night though. Then it happened again. His phone buzzed and it was Skills this time.

_Won't be at Tric. Promised Lauren we'd go out._

He was starting to feel like the kid at the playground nobody wanted on their team. And Nathan Scott was never picked last. His phone buzzed again and saw that it was Skills finishing up his last text.

_Just the two of us._

Laughing, Nathan nodded his head. He knew what Skills had meant.

As he drove closer to the old warehouse, Nathan realized how much he'd missed Tree Hill while he was in Charlotte or on the road. There was nothing like it. No other place made him feel the way he did when he was there. Taking a right, Nathan slowed the car as he pulled into the Tric parking lot. But before he even stepped a foot out of the car his phone rang.

It was Mouth. Nathan shook his head. "If this is to say he can't make it..." Nathan took a deep breath, "Hello?"

"Hey? I've been at the station for the last hour trying to get these tapes worked out and I've still got a bunch left. I think I'll be here for the night. Tell Skills he can drink for the both of us."

Unbelievable. It was exactly the phone call Nathan didn't want. He took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, I'll tell him." He hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. So much for a guys night.

He could have gone in. He could have seen if Chase was tending bar but he wasn't even the full time bartender these days. He'd moved up to manager or something. The likelihood of seeing one of his buddies tonight was slim to none. Haley was probably laughing it up with Brooke and Peyton and hopefully they wouldn't mind if he crashed their party. He'd stay out of the way. Jamie had a Wii in his room and Nathan could stay busy on that thing for hours.

Turning the ignition, Nathan put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking space. He was headed home.

The drive to the house didn't take long, and when he pulled in the driveway he raised his brow wondering why Brooke and Peyton's cars weren't there yet. After he got out he was met at the door by Haley.

She smiled and put her hand on her hip, "Well your not the pizza guy."

Nathan looked behind his shoulder and back to his wife, "Nope. Where are Brooke and Peyton?"

The twosome walked inside and Haley laughed, "You'll never believe it but they both canceled on me."

Nathan laughed even harder, "You're kidding?"

Haley shook her head, "No." She looked back up to him and realized he was home. "And why are you here? Did you forget something? I thought you were meeting the guys?"

"Canceled on me."

Raising her brow, Haley smiled, "You're kidding."

"Nope. Skills went out with Lauren, Mouth was stuck at the office and Lucas said that Sawyer..."

Haley finished his sentence because she knew how it ended, "...is sick."

"Yeah. Is that what Peyton said?" Nathan probably didn't need to ask since Haley apparently already knew.

"Uh-huh." Haley looked around the house and sighed, "So much for my girls night."

Nathan could hear the disappointment and saw how her face dropped when she'd said it. If he'd learned anything the first time around, a pregnant Haley was never someone to disappoint. He was going to take one for the team. "That's not entirely true."

Turning to him she saw that smirk and furrowed her brow, "You mean _you _want to have a girls night."

The thought almost made him grimace but if it made her happy he'd do it. "If you want to."

He was so sweet. Nathan was giving up his night to do girl things and Haley didn't hesitate to say yes. Nathan wasn't Brooke and he wasn't Peyton but it would still be fun. It might end up being a disaster. The nail polish might need to be put away, that stuff stained. But either way, they would be together so it couldn't go that bad.

**OTHOTH**

To start things off, Haley figured that if she was gonna get something done she wanted it to be her hair. She could normally do it herself but lately her pregnancy fatigue, as she called it, was wearing her down. As they made their way upstairs Haley thought about how things would go. They might not go at all.

"So what are we doing first?" The hesitation in his voice was adorable.

Haley looked to him and smiled, "Hair. I'm gonna get you to curl it."

"Me?" Nathan wasn't so sure how that was going to work. He didn't even know how Haley curled her own hair. How was he supposed to be the one to do it? Knowing nothing about anything hair related, he'd probably pick up the blow dryer and give it a try.

As she made it to the top stair she rested her hand on her stomach and nodded, "Yes you. It's not hard."

She walked by him and pulled him by the arm toward their room. "I'll show you what to do." Nathan followed his wife and when she put the curling iron in his hand it looked as foreign to him as Calculus. Haley tried not to laugh at Nathan's blank stare. "Look, it's easy." Haley showed him exactly what he needed to do and shoved it in his direction, "You're turn."

Slowly and meticulously, Nathan started curling Haley's hair and after a while he started to get the hang of things. He was working diligently and felt Haley's head shake with laughter. "What? What am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing." Haley laughed out loud again, "It's just that I have this mental image of you working in a salon and..."

"Stop. Not funny." Nathan held the iron in one hand and put his other hand on his hip.

Haley saw the way he looked and laughed harder, "Well don't stand like that."

Nathan looked in the mirror and realized he wasn't showing off his manly side. At all. "I think we're done with this."

Haley's mouth fell open and furrowed her brow, "But you didn't finish. You need to do all the strands."

He looked at her partially curled hair and shook his head. "I think it looks great like this." He was telling the truth. Nathan loved her hair in many ways but loose curls enough to give it a bit of flare was what he liked best. Straight was alright and super tight curls were fine too, but as he looked at Haley in front of him he knew exactly how he liked it.

Glancing to his eyes in the mirror she saw that he was being perfectly serious. A sudden warmth hit her cheeks and she realized she was blushing. She turned around to face him and raised her brow, "You like it this way the best?"

Nathan didn't know exactly how he should answer. If he said just plain old yeah then she might think he didn't like it other ways, and if he back peddled and said no then she might think he'd just said it to stop. And with her being hormonal and pregnant he knew he needed a good answer. He put his fingers at the ends of her hair and nodded, "I like it however you do it but _this_ is my favorite."

She was about to reply back but the doorbell rang and she smiled, "Pizza's here."

Nathan laughed as Haley walked by him but stopped her. "Wait let me get it." He looked at her outfit and didn't think it was the most appropriate attire. He didn't want some pizza kid to see Haley like that. It wasn't like she was showing anything. His shirt covered her upper half but the bottom half was more of his concern. Her bump was hiding the front, but from the back it looked like she didn't have anything on underneath, and he didn't want to come down the stairs catching some teenager trying to see under the oversized shirt. "I got it."

Haley realized that he was looking at her outfit and smiled seductively, "Worried about what the pizza guy might see?"

Nathan flat out nodded his head in agreement, "Yep, and I'm the only one in that department so you stay up here while I pay him."

She laughed and sat down on the bed as Nathan walked downstairs. She heard the faint conversation which consisted of 'thank you' and 'whoa, you're Nathan Scott' downstairs, and then when she heard Nathan call her name she made her way to the kitchen.

Laughing as she made it to the bottom step she stopped before she went any further, "Am I okay to walk over there?" She made it look as if she were scoping out the house for any other could be peepers.

He rolled his eyes and opened the pizza box. "What did you order anyway?" He looked down at the amount of cheese that covered up most of the toppings.

Haley walked close and got out two plates. "Sausage, mushrooms, black olives and extra cheese."

Extra cheese was right. Nathan smiled at the amount he saw piled on the pizza. "They definitely gave you extra cheese."

She handed him a plate cut her eyes, "I happen to love cheese so it's fine with me."

"No, yeah. I mean it's fine I was just saying." He didn't want to get into a little argument about the cheese. He hadn't meant to make her annoyed. He Just pointed out the exorbitant amount of dairy for pleasant conversation.

Haley piled her plate full and Nathan got half as much as Haley. They sat down on the couch and Haley used her big belly as a lapboard. She was sunken in the pillows enjoying her meal and Nathan just watched. He didn't know how she did it. She was still so little but crammed everything and anything into her mouth these days.

She could feel his eyes on hers and looked at the feast of pizza in front of her. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare judge me." She was more comical than mad. "I'm eating for two, you know."

Nathan knew. He absolutely knew. "I know." He set his food down on the coffee table and scooted closer to Haley. His hand went to her stomach and he nodded. "I know." It still amazed him that there was a little life in there. Part of him and part of her.

Haley loved it when Nathan has his hands on her stomach. She turned to him and smiled, "Are you excited?"

"More than excited." He didn't know exactly how to describe it but he simply looked in her eyes and nodded.

Nathan's hand shifted positions and Haley cleared her throat, "What about Jamie? How do you think he's gonna do with it?"

"Uh, I know he's excited. But I think we'll just have to wait and see how he reacts when she's born. It's been just him for a while now and it might take some getting used to." That was as good an answer he could give her. Honestly, he didn't know how Jamie would react. Hopefully, well. The kid was incredibly well mannered and was even wise beyond his years but that didn't mean he was ready to be out of the spotlight.

Haley wondered how Nathan knew so much. He was an only child for all intense and purposes. "You know all the right things to say, don't you?"

"I get it from books mainly. I got a lot of reading done when I was on the road." He laughed at the thought because he'd never really been much of a reader, but when he'd fly to Dallas or Oklahoma City, or play a game in L.A, he had to find something to pass the time. He looked at her and shrugged, "How did all of you do it, you're family?"

Haley took a deep breath, "I don't know. I never really had to deal with it as much since I was the youngest, but I'm sure it took some getting used to for the older ones." She put her hand over his and changed the subject, "Do you think it will be easier this time?"

Nathan nodded, "We're not kids anymore. We were so young with Jamie and now we've grown so much that it can't not be easier." He saw that she wasn't buying it. "Why? Do think it will be harder?"

Haley didn't know. "Maybe. What if I forget how to do it?"

He scrunched his brow and let out a small laugh, "Being a mom?" He looked hard into her eyes and shook his head, "Haley, there's no way you could forget that."

"But..."

Cutting her off he looked deeper into her eyes, "You won't. You're the best mom there is and you won't forget how to do it." He raised his hand to her cheek and nodded, "I promise."

Let the flood gates open. Haley swallowed her bite of pizza and had to do some of her breathing exercises just to not burst into full-fledged sobs. He was so sweet. He was so kind. Always there for her, and always with the right things to say. She looked at him and smiled through tear stained cheeks, "Thanks."

Haley regained her more happy state of mind after a few minutes and for the rest of their meal together they talked about their family. Nathan had pictured them falling asleep on the couch together but girls night wasn't over yet.

**OTHOTH**

Once Haley finished her last slice of pizza Nathan tried not to smile or look at her strangely, but he was sure that was number five. Five pieces of pizza! He got up off the couch and took his and her plate to the kitchen thinking it was the nice thing to do. He hadn't expect Haley to follow him.

"You didn't have to come in here. I told you I would do the dishes."

Haley walked closer to him and put her hand on his back, "I know but it's movie time."

Nathan nodded but then shook his head, "Aren't we gonna watch it in the living room?" He wasn't so sure why she was in the kitchen.

She pulled out a bowl, the eggs, and a red box of brownie mix, "Yes but you gotta make brownies first."

"Is this one of your girl things?" Nathan turned on the water and rinsed off the dinner plates.

Haley nodded, "Brooke and Peyton and I have realized over the years that nothing goes better with a movie than the smell of fresh baking brownies."

Did he hear her right? Movies go with the _smell_ of baking brownies. "Wait? Just the smell?"

"Uh-huh. It's really relaxing." Haley acted as if it wasn't strange at all. She pulled out a pan and then opened the red box.

Nathan was still trying to figure it out and stood there blankly.

"Aren't you going to help me?" Haley raised her brow and held out the wooden spoon in his direction.

"Yeah, sure." Nathan walked over to her and the two of them started to tackle Betty Crocker.

Amazingly enough, Nathan didn't drop a single egg shell in the batter. Haley stirred and after she got tired Nathan took over. He was actually a really big help in the kitchen. When everything was done and the the brownies went in the over Nathan caught Haley trying to finger out a little bit of batter left in the bowl.

"Haley! Don't do that."

She turned to him as if she were a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "What? It's just a little brownie batter."

"There are raw eggs in there. That's not healthy." He wasn't only concerned for her well being but the baby too. "That could give you ecoli or something."

She laughed and raised her brow, "It's fine. It's just a little. And actually, it's not e coli, it would be salmonella."

"Whatever." Nathan wasn't taking the matter lightly, "Really. You shouldn't do that." He walked over to her and took the bowl.

"Nathan!" She reached for the bowl but their height difference was unbeatable. She was still licking her lips from her previous dip and really wanted another. "Come on, please."

Lowering the bowl he watched as she scraped out some batter. Her finger was covered in chocolatey goodness and then all of the sudden that finger was smearing his upper lip and lips with brownie batter.

Haley laughed and studied her husband. It looked like he had a mustache and goatee that was melting. "Sorry honey but you can't really pull that look off."

Putting the bowl in the sink he nodded. Nathan used the top side of his hand to wipe off his face and couldn't help but taste it.

In a very sarcastic way, Haley tried to imitate Nathan. "Don't do that. You could get ecoli or something."

Nathan shot her a look and imitated her, "Salmonella."

Haley kind of loved the way the were bickering. She walked up closer to him until her belly touched his. He still had a little bit of chocolate on his face but she could fix that. Wrapping her arms around his back she smiled at him. "You're sexy when you get mad." Nathan rolled his eyes and Haley poked him in the chest, "I'm serious, do that again."

"Haley, aren't we gonna watch a movie?" He was sort of getting irritated.

She could tell in his tone that he was annoyed so she did what she knew best. Pulling down on his neck, Haley smiled and kissed him. He tasted like brownie batter. Nathan had been annoyed but that was over with. Haley had him feeling much better and his worries about e coli or salmonella or whatever were gone.

As they parted she moved her hands down to his waist, "Now how about that movie?"

After that kiss how could he say no? He didn't and followed her back into the living room. He didn't even care what the movie was. Nathan didn't care if it was _The Notebook_ or _Pretty Woman_ or _Baby Mama_. Nathan would endure whatever.

Haley got out the movie and held it out. She cleared her throat and started to sing in a hushed whisper, "You don't own me. I'm not just one of your many toys. You don't own me. Don't say I can't go with other boys. And don't tell me what to do. And don't tell me what to say. And when I go out with you don't put me on display. You don't own me..."

Nathan didn't know what song she was singing but he loved the way she looked in his shirt, pregnant and singing. "What is that?"

Holding out the movie she smiled. "The First Wives Club." He halfway slid over to the DVD player and laughed. "Brooke is Goldie, I'm Diane, and Peyton's Bette. We've got the dance number memorized."

Nathan looked at the DVD cover and figured by the hair color that Peyton would have been Goldie and Brooke, Bette. He'd just have to watch the movie to figure it out. Haley walked back to the couch after putting the movie in and sat down next to her husband.

As the movie started Nathan took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he was going to like it but Haley did and he'd try on her behalf. And oddly enough, about halfway though he wasn't ready to pull his eyeballs out, it was kind of funny. The timer for the brownies dinged and he let Haley stay while he took them out of the oven. She'd been right. They made the house smell delicious and he wouldn't put it past them if the chocolaty dessert was what helped him enjoy the movie.

When he walked back to the couch he saw that Haley was drifting off to sleep. Nathan gently sat down and wrapped a protective arm around her. He could have taken her upstairs then but he actually wanted to watch the rest of the movie. It only had about twenty minutes left.

Once the credits were rolling, Nathan looked down to his right and could feel her cheek on his chest. He knew that she was going to wake up if he moved but they needed to get to bed eventually. Placing a sweet kiss on her forehead, Nathan tried to gently wake Haley. She wasn't moving a muscle so he'd have to be a little more obvious.

"Hales?" He whispered to her and wondered if she would wake up then.

Her eyes started to open and she saw that the screen was black, "I missed it?"

Nathan figured she was talking about the end when the girls all go dancing and singing down the street. "Yeah."

After yawning Haley pouted, "Aw man, that's my favorite part."

Laughing at her half asleep state of mind he got up, "Come on, let's go to bed."

Haley sunk her head back into the pillows, "I'm good here." She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"Your back's gonna kill you if you sleep here." Nathan could tell that she really didn't want to move.

She felt his strong arms wrap around her and then that she was being lifted off the couch. "Nathan!"

"I got you." He wasn't going to drop her.

Sometimes she forgot that he was so strong, but then again she was really little. Her added weight from the pregnancy didn't even seem to phase him. While Haley was in his arms she closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride up to their bedroom.

Nathan laid her down and while he went to change clothes he started humming "You Don't Own Me." It wasn't like he was consciously doing it, it just sorta happened.

Haley rolled over and smiled into her pillow. It was really adorable listening to him trying to hum that song. She felt the bed shift with his weight and cracked her eyes open. "You liked that movie, didn't you?

He wasn't gonna lie. "Maybe." Nathan turned to her and his hands found her stomach. He was hoping she would kick before they went to bed.

She smiled at the touch of his hands and knew he wanted to feel the baby. Haley put her hands on her stomach waiting for the same thing. And then she felt it. A kick. The baby was kicking.

"Here. It's right here." Haley pulled Nathan's hand onto of the spot and smiled at his reaction. It was something he'd never get used to.

"She's strong." Nathan was amazed at the little girl's strength.

Haley nodded, "Get's it from you."

Nathan felt proud by Haley's words. Maybe the baby would be strong, maybe she wouldn't. She didn't even have to be an athlete, he was just so excited about having that girl he could care less if she was into Barbie over basketball.

Haley could feel sleep coming fast and closed her eyes. Nathan's hands were still on her and she smiled, "Thanks for doing the girl stuff with me tonight."

Nathan smiled, "It's just practice for later." He looked at her stomach and wondered what it would be like to have another girl around the house. No more two versus one, Haley was getting a teammate. They were gonna be tied with one a piece and Nathan couldn't be more excited.

Both of them were incredibly excited about the baby and adding to their family. They knew things would be wonderful and great, and they also knew not everything would go smooth all the time, but it was a risk they'd taken. It was a risk they'd taken years ago when they first got married. But together they would find a way to make it work. They always did.

**OTHOTH**

**A/N: I know that was full of fluff but next chapter will be more along the lines of what most of y'all are really looking forward to. I really intended to have some sort of flashback to having a moment where Nathan flashes back to finding Haley high after the camping trip but it just wasn't working. I'll find a way to put it in somewhere though, I know a lot of y'all want that. And about next chapter, my first thought was that I'd post a Father's Day chapter but I think most of you would rather see jealous Nathan, right? Let me know in a review.**

**To my reviewers: Thank you so much for the continued support and even the new support. I love that you guys give such great feedback and it really helps encourage me to write more chapters. **

**Moonqueen19: I'm glad you liked the chapter and that it had to do with Nathan's basketball career. I'll see what I can do about having a chapter when announcers spot/point out Haley and or Jamie in the crowd. I don't have another basketball themed one planned for a while but when I do, I'll try and add it in.**

**tp404: Jamie holding Haley's hand was something I thought would be a sweet moment and I'm glad you liked it.**

**KC: It's great to know that when you read last chapter it really felt real. That's a great compliment to get as a writer. Thank you. Throwing in the tattoo was something I knew I wanted in the chapter and I'm glad you liked that I put it in there.**

**Diana: Yes, I did write a chapter about Haley telling Nathan she's pregant. It's way back, chapter 5, 'Tell Him'.**

**Laura: Yeah, I thought people might think Jack was part of the jealousy theme be I never even thought about Jamie being jealous. That would have been cute. Maybe I'll do a chapter with jealous Jamie in it?**

**Mazzy: Yeah, Jack was a curve ball I threw in for a distraction...I figured most people would think the chapter would be jealous Nathan but it wasn't...that's coming soon.**

**Naleyfan: I'm really glad you liked the chapter and how she ended up being pregnant in the end. I never intended for that to happen but when I was checking out my time line it fit so it worked out. This new chapter had a tiny bit of them talking about the new baby but I'm not sure if it included everything you really want out of a chapter when they "get ready" for the baby. I'll have to add that to my list.**

**Becky: I've kind of always thought Nathan is a good reassure-er so him acting quickly is me and my wishful thinking I guess. I'm glad you liked it.**

**Hadley: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**Joan: The wing part was probably my favorite part so I'm really happy you enjoyed it!**

**Alexis: I'm really happy that you liked jealous Haley and jealous Nathan will be soon!**

**Emma: Ha, I think I "spoil" you guys with jealousy chapters because they are fun to write. I'm glad you liked it and get ready cause another jealous one is coming up!**

**BDavis: I'll ad Jamie's first week to my list of things to do. I think the show really missed out on showing us cause Nathan and Haley are adorable with a baby, so I'll guess I'll have to fill in the blanks.**

**SJ: I'm really glad that you felt the chapter portrayed things that were or could have been "real". I try and do things that could have or might in the future happen with the characters so that was a great compliment!**

**Thanks so much for the feedback guys! You all know I really appreciate it! Please let me know what you thought and it's Father's Day versus jealous Nathan. I'm thinking the second?**


	63. Number One Dad

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 63: Number One Dad**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own One Tree Hill. Just give me some creativity points and a thumbs up for my original characters.**

**A/N: Well, I had a hard time deciding if I was going to do this chapter or not. Many thanks to those of you who left votes in your review for last chapter. Jealous Nathan won by an incredibly slim margin but I just didn't feel right leaving Father's Day out. I had a really hard time trying to figure out how old I wanted everyone (so it wasn't a copy of the Mother's Day chap) and what they would do so I hope you guys like it. If you don't...uh, well, jealous Nathan is next, so yay for that. Oh, and sorry it's on the short side. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

June weather in North Carolina was either hot and humid or hot and humid with a slight breeze. While the temperature wasn't always flattering, the breeze (when it came) was a welcomed friend. Except when you're playing golf. Nathan wasn't world's best golfer and he certainly didn't need an added hurdle with gusts taking his ball every which way.

Nathan stood up to the tee box and gripped his driver firmly. They were teeing off on number ten and had just finished the back nine. It was somewhat of a guys golfing trip. Lucas had Keith, and Nathan had Jamie. But it wasn't a coincidence that the pairs were father son. It was Father's Day weekend and that Saturday had been turned into a golfing excursion.

"Keep your head down." Encouragement and instruction rang out of twenty one year old Jamie's mouth as he watched his father step up to the ball.

Nathan looked at his son and rolled his eyes. He didn't need instructions. All he had to do was step up to the ball and whack it. Simple as that. Taking the club back, Nathan swung and heard the hard contact the club made when it hit the ball.

Twelve year old Keith stood next to his father and gawked at how well his uncle had just hit. "Whoa."

"Nice shot, Nate." Lucas grabbed his club and walked to the tee box half amused at Nathan's good shot. He hadn't hit a shot that well the whole time.

Proud and a little surprised that his ball stayed straight and on the fairway, Nathan walked back to the car with his head held high, "Starting out fresh on the back nine." He gave his son a nod and smile then turned to watch his brother.

Jamie laughed and waited patiently for his uncle to hit so he could go. Once Lucas hit and saw that his ball had rolled into the fairway bunker he grimaced. "Ugh!"

"That's okay Dad!" Keith looked down the fairway and nodded, "You'll be able to get it out."

It was Jamie's turn and Nathan watched his son take his stance. He always enjoyed the time he got to spend with his son these days. Lately it was getting harder to get that father son time with Jamie being in Chapel Hill, but the moments he did come home were times Nathan really enjoyed.

After Jamie hit, he walked to the cart and Nathan drove off. The elder Scott pointed down the fairway to his ball and smirked, "_That_, was a good shot."

Jamie couldn't deny the fact that his father hit a really nice drive but he looked at the scorecard and laughed. "Yeah it was good but you're getting beat by a twelve year old."

Nathan looked down and saw that his nephew was beating him. "Keith's good." Nathan didn't particularly like the fact that a kid, not even a teenager, but a kid was beating him. "And he even gets to hit in front of us."

"He's twelve." Jamie turned to his dad and laughed.

"Maybe I'm letting him beat me? Ever think of that? Your mom and I used to do that when you and Charlotte were little. Let you win."

Still laughing, Jamie shook his head, "I won Candy Land fair and square every time we played."

Nathan was running out of excuses, "Well Keith _is_ good."

"I know, I'm just giving you a hard time."

"Gee, thanks." Nathan huffed and pulled next to Lucas's cart so they could watch Keith hit.

The boy hit a three wood perfectly and Nathan just laughed. It wasn't fair. No kid should be able to out golf an almost forty year old.

Jamie watched Keith's ball roll close to the green and patted his father on the back, "Sure Dad, letting him win."

"Shut up." Nathan rolled his eyes and stomped on the gas, "I've still got in on the court though."

Holding onto the rail of the cart, Jamie laughed as they sped to his ball. His dad was hysterical; getting all worked up over a game and a twelve year old. He really didn't like to lose. When the cart stopped Jamie went to his bag and reached for the six iron. Before he took to his ball he looked at his dad. "You don't have to worry about that Dad, basketball will always be your thing."

Nathan felt a surge of pride swarm his chest and he nodded. He may have not been in the NBA anymore, but he still had it.

For the next hour and a half golf went well. Nathan was making a pretty good comeback but Keith was holding strong. He wasn't going to let his uncle catch up to him. Jamie and Lucas kept flip flopping with the lead but going into to the last hole, Lucas was winning.

As the three older guys headed to the tee box, Keith watched from the cart. "You got it Dad!" He proudly looked on and nodded his head.

Lucas smiled and stepped up to his ball. He'd won the last hole so he had the honors of hitting first. With a quick swing, his ball sailed through the air and Jamie had to take a deep breath. It was going to take more than a good hole to beat Lucas.

Before Jamie hit Nathan nodded toward his son, "You got this Jame."

The twenty-something got up to his ball and took a deep breath then smacked the hell out of that tiny white ball. It flew past Lucas's shot and Jamie smiled at himself.

Nathan had one of those moments. One of those proud parent moments when your child does something great and you can't help but smile. Jamie wasn't a kid anymore but Nathan was certainly proud of him. Proud of his success at school, proud that he'd found a good girl, proud of the man Jamie was becoming, and pretty proud that he just out drove his uncle. All of the things Nathan was proud of in his son, he had to credit Haley. She was the good one. The nice person who had a bigger heart than he could describe, and the one, who no doubt, instilled all of the good qualities in their children. She wasn't athletic so maybe Jamie got Nathan's golf swing, well not his golf swing, but his athleticism from his father. The rest of it came from his mom. At least that was Nathan's thinking. What he didn't realize though, was the fact that Haley thought the same of him. Nathan never seemed to give himself enough credit in the parenting department but he was an amazing father.

Jamie watched his dad hit a slice to the right and tried not to laugh. It was a funny thing to see former NBA great, Nathan Scott fail miserably at playing golf. And he wasn't even that bad, he was just having one of those days.

As Nathan huffed and puffed his way back to the cart, Jamie felt his pants buzz. He pulled out his phone and saw that it was a text from Charlotte. She was asking him about her idea for the gift for their dad and he thought it was a great idea. They'd already decided on a "big" present but Charlotte and her mom needed to pick up something else.

Nathan got into the cart and shook his head, "I suck." He laughed and shook his head again, "I don't think I'll be winning any celebrity tournaments any time soon."

Jamie had to agree with him there. "Probably not."

By the time all the Scott guys got to the green it was pretty clear that Jamie was gonna win. Lucas had shanked his second shot into the rough and by the time he got on the green Nathan even had a chance to beat Luke on the hole. And that's what happened. Jamie made par, Keith and Nathan made double bogies and Lucas ended up with a quadruple bogey. But all in all it was a good round. The father son duos had a great time during their appropriate Father's Day outing.

Jamie was putting his clubs in the car and reached for Nathan's.

"Jamie, I can get mine. I'm not that old yet."

Jamie laughed, "I know, but I'm already putting mine up. It's no big deal." He shut the hatch of the car and shrugged, "Besides, it's Father's Day tomorrow. It's the least I could do."

Nathan nodded and got into the driver's seat. As he waited for Jaime to get in he thought about how much he loved Father's Day, how much he loved his kids. Jamie and Charlotte meant everything to him and he didn't even need a day to celebrate that. Doing the simple things; playing a round of golf, taking Charlotte to school, things like that were what made Nathan happy. Tomorrow would just be an added bonus with a sweet card and gift.

**OTHOTH**

When the boys left that morning for their day at the golf course they left Haley and Charlotte home. But the girls didn't stay home long. Normally, Haley would be prepared for Father's Day, have the presents, the cards, the fridge stocked with food for tomorrow's breakfast, everything, but not that day.

"Charlotte, come on!" Haley called up the stairs waiting for her fourteen year old. They needed to get out and hit the stores because everything good was going to be gone if they didn't go soon.

Hustling down the stairs, Charlotte shrugged, "What's the rush?" She finished putting her shoes on and looked at her mother with a raised brow.

Haley furrowed her forehead, "Because tomorrow is Father's Day and we need to get your dad something." She quickly gathered her purse and saw that Charlotte was giving her the smirk. "What's that look for? Don't give me that."

Charlotte laughed, "Why is this so last minute? This isn't you."

She knew that. Haley knew that last minute to-dos were not her thing. Haley liked everything planned and preferably done at least a week a head of time. "Your dad's the hardest person on the planet to shop for and it's just been hard to think of things to get him."

"So you know what you're getting him now?" Charlotte questioned her mother already knowing the answer.

"No, but I figure if we go to enough stores we're bound to find something he'll like."

Walking towards the door, Charlotte smiled. She had already talked with Jamie about what they should get their dad, but a day shopping with her mom would be fun.

The two girls got in the car and headed out. Haley turned out of their driveway ready to tackles the list of places to shop. Joseph A. Bank was first.

After a short drive, the girls where at the men's clothing store. As Haley pulled into a parking space Charlotte looked at her mother, "Clothes? We don't need to get dad clothes. That's boring."

Haley turned the car off and shrugged, "Let's just go look."

Being the teenager she was, Charlotte rolled her eyes and got out of the car. The mother and daughter walked into the store and Haley instantly went to the back of the store. Charlotte followed and then grimaced when she saw what her mom was picking out.

"Ew. Mom. No." The girl watched as her mother picked up a set of gray, a set of white, and a set of black. "I'm not giving dad underwear for Father's Day."

Haley turned to face Charlotte, "I'll say they're from me."

"Please, no. Can we go get something else?" Charlotte walked over to the left side of the store and noticed the colorful ties hanging up. "How about a tie? Dad could probably use a new one, you're always pulling on his."

Haley laughed and bit her lip. She never realized that Charlotte noticed that she pulled on Nathan's tie. It wasn't like it was something Haley did consciously. It was more of involuntary type thing. A habit she'd taken up in high school and never really stopped. "He has plenty of ties." Haley looked down at the underwear in her hands and sighed, "You really don't want me to get these?"

Charlotte made a disturbing face that was doubled as her answer. "That's gross on a whole bunch of levels. Why don't we try somewhere else?" Charlotte looked outside and watched as her mom put the underwear back where it belonged.

"Well, where else are we gonna go?" Haley and Charlotte walked out of the store and Charlotte thought of something as they got into the car.

"How about Home-Depot. That's like guy heaven, right?"

Haley reversed out of the parking lot and shrugged, "I guess." She thought about it some more and shook her head, "But you dad's not a tool type guy."

Charlotte realized that was true. She'd never in her life seen her father with a drill or even so much as a hammer. "Don't they sell more than just tools there? What about for outside? Like a lawnmower?"

"Yeah, but we have a gardener." Haley loved that Charlotte was full of ideas but they weren't really helping.

"Fire him. Dad's got some free time these days. Coaching the Seahawks doesn't take up that much time."

Laughing, Haley agreed there. "I know but there are like a thousand options when it comes to lawnmowers." She had started to notice that Nathan was becoming more and more interested in yard work now that he'd been home for a while. "I mean what would he want? A riding one or a regular one?"

Charlotte didn't know the answer to the question. "Uh, well, he's an active guy so he'd probably like to have a regular push lawnmower."

Haley was thinking about it. It would be a good gift but then there were always the 'what ifs'. "I don't know, I think that's the sort of thing he might want to pick out."

Sighing heavily, Charlotte looked out the window. It looked like rain was rolling in. She changed the topic a little and looked at her mom. "Do you think Dad and Jamie are gonna get rained out?"

Glancing toward the sky she shook her head. "I think it's gonna pass. They'll probably get to play." Haley knew what rain looked like. Those clouds weren't exactly the kind she was familiar with. True rain clouds, those, she'd recognize easily. Then it hit her, "Golf."

"Golf, what?" Charlotte wasn't really sure what her mom was trying to get across but that one word wasn't enough.

"His present. We can get him something golf oriented."

Charlotte smiled because that's exactly what she and Jamie had been thinking about.

Haley's sudden happy face turned into a frown, "But what does he need? I don't know anything about golf."

"A putter." Charlotte said it so mater of factly that it confused Haley.

"A putter?"

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah, sure. Jamie's always saying how bad Dad sucks at putting so maybe he could use a nice fancy putter? I'll text Jamie."

Haley didn't realize Nathan was such a bad putter, "But he's always so good at putt-putt, he's not a good putter?"

"I guess not. That's just what Jamie says."

Laughing at the thought of Nathan stinking at some sort of sport, Haley turned to Charlotte, "So where do we go? Pro Golf? I think there's one on Eastwood Road?"

"That sounds right."

Haley took a left and while they made their way to the golf shop she wasn't completely sold on the putter. "Are you sure that's enough, just a putter?"

Charlotte looked at her mom and smiled, "Actually, Jamie and I had an idea." She paused to see if her mom was interested in what she had to say. "It's pretty expensive but Jamie says Dad talks about it all the time when they play..."

After listening to the gift idea that Charlotte had, Haley nodded. It was a great idea. It would be expensive but Nathan was worth it. And if they got two tickets, maybe Nathan would take her.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Haley woke up and smiled when she saw Nathan. He was facing her with his cheek resting on his pillow and his blue eyes shut. Haley could look at him for forever. The way his wrinkles on his forehead got deeper the closer to the center she looked, the way his nostrils flared when he took really deep breaths, or how his lips pursed together as he slept. There were about a thousand things she could admire about him but she needed to get up and get breakfast going. It was tradition after all. Even after twenty years they'd kept the same routine up. Whether it be Father's or Mother's Day, the one on the receiving end would get breakfast in bed. And since it was June, Nathan got the honor.

Haley slowly lifted the covers off of her and started to get out, but before she did she placed a sweet kiss on Nathan's cheek. "Happy Father's Day." He didn't stir a bit so she smiled and reached for her robe. As she made her way downstairs she heard two familiar voices. When she got to the bottom of the steps she saw both of her kids messing around in the kitchen.

Charlotte heard her mom's footsteps and turned around, "We didn't wake you up did we?" She was a little concerned they'd been making too much noise.

Haley realized that Charlotte was wearing an apron and then saw what it was her children were doing. They were making breakfast. Overwhelmed by the sweetness, Haley widened her eyes, "What are you two doing? You didn't have to do all this."

Jamie was kneading out the dough and shrugged, "We thought we might get a heads start." He looked to his kid sister and smiled, "Charlotte made the dough."

Holding out an index card, Charlotte nodded, "I used your recipe." The teenager was proud of herself but then laughed, "I figured we could wait on you to do the gravy. I know who much Dad likes the gravy so I didn't want to mess that up."

Haley walked over to her kids and smiled, "Yeah, I can do that." She got out the sausage from the refrigerator still marveled by what she'd woken up to that morning. Her kids were incredible for cooking, or at least getting it started.

After cutting the biscuits and putting them on the pan, Jamie slid them into the oven and looked at his mom, "So do you think he has any idea?"

Haley shook her head, "I don't think so. I don't know how he could have figured it out."

Charlotte was getting out four plates and turned back to her family, "What if he called the bank for some reason yesterday. Wouldn't he notice that a chunk of money is gone?"

Jamie laughed and shook his head, "Dad's not the type to worry about money. He probably wouldn't notice."

"Yeah, that's probably not likely. He wouldn't have had a reason to look at the bank statements yesterday." Haley had to do a double take as she spoke those words. Not worrying about money was almost laughable considering when they first got married money problems caused a lot of...problems.

"You guys think he's gonna like it?"

"The putter or the other thing?" Charlotte was wondering which gift her mom was talking about.

"Both."

Jamie nodded his head, "He's gonna love them. Dad's been talking about getting a new putter for a long time and those tickets are just icing on the cake."

Charlotte looked at the pan her mother was stirring and laughed, "Or like gravy on the biscuits."

Haley laughed and hoped that's how Nathan would react. She certainly knew he'd like the putter but the tickets were something else. It wasn't like going to a basketball game.

Jamie noticed that the silverware was missing so he got out some forks and napkins and put them next to the plates. Charlotte watched as Jamie poured the orange juice and realized there was nothing else for her to do. She picked up the gravy recipe card and her eyes bugged, "Mom, gah, this stuff is like a heart attack on a plate. Should Dad even be eating this stuff?"

Haley turned around and shrugged, "I know it's not good for you but he loves it. I don't do it often so it won't hurt him."

Charlotte's concern grew, "But, uh, hello. There is a history of bad hearts in the family."

Jamie walked next to Charlotte and shook his head, "Dad's fine. He's in good shape. Don't worry about it."

Haley nodded along with what her son was saying. "You're dad's got a great heart." Haley knew that. She'd known he had a great heart for over twenty years.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Well, it's not exactly heart healthy."

Jamie checked on the biscuits and shrugged, "Don't worry about it Charlotte. Dad's young and it great shape. This breakfast isn't gonna kill him."

She realized that. Charlotte knew that a fattening breakfast was not going to put her father in the hospital, she did. She just worried sometimes. Her grandfather had a bad heart, her uncle, cousin; it was just something she thought about from time to time. Nathan wasn't even forty yet but she didn't want to send her father down a unhealthy path, she wanted him to walk her down the aisle one day.

If only Charlotte knew that she was worrying about nothing. Nathan _would _walk her down the aisle and he would have an ache in his chest on that day. But wouldn't be from pent up cholesterol from fatty breakfast foods.

Haley checked on the biscuits and when she saw that they were golden brown she asked Charlotte to get them out, and they all began plating the food. Charlotte carried Nathan's tray while Jamie took her and his plates and Haley had her own. Charlotte used to be the one who would be the official door holder but she'd grown out of that role years ago. Now she was the one who'd present her dad with his breakfast in bed.

So it was Haley who opened up the door this time and she used to head to tell the kids they could go in. Nathan's heavy breathing was the tell tale sign that he was still asleep but the warm biscuits and gravy aroma was about to wake him up.

Charlotte walked to her dad and sat down on the bed next to him. "Dad." She leaned closer to him and whispered, "Dad, wake up."

Nathan cracked an eye open and shifted his weight. He could feel a body next to him and knew it had to be Charlotte. He looked at her and smiled when her brown eyes widened. "Hey Char."

"Happy Father's Day." She held out the tray and saw him smirk.

"I love biscuits and gravy." He looked at Haley and smiled.

She shook her head and glanced at their kids, "It wasn't me. These two were up before I was, fixing breakfast and everything."

Charlotte cracked a smile and laughed. "Not everything."

Jamie walked over to Charlotte to give her her plate and shrugged, "Charlotte made the biscuits so if they're bad, blame her."

"Jamie!" Charlotte threw a coarse look at her brother. "At least I made them. You didn't do anything."

"Yes huh" Jamie held out the orange juice. "I poured the drinks and kneaded the dough. I did stuff." He rolled his eyes at his little sister.

Laughing at his kids bickering, Nathan looked down at his plate and grinned, "It looks great. All of it."

The family for four ate with warm conversation and smiles for a while and then Haley got up to get something. She handed him two cards and one present. "Open the present first and then the white card."

Nathan pushed his plate aside and started to open up the gift. It was a large box but not too heavy. He had no idea what it was until he'd torn all the paper away. "Oh a trashcan. Thanks." Nathan wasn't sure what to think of his present but smiled brightly at his family.

Haley laughed and shook her head, "No, it's not a trashcan. I just needed something to put it in. Open it up."

"Oh." Nathan laughed at himself at the thought that he assumed his family got him a trashcan. He opened the lid and pulled out a long object. He realized what it was almost immediately.

"Figured you might need a new one of those." Jaime smiled, "Maybe it will help lower your score next time."

Nathan smiled at the brand new Odyssey putter, "Wow guys, thank you. I really needed this."

Charlotte nodded, "That's what Jamie said. He told me that you could use a little help on the greens."

Looking to his son, Nathan gave Jamie a stern look, "Hey, I'm not _that_ bad."

"I know." Jamie walked to his father and picked up the club, "And now you should really sink those fifteen footers."

Nathan laughed and opened up the white envelope. Haley looked at her husband and smiled, "It's from me."

The putter had been from Haley so he was curious to see what her card read. She always got good cards. The front had a cartoon of a man playing golf with an eye patch and a cast. "D_ad, take a hint_." Nathan read the card and laughed, "So that's supposed to be me, huh?" He opened the card and read the rest. "_Wishing you the best on this Father's Day and that maybe you'll make that hole in one...but mainly just about Father's Day_." Nathan laughed out loud. Hallmark was pretty clever. He realized that Haley had written a small little note on the inside and smiled at what it said. _Remember, golfers never quit, they just putter out. I love you, Nathan. Happy Fathers Day_. "Thanks, Hales. I love it."

Charlotte eagerly shoved the green card in his face and smiled, "Here open this one. It's not just a card so be careful."

With that statement, Nathan was intrigued. He gently opened up the envelope and slowly realized what he was getting. "You're kidding." He sounded like a kid on Christmas. He looked at his children and to Haley for come clarification.

"A four day tournament pass." Jamie nodded and smiled.

Charlotte added in, "Two actually. You got two."

Haley watched the joy on Nathan's face as he realized he'd just gotten two four day tournament passes to The Masters. She shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows, maybe you'll pick up a few pointers watching the pros."

"Augusta National. You're kidding. This is great. This is beyond great. Thank you. Thank you so much." It was a real treat to get to see a mere practice round at The Masters, so to be able to fly to Georgia and watch the whole tournament was really something else. As he stared at the passes he realized there were two. The most obvious choice would be to take Jamie or Luke. They both played golf and would probably die to get a chance to see Augusta National in person .But as he thought about it, Nathan realized something. It was a golf tournament where the winner would get a green jacket. A _green_ jacket. His favorite color on Haley was green. It couldn't have been more perfect. Nathan looked at his wife and smiled, "You and me?"

She hadn't expected him to ask her to go but she'd love to. Even if she wasn't a huge golf fan, to say that you've been there and watched a tournament was pretty impressive. "If you want."

Of course he wanted that. Jamie would still be in class when it started and Lucas...well he was just shit out of luck. "Yeah."

Haley looked at her son because she knew that he was a golf fan. Jamie realized that his mom was thinking he would want to go. "I'll still be in school. You go." As much as he wanted to, as much as he would have killed to walk that sacred course he knew his dad wanted to take his mom. It was a Father's Day present after all, Nathan should get to take who he wanted.

Nathan looked at his wife and she nodded. She would go. He looked at the tickets once more and smiled, "This is really, really great guys."

Charlotte perked up and smiled, "No problem Dad. You deserve it." She picked up his empty tray and headed downstairs. Jamie took the rest of the dishes and left his parents alone for a minute or two. As he turned the corner to the steps, Jamie looked back at his father. "Happy Father's Day, Dad."

"Thanks, Jame."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan smiled at Haley. "Thank you. This was really unexpected."

"It was the kids. It was their idea." She smiled and watched as his face fell a little. "Hey, what is it? Is it the putter? You can go pick out another one."

Nathan shook his head. "No, it's not that." He looked at his gift and smiled back at her, "I love it."

Haley could tell there was more. "What is it?"

Putting the cards on the bedside table, Nathan turned to her. "I was just thinking how this was the last one."

She didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"That this will be the last Father's Day like this. With both of them I mean." Nathan took another deep breath and sighed, "Jamie will probably be off in some big city writing for some big time magazine or newspaper next year and it won't be the same."

Haley started to understand. Their bed and breakfast with both of their kids was probably coming to an end. She hadn't thought about it but realized he was right. She didn't know how to respond. Haley laid down next to him and put her head on his chest. "I know."

Nathan took a deep breath. It was hard but it was just a part of life. Years go by and children grow up. It may have been the last Father's Day as they'd celebrated before, but it wasn't over. The next years would go by and Father's Day would still be the third Sunday in June. Nathan would still get cards and some sort of present, and his kids would still be there for him. Charlotte was in junior high and Jamie was close to graduating from UNC. It was a lot to swallow but the thought of his kids getting old made him proud. It was a strange feeling. One minute he was saddened by the fact that their youth was slipping away and then the next he was excited to see them grow up. But the one thing that would always, always stay the same would the the girl by his side. They might be getting old and gray, he was already sporting some of that salt and pepper look, but whatever happened Haley would be next to him. She was the reason he was a father and he would spend the rest of his life thanking her for all she did.

It started off as a good morning. Aside from the cards and the presents, Nathan got to be with the three people in life he loved most and that was a good day no matter the occasion.

**OTHOTH**

**Love it? Hate it? I hope you guys enjoyed it. Jealous Nathan is next but look out for the updates on Like Father, Like Son and Like Mother, Like Daughter first.**

**Reviewers: Thanks so much for the feedback, and thanks to those of you who voted for Father's Day or jealously. I really appreciate it: Katie, bob, mazzy, ann, Laura, Lauren, Jesse, Satcher,**

**Tp404: I like your suggestion but I just can't see Nathan and Jamie throwing Haley a surprise baby shower, Brooke and Peyton, maybe. But not the boys. I'm still considering it though. It's a good idea.**

**Hadley: I'll see what I can do about a chapter doing girly things for Charlotte. Thanks for the suggestion.**

**Kutebloo: Well to be honest, I had the make-up portion of the girls night planned but it was just not coming out as I had hoped. It didn't read very well and in my mind felt forced. Sorry I ended up cutting it. Maybe down the road I'll do another chapter similar to the last one and add in the make-up part.**

**Blurrystars: Yes, you will be getting both. I hope you liked the father's day and like the upcoming jealous Nathan chapter.**

**Emma: I'm happy you liked the part where Nathan got all protective about the delivery boy and what Haley was wearing. I thought that part was kinda funny too. I'm glad you've enjoyed the jealous Nathan chapters and I hope you liked the next one too.**

**BDavis: Yeah, I'll try and do a chapter focused on newborn Jamie but it might be a while till I get to it. It's definitely on the to do list though. I'll add Nathan watching Charlotte play soccer/basketball (or how about the first time she cheers?). You've spurred my imagination and I really want to write a protective Nathan chapter soon, lol. Thanks for the suggestion!**

***Please, please review!  
**


	64. All Crushed Out

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 64: All Crushed Out**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I still don't own anything related to OTH.**

**A.N: So I know you guys are probably upset about the wait, but after last chapter I was feeling pretty un-inspired. You see, I feed off reviews. Literally. And last chapter, well, the count was pretty bad. After having the last handful of chapters range from the 30's-46, the dismal number I got was pretty disheartening. But after giving it a week or so the reviews crept up and I knew I needed to write. Maybe it's because summer has taken over that you guys held out on reviewing, but I'd really appreciate some feedback. Good, bad, whatever. I'm sure I've said it before, but the more the reviews, the faster the update. Anyways, as promised, this chapter is jealous Nathan. I hope all like it! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Most of the time Haley liked to do her grocery shopping alone. The young mother and wife often found the quiet, comforting, and the alone time, much needed. It wasn't that she didn't love her boys. She did. Of course she did. But having a 19 month old who wants everything and points and flashes those baby blues her way, was an easy way to spend an extra twenty bucks on food they just didn't need. Then the same went for her older guy. Nathan didn't point, but holding out the family pack of Oatmeal Creme Pies or Nutty Bars with that same look, those same eyes, there was hardly ever a time she said no. And considering that both her boys were with her this time meant that they'd end up with a cart full of junk.

As Haley pushed the cart down one of the aisle of the grocery store she couldn't help but notice all the holiday themed items. It was December 28th and most of the Christmas themed foods were still out on the shelves. They'd come back home to Tree Hill for the holiday break visiting family and friends, and were taking a much needed food run.

"Hales." Nathan was walking up with Jamie's stroller holding out a box. "Haley, lets get these."

Haley turned her head and with no surprise she saw the familiar Little Debbie package. Nutty Bars. She started to laugh and shake her head, "Honey, I just got you some of those. They were in your stocking."

Nathan nodded, "I know, but I ate them all. So can we please get another pack?" There they were. Those blue eyes she could get lost in. And to make matters worse, Nathan looked down at their son and smiled, "What do you think Jame. You want 'em"

Now Haley was going back and fourth from blue to blue. There was no hope. "Okay, throw them in here."

Nathan smiled and took a step back, "Heads up Hales, I gotta keep up my game." Shooting the snacks into the basket like a three pointer, Nathan smirked. "That's what I'm talking about." He smiled down at the little boy in the stroller, "Right, bud?"

Laughing at her husband, Haley looked down at her shopping list and grimaced. She looked at Nathan and pointed to her right, "I forgot to pick up some diapers, they're just a few aisles over. Will you go grab some?"

She didn't even need to ask him. Nathan turned Jamie's stroller and headed off to get his son's diapers. He quickly found the aisle but was a bit puzzled as to which ones to get. He knew the color of the package, but there were different kinds, smells, sizes, and he wasn't one hundred percent sure on what they normally got. He eyed the package that looked most familiar and picked it up. He'd have to ask Haley if it was right.

Back on the snack aisle, Haley picked up a package of goldfish and when she looked up she saw a familiar face. They guy was in his mid to late twenties and Haley smiled. He looked the same as he did when he was thirteen. He had been really cute when they were growing up and age had done him well.

The guy crossed his arms and laughed, "Well, well, if it isn't Baby James."

"Tommy!" Haley smiled brightly at the nickname her brother's had coined for her, and then at dark headed guy in front of her. Tommy had been her brother Matt's, best friend growing up. He was basically another one of her brothers and it had been a few years since she'd last seen him. Haley walked out from behind her cart and the two old friends hugged. "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

Tommy looked Haley over and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm good, but look at you." He noticed the ring on her finger and laughed, "Matt told me about you getting married in high school."

Without thinking about it, Haley started twisting the gold band on her finger, "Yeah, crazy right?" She knew that the girl Tommy had known was shy and reserved and the last person in the world who would get married at 16.

"A little, but Matt said you're really happy."

Haley could feel a swell in her chest when Tommy mentioned what Matt had said. It was always nice to hear that any of her brothers had nice things to say about how she was. Haley looked up to him and smiled, "Did he tell you I'm a mom too?"

Nodding, Tommy laughed, "Yeah he did. Married and pregnant all in high school." He shook his head, "Who would have thought that the baby of the James clan would have a baby of her own now?"

"I know, and he's around he somewhere. Nathan's got him in the stroller."

Tommy and Haley continued to chit chat about the small things while Nathan made his way back with the diapers. When he turned down the snack aisle Haley had been on he stopped pushing the stroller. Some guy was talking to her. Some guy who was older, who was laughing, and who was smiling with his wife was inching closer and closer to her. It didn't sit well with the young husband. Nathan took a deep breath and pushed the stroller toward Haley.

As Nathan got closer he rolled his eyes. Couldn't guys see that Haley was wearing a ring? He looked down at his left hand on the stroller and smirked. That's right, he had the one that went with hers. Not to mention he was pushing the stroller that carried _their_ little boy. Some people just didn't catch the signs that so obviously pointed out _taken, don't touch_.

However, Nathan's adorable confident smirk started to fade when he could hear Haley and the guy's conversation. His brow furrowed with the words that were coming out of this guys mouth. Did he just call her 'Baby'? He certainly hoped not.

Tommy had in fact called Haley 'Baby', but what Nathan seemed to miss out on was the second part, 'James'.

Feeling like a steam engine on a collision course with this punk, Nathan gripped the stroller tightly and narrowed his eyes.

Haley heard someone coming down the aisle and smiled when she saw those two sets of blue eyes. She looked at Tommy, "That's them."

Nathan slowed his pace when he saw Haley. The way she looked at him took some of the jealous rage he'd been feeling away. Not all, not by the slightest, but seeing her smile when he walked her way helped.

"Nathan." She looked at him and then to Tommy, "This is Tommy. He was Matt's best friend growing up."

Tommy extended his hand, "Tommy Crockard. Nice to meet you." After the two guys shook hands, Tommy kneeled down. "He's a cute kid, Haley."

Nathan felt a little better knowing that this guy had merit for being so friendly with his wife, but he was still on edge.

Haley smiled and laughed, "Thanks. I'm pretty sure he's learned to use it to his advantage."

While Tommy was busy looking at the baby Nathan turned to Haley. "Are these the right ones. I couldn't remember." He held out the package of diapers and shrugged.

She nodded, "Yes. Thanks." Haley placed them in the cart and looked down to Jamie. He really was a cute kid.

Tommy stood up and looked at the young mom, "So what are your plans for tomorrow? I know my mom would love to see you and the baby, and maybe we could have her famous chicken salad for lunch?"

She looked at Nathan, "I don't know what our plans are." He shrugged letting her know that tomorrow was wide open. "I think we'll be able to do that."

"Nathan, you're more than welcome to come too."

Nathan thought about it, but an awkward lunch with a guy and his parents he didn't even know wasn't that appealing. He looked at Haley, "Why don't you go and I'll take some time to hang out with Luke."

Haley knew that Nathan was trying his hardest to politely say no thanks, and she also knew that he wanted her to go. "You sure? Mrs. Crockard really does make the best chicken salad."

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Nathan nodded.

Turning to her brother's childhood friend, Haley smiled. "Okay, so yeah. What time?"

"Eleven thirty? You want to drive over to the house? My parents are still in the one..."

"Two streets behind my old house. The one with the tree in the front yard that we would all climb." Haley knew where the house was. "Eleven thirty. That's fine."

Tommy nodded and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah." Haley gave him a warm smile and they said their goodbyes.

As Tommy walked away the young family of three finished up their shopping. If Nathan thought the rage he'd felt earlier when he'd first seen the guy with Haley had been sharp, he'd seen nothing yet.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie had fallen asleep in the car on the way back and when Nathan pulled the car into the driveway of the beach house Haley turned around to look at their sleeping boy. He was so small, so quiet, so cute. It was probably the proud mama in her, but she was sure that her baby had to be the cutest kid on the planet.

"I'll get all the groceries if you wanna take him inside." Nathan turned the car off and saw Haley face him.

She nodded, "Okay, yeah."

While Haley gently unbuckled the little boy, Nathan picked up two arms full of food. Jamie's cheek was resting on his mom's shoulder and Haley couldn't help but kiss the side of his head. As they all made their way upstairs, Nathan somehow was able to open the door and waited for Haley to walk inside. She headed toward the stairs and made it to the top when she heard a loud bang. Jamie seemed to hear it as well and started to cry.

"It's okay. Daddy just dropped something." Haley ran her hand along Jamie's back and walked into the bedroom. As she walked to the room she hoped it wasn't the milk or anything else that made a huge mess.

Nathan looked down at the groceries on the floor and shook his head. He could have sworn that he'd made it to the counter before setting things down. Apparently not. At least nothing broke or splattered everywhere. As he picked up the things that had fallen he winced at Jamie's cries. He hadn't meant to wake him up. Nathan hurried to get the rest of the groceries out and pulled out the diapers.

Diapers in hand, Nathan cracked open the bedroom door that Jamie had been sleeping and was surprised that neither he or Haley were in there. Setting the diapers on the chest of drawers, Nathan walked out and headed for their bedroom. He saw them both lying on the bed and Nathan smiled.

Haley's position was nearly mirroring that of her son and she was trying to see if he would fall back asleep. Her cheek was flat against the bed and her face was about a foot away from Jamie's. She was humming a soft melody while using her fingertips to trace patterns on the boy's back.

Jamie was fighting it. He really was. He didn't want to go to bed but his mother's voice and the feel of her hand on his back was encouraging. His eyelids were getting heavy and it would be just a minute or two before he was out.

Nathan watched Haley for a second and figured he'd leave her alone. Walking outside to the balcony, he slowly closed the door and took in the December weather. It had been winter when he'd married Haley and today was reminding him of that day. The wind was cool but didn't sting. The breaking waves made the salt in the air a little more pungent than normal, but Nathan didn't mind. The water was probably freezing, but way up in the house it was still nice to admire. As he saw a group of seagulls swoop down to shore he heard the sliding glass door open.

Nathan turned and smiled, "He out?"

Haley nodded and slowly closed the door, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry I woke him up." Nathan laughed at his mistake. "I thought I'd made it to the counter and I didn't."

She shrugged, "It's fine.

The wind picked up and Haley leaned into Nathan. She felt his arm wrap around her and she did the same. They stood their for a while, wrapped up looking out at the sprawling ocean and then Haley turned to him. There were no words spoken, nothing that would suggest anything other than a friendly smile but Nathan knew what she'd had in mind. Turning to face her, he moved his hands to her sides and leaned down.

It was soft, and simple, and sweet. A kiss that was worth a thousand words but was silent. When their lips parted, Haley rested her head on his chest and took a deep breath. They'd been together close to four years and she loved every second of it.

Nathan's solid grasp on Haley unhinged as he looked inside. "You think I should go move him. I don't want him to fall off the bed. Roll over or something."

Haley looked inside and saw that Jamie was in the center, plenty far away from the edge. She loved that Nathan was so protective though. "If you want to you can."

He did, so he quietly crept into the room and scooped up their son. Jamie didn't budge and stayed fast asleep while his father but him in the Pack n Play that was doubling as a bed. When Nathan returned to their bedroom he saw Haley lying down with a book. He crawled on the bed and sank in the pillows. "I wish I could nap as many times as he does a day. I miss those days."

Laughing, Haley closed the book, "You get your fair share of naps. I come home from class to find you asleep with Jamie on the couch all the time."

"Okay, true, but..." He wasn't going to win this one.

Raising her brow, Haley smirked, "Uh-huh." She picked up her book and started to read.

Nathan knew that Haley liked reading but he had a few questions. "So this Tommy guy, he's friends with Matt?"

Haley shut her book and set it on the bedside table. "Yeah. Tommy's basically like another brother. He and Matt were inseparable. I think he ate at our house more than he did with his actual family." She paused for a second and nodded, "I've known him since I was like seven."

"Family friend?" Nathan knew that Tommy must have been a family friend so he didn't know why he even asked.

"Yeah, and I know you don't know him and that I'm going to see him and his his family with Jamie but they're nice people."

Nathan shook his head, "Na, it's fine. I didn't mean to sound like I was questioning you. They're probably great people."

Haley nodded and as they laid in bed she thought about her younger years. It was wild running into Tommy like that. She hadn't seen him in years and now some random day in the grocery store the boy she'd been so crushed out on when she was younger walked back into her life. She rolled her eyes to herself thinking about, how she'd been so infatuated with that boy growing up, and now she had Nathan. Tommy Crockard had nothing on Nathan Scott.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had taken the car since the car seat was hooked up and ready, so Nathan was waiting for Lucas to pick him up. It was no surprise where they would be going. The river court had always been a great place for the two guys to play a pick up game or horse.

Nathan saw Lucas's Mustang pull up to the house and he headed out the door. The temperature seemed much cooler than it had did yesterday but the sweats Nathan had thrown on were meant to beat the cold.

He opened up the door and slid into the passenger seat. "Ready to get your ass beat?"

Lucas laughed, "You don't have to get get all cocky since I don't play college ball like you."

"Cocky and confident are two separate things."

Laughing again, Lucas shook his head. In the world of Nathan Scott, cocky and confident were nearly the exact same. "Right."

The light haired brother drove toward the court and Nathan glanced out the window. His mind drifted to Haley and to Jamie. He was happy they were out doing their own thing but it didn't mean he didn't miss them.

While they drove forward, Lucas told Nathan the hilarious story about trying to get the Christmas tree out of his mom's house. It wasn't that it had been hard to do but the tree had been so dead that all the needles fell off as they took it out of the house. Need less to say, Karen's floors had basically turned green. Nathan noticed the green needles on the floorboard of Luke's car and laughed. He could only imagine the mess.

After a trip across the bridge, Lucas pulled the car into an empty space and looked out at the court. The names they had all spray painted were still there, fading but still there. He reached into the back and pulled out an old ball. "Ready."

Nathan nodded. "Game on."

They both got out of the car and Lucas dribbled the ball to the top of the key. "Horse, first?"

"Sure." Nathan watched as Lucas made his way to the left wing and threw up a perfectly arched three pointer.

Lucas smiled as it went it. "So who was it Haley's was seeing today?"

Nathan grabbed the rebound and dribbled to the spot where Lucas shot. "Uh, Tommy. He's an old friend of Matt's I think." Nathan shot the ball and just as Lucas's had, it went in.

"Tommy!" Lucas laughed. "Tommy Crockard?" Luke received an bounce pass from Nathan.

Nathan wasn't so sure why Lucas was laughing, "Yeah, why."

Shooting from the free throw line, Lucas shrugged, "It's just...you do know that Tommy was Haley's first real crush?"

No. Nathan didn't know that. "What?"

Luke shot the ball and banked it in off the backboard. "Yeah. Haley was seriously crushed out on Tommy for years. In junior high she had her name written as Haley James Crocker all over her notes. It was hysterical."

Nathan wasn't finding the situation hysterical at all. "She liked him?"

Lucas watched Nathan shoot and miss terribly. "Yeah, I think she was more upset when he left for college than when Matt left."

Suddenly, Nathan was starting to get worried. This guy, this older guy Haley apparently had some huge crush on when she was younger was with her now and Nathan wasn't. "Uh, did they...was..."

Laughing at Nathan's inability to finish his thought, Lucas shook his head. "No. I don't think he even knew. She was young and I think it was all in her head. She was pretty hung up on him."

"Do you think he would like her now though? Since she's older?" Nathan could feel his heart beating out of his chest.

Shaking his head, Lucas shot once more. "No. He's a good guy. I doubt he'd try and steal her away from you."

"You doubt it. That's encouraging." Nathan rolled his eyes and took the ball. He shot and missed again. He was already a H.O.

Lucas realized that Nathan was getting kind of flustered. "I mean, no. He won't do that." Lucas dribbled over to the corner and shook his head. "You don't have anything to be worried about."

Well too bad, because Nathan _was_ worried. He couldn't not be worried. His wife, his beautiful, attractive wife was with this guy she thought she had wanted to marry and Nathan was playing horse like it was no big deal.

The only good that was gonna come out of this situation was that Lucas was going to be the one kicking ass. It wasn't often that Luke could beat Nathan so badly, but Nathan's mind was as far away from basketball as possible. He'd never felt like this before. He'd never been the one who had to worry about past relationships. He'd been the one she worried about. A man whore, but now he was starting to feel like he needed to keep up with the guys she'd like. Tommy seemed smart and sensible, the opposite of Nathan in a whole lot of ways and it was an unfortunate feeling.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was sitting around the house waiting for her to come home. She'd been gone for almost three hours and images of Haley and this Tommy guy were flooding his brain. He hated the fact that she'd liked the guy, maybe she still did. It was more than he even wanted to think about.

The clicking of the front door shook him from his thoughts and he heard her.

"Nathan?" Haley walked into the house with Jamie on her hip.

He walked into the living room to meet her and raised his eyebrows, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Haley set her purse down and shrugged, "What are you talking about?"

Nathan didn't want to play games. "That Tommy was more than some family friend. That you had a thing for him."

"Nathan..." Haley set Jamie on the ground and watched him crawl around. "That was a long time ago. It didn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? Haley, Lucas said that you basically worshiped the ground he walked on and had planned on marrying him."

She rolled her eyes, "When I was like seven." Haley crossed her arms halfway embarrassed Lucas had told him about her elementary doodles and halfway mad that Nathan was so opset. "I had a crush, big deal. But guess what? It dissipated."

"Whatever that means. You still should have told me." Nathan still wasn't keen on this Tommy situation.

Haley shook her head, "Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?" Nathan didn't feel like he was doing anything out of the ordinary.

Using her hands, she wound them around and shrugged, "Like that. You're all mad about some school girl crush I had on a boy who was almost ten years older than me. I was little Nathan. I thought he was cute and he was sweet. He came over to the house a lot and that was that. It was nothing."

Some of what Haley stuck but he still wasn't thrilled, "I just don't get why you didn't tell me."

She shook her head, "Probably because I knew you'd act like this." Picking up Jamie from the floor she rolled her eyes and headed upstairs. "I'm gonna try and get him to take a nap. I'd appreciate it if you left us alone." It came off a little more cold than she'd intended but she couldn't take it back.

Nathan felt his chest fill with air as he took a deep breath. Why was she mad now? He was the one who'd been left in the dark.

For the next twenty minutes they did their own thing. Haley got Jamie down for a nap and Nathan was watching SportsCenter.

As he watched his program he realized that he may have come off a little strong. She was young. It wasn't like this was some ex-boyfriend coming back in the picture, he was just a crush.

Upstairs, Haley was trying to read but couldn't. Maybe she should have been upfront with him? Maybe she should have told Nathan that she'd like Tommy when she was a kid? She sighed heavily and focused her attention back to the words on the page. She'd gotten through two sentences when a soft knock echoed off the door.

Her stomach filled with butterflies and she got up. Haley opened the door and saw him standing there. She opened it wide enough where he could come in and he did.

"Look, I don't want to fight about this." Nathan turned to her and shook his head.

She agreed, "Me either." Swallowing hard, Haley looked to him. "I should have said something. I'm sorry."

Nathan shook it off, "I overreacted."

They both sat on the edge of the bed and Nathan subconsciously twisted the golden ring on his finger. Haley noticed and couldn't help but smile. She loved when he did that.

"I've just never dealt with this." Nathan laughed at himself. "The past relationships thing." It may have made it sound like he was a pig but he coveted the fact that Haley hadn't been with other guys before him. No boyfriends, nothing.

Haley nodded and laughed, "But you had to know that I liked other guys before you."

"Yeah I know, but I never thought about it before. Well not like now." He'd never had to think about it. He never wanted to think about it. Tommy was just the one who made Nathan address that fact that he wasn't the only boy she'd ever liked. He couldn't hold Haley to only ever liking him though. That was ridiculous.

She smiled, "If you want the others..." Haley laughed, "There was this boy in kindergarten named Kurt. He had big glasses. In third grade I liked a boy a year a head of us, John. Then..."

He laughed and shook his head, "I get it." Nathan let out an exhausted sigh.

Haley leaned into him and rested her hand on his leg, "Remember that list you wrote when I was pregnant with Jamie, after the sex tape fiasco?"

Nathan would rather forget that. "Yeah."

"Well I think you'd be glad to know that of all my crushes, I only fell in love with you." Haley gave him a sweet smile.

He looked at her and those brown eyes of hers took away the jealousy, the worry, any form of anything that had him uncomfortable. He laughed, "You had a crush on me?"

Haley's cheeks turned pink. "Are you kidding. It was awful. I couldn't think. I was spacing out in class. You were the popular guy and I was a tutor."

"My tutor." Nathan flashed her the smirk and Haley felt like they were in high school again.

The way he'd said that and the way he'd looked at her was enough. Her hands wrapped around his neck and before she knew what was happening she was kissing him. He was kissing her right back and never wanted to stop.

He'd been dumb to get upset about Tommy. That was old news. Nathan was living in the present, and he knew he was the one with the girl. He'd won her over and she'd won him. It wasn't an either or, or a this or that. Whatever he felt towards her, she felt the same. That was never going to change. Some crush from long ago wasn't going to dismantle Nathan and Haley. They'd have their problems but no matter what the dilemma they'd get over it. Nathan and Haley Scott were in it for the long haul.

So move over Tommy Crockard. You may have been the one she went googly eyes for when she was younger; but Nathan made her heart race, her head spin, her cheeks turn, and he was the one that took her breath away. Nathan Scott wasn't just a crush, he was _the_ crush.

**OTHOTH**

**Love it. Hate it? Let me know please! I'm not sure how I feel about it but the next one will be an emotional one. I think a few of you have wanted some sort of health scare when they are older and that's what I've got planned. Don't want that? Let me know. If enough of y'all say no or would rather have something else I'll consider it. I'm going out of town for Fourth of July (Thursday) and I don't know how long I'll be without internet but I might (maybe) be able to get the new chapter done before I go. So send me some love guys. Or hate, whatever depending on what you thought of the chapter or want to see. I'll take any feedback.**

**My reviewing readers know that I absolutely appreciate the feedback and here is your thank you. **

**tasha, Hadley, ann, kutebloo, Laura, Emma, Shelby, Alexis, Anna, and Mish. Thank you all so much for your reviews!**

**mazzy: I'm really happy you liked the Father's day chapter and how it showed that there was still love between the family even as they got older.**

**Joan: I'm glad you like that I switch it up between old and young Naley. I try and keep people guessing as to what age I'll do next. **

**Blurrystars: It is weird to think of Nathan as this big jerk in the beginning to a character people love now. I'd like to think of this story as an extension of OTH so that was a great compliment. Thanks you.**

**Morgan: Sorry for the delay. It's was nice to hear that my updates are the best part of your day. Hopefully this chapter made you feel the same.**

**BDavis: I really like you idea about Jamie having to pick Charlotte up from a party or something. I'll have to figure out how to make Nathan and Haley a big part of the chapter as well since it's their story but I love the idea. I'm a fan of Jamlette (love your mash up) too, so we'll see. And it means so much to _me_ that you review so I figure it's the least I can do to let you know that I appreciate it. Thanks!**

**Review please!**


	65. Could This Be the End

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 65: Could This Be the End**

**Disclaimer: So by now you all know I don't own anything related to OTH. I wish I did. That would be AWESOME! But I don't, so I'm posting this little message.**

**A/N: HAPPY CANADA DAY, to my Canadian readers! And for my fellow American readers...I hope you all have a great Fourth of July weekend!**

**Thank you all for the feedback. I was so thrilled to see all the reviews. Obviously happy enough to get this chapter cranked out and posted. Sorry for the mistakes beforehand. So this one deals with something more emotional than the last few chapters. Some of the sections jump a few days so I hope none of you get lost. Everyone's older and there are two new characters... well 1 character (though, not named) and one pregnancy that are included in this. Charlotte has kids too! Read on to find out about them and to see what the problem is. Oh, and this is _really_ long. I could have made a two-parter but then you guys would have had to wait to get the second half after I got back. I hope you're in a comfortable chair. It might take you a while. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

It was a regular morning on a regular day. The early November air was cool and sweet as it continued to turn the still October leaves into deeper shades of Fall. Haley took a sip of her warm coffee to ease her sore throat and looked outside. She'd woken up a few days ago with one of those pesky colds and hated that she'd come down with something. It had seemed like her vocal chords were swelling up and that was never a good thing for Haley. As a singer, it was no fun if her voice was shot.

As she gazed outside the kitchen window she couldn't help but think of all the things that had happened in that backyard. Fourth of July celebrations, birthday parties, a wedding reception, the news of their third grandchild two years ago, a little girl who Haley had decided was looking more and more like Charlotte with each passing day. A whole lifetimes worth of memories were filled in that single backyard and Haley sighed heavily. They had been in that house close to thirty years.

Taking another sip of her warm drink, Haley felt him come up behind her and place a simple kiss on the side of her head. He'd been doing that since they were in high school and that was thirty six years ago.

"Morning." Nathan whispered in her ear while reaching for a cup.

Haley turned around and smiled, "Morning." She looked at him and saw the deep set wrinkles, the nearly white hair in his sideburns and above his ears, but realized she loved him no matter what. They may have been in their early fifties but time hadn't changed the way she felt about him.

Or for that matter how he felt about her. Nathan poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter looking at her. She was beautiful. He knew that some women aged really well and Haley happened to be in that category. Her hair had a bit of gray but he loved it. A constant reminder of how long they'd been together. That may have not made much sense, but to Nathan it did. Two weddings, two children, two successful careers, three grandchildren with one of the way, and a life he wouldn't change were bottled up in her appearance. You just had to know where to look.

"So what are you doing today?" He raised his brow and looked at his wife.

Haley set her coffee cup down, "I'm gonna go run a few errands, maybe stop by Jamie and Liza's. Take that soup recipe over there."

When he heard that she was gonna stop by his son and daughter in law's place, Nathan arched his brow, "If you see the boy tell him that he owes me a game of Horse."

Haley laughed. Bennet had taken over the nickname 'the boy' since he'd been 5 months old and it was never old to hear Nathan call him that. "I will." She probably wouldn't see him since he was in school but if for some chance Bennet was home, she'd be sure and tell her nine year old grandson that Nathan was wanting a rematch.

Taking one last sip of his coffee, he poured the rest out in the sink and looked at the clock. "I gotta get going. I've got to go figure out if I want man on man or a zone defense in tomorrow night's game."

She put her cup on the counter and walked close to him. Haley loved that he was still as enthusiastic about basketball now as he had been years ago. He'd been coaching at UNCW for the last seventeen years and that was longer than he'd played in the NBA. Nathan loved it though. The game, the action, the competition. If she had to guess he'd be coaching well into his sixties and probably even seventies.

"I'll see you later then." Haley smiled and rested one of her hands on his side.

Nathan leaned down and kissed her sweetly, "Bye."

Haley watched him go and she checked the clock. She figured it would take her about three hours to do all she needed to do and then it would probably be around lunchtime when she headed over to see Liza. Jamie would be at work but that was okay. She needed to see Liza more than her son. For whatever reason, Haley knew this sore throat was more than just that. There was more to it. And with Liza being a nurse and all, Haley thought she might be a good person to question about her suspicions.

Reaching for her purse, Haley left the house and headed out. She hit all the stores she needed to and when she made it to the grocery store that was the last one on her list. In and out in all of five minutes, it was always easier to shop alone, Haley made her way back to the house and unloaded everything. Satisfied with her shopping, Haley unclipped the soup recipe Liza had asked for and was headed out again. This time with more on her mind than shopping and soup.

It was probably nothing though. Haley looked at herself in the rear view mirror of the car and shook her head. Right, it was nothing. She was just worrying about nothing. Haley absentmindedly ran her hand along her throat and could feel it. There was a bump there, and that's what was worrying her. She wasn't a doctor or a nurse so it very well could have been swollen vocal chords or lymph nodes, but the nerves she felt in the pit of her stomach told her it wasn't.

Haley pulled her car into the driveway and walked toward the cute gray shingled house. There was a blue bike in the front yard, a soccer ball on the porch swing and a basketball goal over the garage. Her son had done well. Haley was so proud of all he'd done, both Jamie and Liza.

She walked up to the porch and opened the door. There was no need to knock. Liza knew she was coming over. "Hello?" Haley walked into the foyer and heard little feet coming down the stairs.

A little blonde haired, blue eyed adorableness came running towards Haley with a wide smile. "Grandma!"

Claire was five now, and was the perfect mixture of Jamie and Liza. Haley smiled at her oldest granddaughter. "Hi there."

Liza walked out of the kitchen with a dishrag and waved, "Hey, come on in the kitchen. I was just fixing her some lunch."

Haley scooped up Claire and gave her a big grin. "Lunch? I wonder what you're having?"

Claire's big blue eyes widened, "Mmm, a turkey sandwich."

"That sounds really good." Haley made her way into the kitchen and set Claire down.

Liza turned to her mother in law and smiled, "You want a sandwich? I'll be happy to make another." Liza had this natural hospitality about her.

"I'm fine thanks." Haley pulled out the recipe from her purse, "I brought you the soup recipe."

The younger Mrs. Scott's face lit up. "Thank you so much. Jamie thought he could remember it but when I made it..." She started to laugh. "It was not good."

"Mama made yucky soup." Claire scrunched her face together and grimaced.

Laughing, Liza rolled her eyes, "As my ever so honest little one will tell you. It was bad." Haley laughed at the youngster and watched Liza situate Claire at the table. Liza looked to Haley and raised her brow, "You sure I can't get you anything? Nothing to drink?"

Shaking her head Haley declined, "I do have a question for you though."

"Sure" Liza wiped off the counter and looked at Jamie's fifty two year old mom.

"It's probably nothing but I've got this...um..." Haley raised her hand to her throat trying to think of a better word for lump. Lump sounded so dramatic. "...thing. I think it might be swollen vocal chords or maybe a lymph node but..."

"Well let me look." Liza wiped her hands off and walked over to Haley. Even if she was a registered pediatric nurse, it didn't mean she couldn't take a look. "Can you lean your head back and look up for me?" Liza was in full on nurse mode. Something she'd tap into every once in a while even when she wasn't at the hospital. Haley did as she was asked and Liza could visibly see the mass Haley had been referring to. "Do you mind?" Liza looked at Haley wondering if it was okay to press around, gather up a little more information.

"That's fine." Haley could feel Liza's fingers gently pressing down and she didn't know if she should be worried or not.

Liza pulled her hands back, "You know, I'm not a specialist, but to me it seems like a thyroid issue."

Haley widened her eyes, "Is that bad?"

Not wanting to lie, Liza shrugged, "If it's inflamed, which it looks to be, you might have a hormone imbalance." Liza didn't want to scare the woman so she stayed vague on the possibilities. "You 're probably gonna wanna go check that out."

That was not exactly what Haley wanted to hear. She'd planned on overreacting and having Liza say it was nothing. "I uh, do you think we can keep this between us for now. I don't want to worry the kids or anything."

"Yes ma'am, sure. I won't mention it..."

"Liza?" The front door opened and both women knew instantly that the voice belonged to Jamie. "I brought lunch."

In a hushed whisper Liza furrowed her brow, "He must have taken off work. Here..." Liza reached for a pen and piece of paper and jotted down a name and number, "Make an appointment with him. He's a good guy and knows his stuff."

Haley took the piece of paper from her daughter in law and smiled, "Thanks."

"Mom, hey. I thought that was your car." Jamie walked into the kitchen and smiled. He gave Liza a smile and kissed her on the cheek, "Hey."

"Hi." After over fifteen years together, Liza still had a habit of blushing whenever he kissed her in front of his parents.

"Daddy!" Claire hopped out of her chair and rushed over to her father.

Jamie set down the bag and picked up his daughter, "Hey you. Have you been keeping Mom busy today?"

"Mmm-huh, and Grandma brought over the soup recipe."

Turning to his mom, Jamie smiled, "Ah, thanks. We were trying to figure it out but I couldn't remember what went in the dumplings."

Haley smiled and then looked to the door. "Well I just wanted to bring that by. I'll let you three enjoy your lunch. Thanks Liza." She gave the dirty blonde haired mother of two a smile and waved goodbye to Claire and Jamie.

Liza watched as Haley walked out of their house and desperately wanted to tell Jamie that his mom might be sick but knew better than to do it. It wasn't her place and Haley had asked her not to. And then again, maybe it was nothing? Hopefully.

Pulling out of the driveway, Haley headed home and couldn't help but noticed the little piece of paper that was sticking out of her purse. The visit hadn't gone as planned but she knew that Liza would refer her to the best.

For the next twenty minutes Haley's mind was running through various scenarios and she was hoping none of them would come true. As she drove into the driveway she was surprised to see Nathan's car. Once she got out, she went inside.

"Nathan?"

He emerged from the kitchen, "I was wondering where you were. I was about to call you. I picked up some lunch."

That was really sweet. Sweet in the 'you're the best husband' type way and the 'you and your son are just alike' type way.

"You didn't have to do that." Haley smiled at him and walked closer.

Nathan shrugged, "I wanted to."

When she was close enough, Haley kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

He didn't need to hear a thank you but it was appreciated. Nathan had picked up two sandwiches and the couple ate at the bar. Haley asked him about his morning and what he was doing the rest of the afternoon and Nathan filled her in. But while they were talking he couldn't help but notice that she had hardly touched her food.

"Whats up?"

Haley turned to him with a raised brow, "What do you mean?"

Nathan laughed at the barely eaten club sandwich. "You haven't touched your food."

She knew she needed to tell him. At least get the weight off her chest. "I uh..." She didn't know where to begin. Haley got up off her chair and walked over to her purse. Pulling out the piece of paper, she walked over and set it down.

"Whats this?" He studied the name and number. "Dr. Kirkland?"

Taking a deep breath, Haley nodded, "Yeah. I went and saw Liza today and she referred me to him." Haley could tell that Nathan was lost. "You know how I've had a bit of a sore throat for the last few days?" He nodded and Haley continued, "It's not just that. I've got this...this bump on my thyroid."

The worry in Nathan's eyes made her heart break. He shook his head, "What does that mean?" He was at an incredible loss when it came to medical knowledge.

"I don't know. She said that I should get it checked out. Find out if it's a hormone problem or something else."

"Something else?" Nathan was sure his mind was making up any and all worse case scenarios.

Haley shrugged, "Maybe. I'm gonna make an appointment and we'll go from there."

There were a few times in his life where Nathan felt like he couldn't breathe, and this was one of them. What was she saying? That she might be sick? And not sick, 'here take some Advil or Tylenol' type sick. As in sick with hospitals and surgeries and prescriptions sick.

"Whatever you need to do." He was struggling to comprehend it all. He wanted to be by her side in case it was something major, in case it was something small. Nathan knew that as they got older there would always be a possibility of something like this but he never imagine it would happen. Not now. They had survived car crashes, near drownings, and life had already taken it's emotional toil. He didn't want to keep adding to the list.

"I'm really happy you brought lunch, but I think I'm gonna go upstairs." The softness in her voice made him shiver.

"Okay." She was out of sight before the word ever made it out of his mouth.

Nathan sat alone in the kitchen wondering, hoping, that this bump was nothing, a fluke. God he hoped that. There was nothing in life that scare him more than losing her. Losing them. It was an idea he never wanted to think about. And unfortunately it was in his every thought now. It felt like a hurricane had washed ashore telling him 'sorry charlie, her number's up.'

**OTHOTH**

The phone call to Dr. Kirkland's office was daunting. Each ring felt like it lasted an hour and the anticipation was killing her. But it was just a phone call. This wasn't, or shouldn't be the hard part.

A young woman answered the phone and it took Haley a second to answer. She gave the girl her name and her reasons for scheduling an appointment, and in return Haley was given the name and number of the oncology center she would need to see.

Oncology. The word made Haley inhale sharply. She let out an sigh when she realized that it was just so she could get an ultrasound of her thyroid before preliminary testing. That it was nothing to worry about. An ultrasound, that sounded a lot better than oncology. She'd had an ultrasound before, multiple between her two pregnancies. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Nathan walked into the bedroom and saw Haley writing something down on a pad of paper and knew that she must be talking to the doctor's office. He didn't want to pry, but what he really wanted to do was sit next to her and hear every word that was coming out of who ever she was talking to's mouth.

"Thank you so much. Yes. Next Wednesday at eleven. Thanks. Bye." Haley hung up the phone and without seeing him, knew Nathan was in the room. "I'm going in next week to see Dr. Kirkland, and I've got to get an ultrasound in a few days."

Walking closer to her, he sat down on the bed, "An ultrasound?"

She nodded, "Just to get a picture of what it looks like. Callie, the nurse I talked to said it was preliminary, nothing to worry about."

Nothing to worry about, Nathan rolled his eyes. "When do you go? I'll come with you."

The adamance in his voice, made her heart skip a beat. "This Thursday, but I'm sure you've got practice or..."

Shaking his head, Nathan cut her off, "I'm coming."

It was moments like these where Haley could really feel Nathan's support. Her hand was covered by his and he squeezed it. "It'll be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

They had waited three days. Three days of worrying, of trying not to worry. Three days of 'should we tell the kids' and 'no matter what it is...we'll get through it'. Three days of not knowing and Haley James Scott wasn't a fan of that. She was smart. She was Tutor-Grandma after all. Not knowing was eating her up.

So when the day came to get her ultrasound she didn't know what to expect. She knew what it would feel like but this time the probe wasn't going to be roaming over her belly. The heartbeat she would hear would be her own and the picture on the screen wouldn't be a baby.

When she was there, there wasn't much to it. She laid back on the table and small talked with the nurse while she got ready. It was a bit of a habit. Haley had always tended to ramble but this was a nervous ramble.

"So what's this supposed to look like?" Haley had all types of questions and was hoping to get a few answered.

The woman named Lulu turned on the machine and smiled, "Well on most occasions, just a little sack. But what we've got here is gonna look like a golf ball." She motioned for Haley to lean back and started to rub the goop on. "You won't be able to see the screen but I'll show you a few pictures once we're done."

As Haley laid there she felt like her breathing was as loud as a freight train. Her heart beat was pounding through the speakers and the sound was making her more nervous than calm. The camera clicked a few times and Lulu pulled the probe away.

"All done. You can sit up now."

Haley did, and took the paper towels to wipe her neck off. "So what does this mean?" Glancing at the enlarged mass on the screen she looked at Lulu.

"That's for Doctor Kirkland to find out but I'm guessing you've got an inflamed thyroid." Lulu sounded optimistic. "They'll need to take your blood in the other room. It's just down the hall to the left."

Nodding, Haley got off the bench and smiled, "Thank you." Lulu smiled and watched Haley leave. Walking down the hall, Haley found the next room, and signed in to wait a little while. Nathan had been waiting in the waiting room so she texted him that she was getting blood drawn. _They're taking blood now, I'll be back in a little bit._

Haley felt her purse buzz and knew it had to be him. _Ok. I'll be here when you're done. Love you. _She took a deep breath. Haley loved him more than he knew.

"Scott?" A man called out her name.

Getting up, Haley signed the necessary forms and went back to the room where a nurse took a few samples of blood. That was that and soon enough she was on her way.

Nathan was watching the television waiting patiently when he heard the door open. Every time it did he looked back to see if it was her. After about fifteen failed attempts he'd stopped looking, but with that last click of the door he knew it was her. She walked through the doors and he got up.

"Hey. You okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah. It wasn't bad."

Nathan noticed her band-aid. "Pink?"

Rolling her eyes, Haley laughed, "I know, but that's all they had."

He knew that she hated pink. "You would have thought they might have fun Disney characters or something." He was trying to lighten then mood and it was working.

"I know, right? No Mickey Mouse, no Peter Pan."

"No Belle?" He flashed her that smirk as he'd said her favorite character.

Haley laughed, "Nope, just plain pink."

Nathan opened the door for her as they walked out of the doctor's office and made their way to the car. When they were both in and headed for home, Haley glanced from outside to Nathan.

"What are we gonna tell Jamie and Charlotte?" They had sort of talked about this already, but now that they had been through the first stage of testing, Haley brought it back up.

Nathan didn't know the right time but shrugged, "Don't you think we should wait until we hear from the doctor. I don't think Charlotte needs any added stress now."

Haley agreed. Their daughter was pregnant with her second, five months along, and they didn't need to worry her. Not yet at least. "Yeah, okay."

So it would be six more days until they found out. Six more days until they knew what they were going to do.

Then soon enough it was Wednesday. Time for the doctor and a prognosis. It had been the same as it was when they'd gone to the oncology center. Nathan was at her side and that wasn't changing. Haley was filling out her paperwork as Nathan's eyes roamed the waiting room.

"It was my right leg, right?" Haley laughed, but it had been thirty five years since she was hit by that car. She was filing out her medical history and wanted to make sure.

Nathan still remembered that night and knew which leg had been in a cast. "Yeah." Images of that night filled his head and he wanted to forget. He wanted to forget what it had looked like seeing Haley hooked up to machines. He didn't need to think about that. Not while they were in a doctor's office about to hear if she would need any surgery or anything.

Haley took her papers up to the receptionist and when she returned to her seat she saw that Nathan was staring off into space. "Hey?"

He turned to her and smiled.

"It's gonna be fine. I'm gonna be fine." Haley nodded as she spoke. He had said the same thing to her last week and now she was the one reassuring him.

"I know." He leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. But that was the thing. He didn't know. This was out of his hands.

Instead of wallowing about the what ifs, Haley smiled, "Remember when Jamie was about two and got into the chocolate syrup and squirted it all over Luke's laundry?"

Laughing out loud, Nathan nodded, "He was so mad."

"I know. I thought he might abandon his God-Fatherly roles after that." Haley laughed along with Nathan.

"What about when Charlotte hid my basketball shoes when she didn't want me to leave?" Nathan raised his eyebrow.

Haley remembered that. Charlotte had been about six and didn't want Nathan going on the road to play the Sixers. "You gotta admit that was really cute."

Nathan nodded. "Or when Jamie caught us sneaking in his room to hide his Tooth Fairy money."

"That was bad." Haley leaned into him, "We would have been okay if you hadn't stepped on that toy truck that started going bizerk."

Haley sighed as Nathan told her other stories of their parenting days. They were still parents, grandparents even, but it was just the kind of thing that kept her mind at ease. They talked a little while longer and then soon enough her name was called. Nathan held her hand as they walked to the exam room.

They stayed quiet in there. The walls were pretty thin and they could hear doctors and nurses talk outside the door. Haley was sitting on the table when they heard a knock.

A man who looked to be their age, maybe a year or two younger, smiled and introduced himself. "Richard Kirkland." Nathan shook the man's hand and so did Haley. "So it looks like we've got a thyroid issue?"

Haley nodded. "I think so."

Doctor Kirkland put on a fresh pair of gloves and asked if he could feel around. "I've taken a look at your ultrasound and read your blood tests. There is definitely something going on here. It's a tumor of some sort." His brow furrowed has he continued to feel the lump. "Have you noticed that this has gone down a little."

Haley shrugged but Nathan spoke up. "I have."

She looked at him and her eyes softened. Haley didn't know he'd been paying that close attention.

Nathan folded his hands across his chest, "Is that a good or bad thing."

"You know, I can't be sure, but I do know that thyroid cancer has a tendency to do that." He wasn't going to have a straight answer until they got a biopsy or went ahead an removed it.

When they both heard cancer Nathan's heart dropped and Haley's world went fuzzy.

"Thyroid cancer?" Nathan's voice was full of concern.

"I know when you hear cancer it's scary, but, thyroid cancer is beatable and easily managed. And I'm not saying that it's what you've got. There is just a high possibility." Doctor Kirkland realized the couple had been taken back.

Haley had regained her thought process. "So...so what do we do?"

"There are two options. We can continue to monitor it, run test, do a biopsy, and see where that goes or schedule a lobectomy and go ahead and take out the inflamed thyroid."

Nathan looked at Haley, "What do you want to do, Hales?"

If it was cancerous she sure as hell wanted it out. There was no way she wanted whatever this thing was in her body longer than it needed to be. "What are the risks of the surgery?"

"Your vocal chords are just behind the thyroid and there is always the possibility that your voice may change a little when the procedure is over."

That was worrisome. "How badly?" Haley sang. She loved to sing. Losing her voice would be awful.

Doctor Kirkland shook his head, "I've performed this operation hundreds of times and no one has come out with any sharp changes. What will more than likely happen is that the first few days after surgery you'll be horse, a little scratchy."

Haley laughed and looked at Nathan, "I'll sound like Brooke."

Nathan smiled and then looked at Haley seriously, "So what do you want to do, the surgery?"

Nodding, Haley answered, "Yeah. Don't you think that's the best way to go? That way we won't have to keep playing the waiting game."

Doctor Kirkland interjected. "Once we get it out, we can test it on site and from there know the extent of the tumor and go from there."

Taking a deep breath, Haley looked at the doctor, "So when I wake up from surgery I'll know if I have cancer or not."

Giving her nod, Doctor Kirkland folded his hands together, "And like I said. If it does come to that, thyroid cancer is easily managed. Chemo won't likely be used. In most cases only hormone medication is needed."

Haley didn't want to wait. If this thing in her neck was anything related to cancer she wanted it out. "Let's do the surgery." Looking to Nathan for his approval, she saw him nod.

"I'll have you two sit down with my assistant and schedule everything."

"Thank you." Nathan looked at the doctor and nodded.

Haley did the same. "Thank you so much."

The doctor stood up and shook Nathan's hand and gave Haley a nod. "I'll see you two out before you leave. My office is on the right down there." He pointed down the hall and excused himself.

As soon as he left Haley felt her eyes begin to tear. Nathan saw and walked to her. He gently placed his hands on her side and shook his head. "Hey. It's okay. It's fine." Nathan used his thumb to brush away a tear and kissed her cheek. "I love you Haley James Scott. I do, and no lob-loctomy.."

Haley laughed and corrected him, "Lobectomy."

"...lobectomy is gonna change that."

She looked up into his blue eyes and nodded, "I know. I love you too." She sighed heavily and shook her head, "We've got to tell the kids."

That was going to be the hard part. Finding out that Haley had some tumor that might lead to cancer was bad enough, but having to tell the kids would be even harder.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie had just gotten out of the car when he saw Charlotte's car pull into the driveway. He smirked in her direction and crossed his arms. It took her a minute to get out because her belly was beginning to make it hard to get in and out of the car, but she raised her brow at her brother.

"What are you doing here?"

Jamie laughed, "What are _you_ doing here?"

If only they knew.

The thirty five year old boy waited up on his twenty eight year old sister, and Charlotte slowly walked closer. Jamie smiled at her growing stomach. "Looking good, Char." His little sister was five months along with her second and looked great.

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "Ugh, I feel fat." Looking down at her feet, she groaned, "My ankles feel like cement."

Jamie knew better than to laugh. "I think you wear pregnancy well."

"That's what all the men say. Graham told me the the same thing this morning." She stepped up the few stairs and laughed.

"So where's your girl? I don't get to see my niece?" Jamie raised his shoulders.

"She's with Sawyer. Sorry, I would have brought her, but mom sounded kind weird on the phone. Like she wanted it to be the two of us." Charlotte looked at her brother and shook her head, "Obviously I was wrong since you're here too."

"You thought she sounded strange too?" Jamie had noticed it as well when his mom had told him to stop by.

Charlotte nodded, "Yeah."

Jamie opened up the front door and let Charlotte walk in first.

"Mom? Dad?" Charlotte called out waited for a response.

"We're here." Jamie shut the door and walked toward the kitchen. He heard it first. The piano. He looked at the big black instrument and knew something was up. "Mom?"

Haley looked up from the black and white keys and smiled, "Hi."

Nathan walked inside from the back porch and walked to Charlotte. "Hey, Char."

"Hi, Dad." Charlotte hugged her father.

"Hey Jamie." Nathan smiled at his boy and saw Haley get up from behind the piano. The parents walked to the living room and sat down. Nathan looked at Haley and then his kids, "Come sit down for a second."

Jamie didn't like this at all. He knew something was up. "What's going on?" Jamie sat down in the chair next to the couch and let Charlotte sit in the one across from him.

"Don't tell me you guys are moving, or something. I love this house. I know it's big for the two of you but you've been here my whole life." Charlotte shook her head and rested her hands on her stomach.

"It's not that." Haley took a deep breath and looked at both of her children. "I'm...I'm going to have surgery in a couple of weeks..."

Jamie was the first to butt in with questions, "What kind of surgery?"

"You know how I had a sore throat last week? It actually ended up being more than just that." She paused for a moment "It's a tumor."

Charlotte's big brown eyes widened, "A tumor? Mom?" This was the time where the pregnancy was going to hinder her. Charlotte could already feel tears welling up.

Jamie looked deadpanned, "Is it cancer?"

"Jamie!" Charlotte wiped her eyes and shook her head. Her brother didn't need to be such a downer. Noticing that her mom nor dad had spoken up she furrowed her brow, "Mom?" Haley met Charlotte with matching eyes. "Dad?" Charlotte wanted an answer.

Nathan cleared his throat, "We won't know till after surgery."

Jamie sunk back in his chair and was taking it all in.

Charlotte was on the verge of becoming a blabbering mess, "What? What does that mean?"

"We don't know, honey." Haley hated to see her kids cry. If Charlotte kept it up, Haley would be crying right along with her. "The doctor told us that they would be able to test it after they got it out."

The whole conversation was making Jamie's stomach hurt. "What type of cancer?"

"Thyroid." Haley said softly.

Charlotte still had questions, "Is that bad, how do you treat it?"

Haley felt Nathan put his hand on her leg and she sighed, "It's actually not as bad as you'd think..."

"Mom, it's cancer! How can it not be bad?" Jamie didn't understand.

"Oh God, what about this baby? He's never gonna...never gonna..." Charlotte couldn't even finish her sentence. The tears and hitches in her breath were more than she could handle.

Nathan's ears perked up as did his Haley's and Jamie's. Charlotte had just told them it was a boy. "You're having a boy?" Nathan smiled. Now things would be all tied up. Two girls and two boys.

Charlotte sniffed and nodded, "I didn't mean to tell you like this."

Jamie felt himself smile amidst the other news he'd just heard.

Haley took a deep breath and shook her head, "You won't have to worry about that Charlotte. I'm gonna be fine."

"How do you know that?" Charlotte let herself calm down. "You can't go around saying your fine when you don't have any idea if you may or may not have cancer."

Nathan looked at his youngest, "No matter what happens, it's all gonna be okay."

Jamie watched as Charlotte wiped another tear away and spoke up, "What happens if it is? If it is cancer?"

Haley glanced her her boy, her son who wasn't a boy anymore. "Doctor Kirkland said that chemo isn't normally the first way to fight it. If it is thyroid cancer I may only need to take medication."

Jamie was surprised, "That's it?"

Nathan nodded, "And she might not even need that. This tumor could be some random thing that popped up and will go away."

Charlotte took another deep breath, "When are you having the surgery?"

"December 4th." Haley thought about it, "Almost three weeks from now."

Both Charlotte and Jamie had more questions and while they asked away Nathan got up and went to get drinks for everyone. Charlotte had moved to the couch and was sitting next to her mom and never wanted to move. Jamie looked at his little sister and mom, and got up too. He sat on the other side of Haley and wanted it all to be a bad dream.

Running her fingers through Charlotte's brown hair, Haley looked at her daughter and son. "I know this is hard, and I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be sorry, Mom." Jamie shook his head and looked at her.

Charlotte agreed, "You couldn't have known or stopped this. It just happens."

The way her two kids were speaking to her made Haley tear up. "I know..." She couldn't finish the rest of her thought but didn't need to. Jamie and Charlotte understood.

"I love you." Charlotte turned to look at her mom and nodded.

Haley wrapped an arm tightly around her youngest, "I love you too." She looked at Jamie, "Both of you."

Nathan walked back from the kitchen with three bottled waters and one diet coke. As he looked at his kids with his wife on the couch he knew things had been difficult. It was hard to see Charlotte cry and to see Jamie get upset, but he knew in his heart of hearts that Haley would be okay. She had to be.

**OTHOTH **

It was the night before Haley's surgery and Nathan couldn't sleep. He wanted to. He wanted to get lost in the peaceful dreams of years past and and years present, years future too. He wanted to be calm and collected but he couldn't.

Watching Haley breathe in and out was keeping him busy though. For thirty six years he'd seen her do that. Watch her sleep. As corny as it sounded he loved it. There was something comforting in the pattern of her breath and the steady rhythm of her chest as it rose and fell.

They'd had a great life together, a wonderful life. He knew he hadn't said thank you enough, I love you enough, and now he might never get the chance. Even if the tumor turned out to be harmless something could go wrong in surgery.

His face was flush against his pillow and he could feel the moisture welling in his eyes. How do you say goodbye to someone you're supposed to spend forever with?

Nathan pushed the covers off his legs and got out of bed. He needed some air. Reaching for his robe and slipping on his shoes, Nathan headed downstairs.

The cold December air was harsh and bitter. A reminder of what was happening tomorrow. As he walked out to the back he passed the pool and made his way down to the water. The dock was lit by a few lights and he heard the old wood creak as he stepped across the boards. His eyes were adjusting to the dim night sky and he could see the reflection of the moon in the water.

Nathan wasn't normally a crier but he felt a tear roll down his cheek. It was too much. The thought of losing her was _too _much.

Hearing the wood creak behind him he looked over his shoulder and saw her. She was in her robe and slowly walking his way. He wiped his face and took a deep breath.

"What are you doing out here? It's freezing?"

Nathan turned to face her and shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." He could have told her the whole truth. 'I couldn't sleep and docks are our thing, Hales. I love you, I'm not going to lose you, and so help me God this...this thyroid shit was gonna be nothing. ' He could have said that but didn't.

Wrapping her arms around his tall frame, Haley leaned her head against his chest. "You're not gonna lose me Nathan."

"Hales..." The wind picked up and stung his cheeks, "It's just..."

"I know." Haley understood his mindset. She was scared too. Scared to lose him to leave their kids, not get the chance to see Charlotte's kids grow up like she'd seen Jamie's. Haley moved her hands to his back and looked up to him. "I'm not going anywhere."

It was like that one phrase had saved him. Sure he was still nervous and worried but after she'd said that he felt better. "I love you, Haley." Leaning down, Nathan kissed her, "Always and forever."

She smiled and nodded, "I love you too." Haley fit perfectly in Nathan's arms and after she was sure he was okay she looked to him, "Wanna head inside? It's getting pretty cold."

"Yeah."

The couple walked inside and into their bedroom. Shedding their robes, they both slid into the covers and Nathan pulled Haley close. He placed a few kisses on her cheek and they both closed their eyes. Tomorrow could be the longest day of their lives.

Haley felt Nathan's secure hold on her and knew that it was all going to be okay. Cancer, no cancer, surgery, what have you, Nathan wasn't going to let anything come between them.

So the hours drifted by and that four o'clock alarm woke both of them up. They had to be at the hospital at five. Haley was up first. Dressed and ready in about twenty minutes and Nathan didn't take much longer. He grabbed a quick something to eat, feeling bad that Haley couldn't even eat anything. Doctor's orders though. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon.

He was in the kitchen when she came down the stairs. It was about that time and she looked at him, "Ready?"

Could he say no? "Yeah." It didn't sound convincing but he didn't have a choice.

Nathan drove to the hospital and they had to wait about an hour till they could go back to pre-op. Once they were back there Nathan stood outside the curtain for her to get changed in her gown.

"Nathan?"

He stood a little straighter when he heard his name come out of her mouth. "Yeah."

"You can come in now."

Nathan pushed the curtain aside and saw that she was already in the bed. Before he could say much a nurse came in and got her hooked up to the heart rate monitor, the blood pressure machine, and started an IV.

"Your anesthesiologist should be hear shortly to talk to you and give you some medicine."

Haley nodded and thanked the woman. She looked over to Nathan and could see the color had drained from his face. He seemed so fragile. "Nathan?" Reaching her hand out, Haley gave him a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere, remember?"

With her hand in his, he knew that. He did. But that didn't help the fact that seeing Haley in the bed with wires coming off her chest and a tube running out of her arm made him feel like throwing up. He swallowed hard and got up. "I know." He got up and walked to the bed. Leaning down, Nathan smiled at her before he kissed her.

Haley felt her stomach flip and fill with butterflies. She ran her hands up his arms and grasped on to his collar and kissed him again. "I love you."

Nathan looked at her and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, "I love you to, Haley James."

She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to get upset, but she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away hoping he hadn't seen it and smiled.

A woman in a white lab coat walked inside Haley's area and smiled, "Hi, Haley. I'm Doctor Greco and I'll be your anesthesiologist." The doctor glanced at the clock and nodded. "It's about time to give you some of the 'happy' medicine as I like to call it. It will help you relax before surgery."

"Alright." Haley nodded and watched as the doctor pulled a vile from her coat pocket and injected the stuff into her IV.

"How long does it take to kick in, before she's out of it?" Nathan looked at the woman with a curious eye. How long did he have to be with Haley while she still knew what was going on?

"Probably twenty minutes or so." The woman ran through a few questions for Haley about any previous tendencies with anesthesia. When that was done she shook Nathan's hand told Haley she'd see her in the operating room.

Haley cracked a smile and laughed, "I wonder if I'll see spotted elephants or flying pigs?"

He had to laugh at her humor. "I don't know. I bet the stuff will start to make you feel tired."

She shut her eyes and wondered if she'd fall right to sleep. Cracking an eyelid open she shook her head, "Not tired yet." When she looked at his blue eyes she could tell he was scared, nervous. She was trying to be light hearted about the situation. Nathan was being a trooper. If it were reversed and Nathan was the one in the bed, Haley would be an absolute mess. Changing topics, Haley leaned back on the bed. "Have you talked to the kids?"

Nathan nodded, "Charlotte's texted me a thousand times and Jamie called. I told them that I'd give them an update once you were in surgery and out." He laughed thinking about Charlotte. "You know she wanted to come?" That didn't surprise Haley. "I told her that she needed to stay in bed this early in the morning. Rest her swelling ankles."

Haley laughed, "Ha, she probably agreed about that."

"Not really. I could hear Graham talking her in to staying in the background." Nathan shrugged, "She'll be at the house when we get back though. With chicken noddle, extra noodle, soup."

Smiling, Haley thought about her kids. She and Nathan talked a little bit longer and then before they knew it, it was time for her to go.

Nathan stood up and smiled at the team of nurses that were ready to push his wife away. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and leaned down to kiss Haley goodbye. It wasn't really goodbye, it was see you later. At least he hoped so. "I'll be waiting."

She nodded and felt his lips on hers one more time. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The three nurses watched the older couple's sweet moment and all swooned. When they were that age they wanted to be in love like that.

"Someone will come get you after it's all over with Mr. Scott." One of the nurses smiled and then he saw Haley's bed start to move. His chest was tightening and the air in his lungs had been sucked out by the image. His wife was going into surgery. He' been holding her hand but when she was out of reach he had to let go. That was hard. Letting go. Nathan didn't want to do that.

Haley watched as the lights above her rolled bye. She had been nervous before, but not anymore. Whatever was going to happen was something they could get over. She would come out strong and knew that she would get that chance to see her grand kids grow up. All of them.

When she was wheeled into the operating room, the team of nurses lifted her onto the table and the cool metal made her shiver. She was starting to really feel that happy medicine and wondered how much longer before her world went dark.

"Mrs. Scott? We are gonna get you situated on here and then I need you to count back from ten for me okay?" The voice sounded familiar. Was it the anesthesiologist? She couldn't be sure. Haley could feel them strapping her to the table and her eyes were heavy. "Okay, you want to count now?"

Haley nodded, "Ten, nine, eight...se..seven, six, fi..." She was out before she knew it but in her head she finished counting. 'Nathan, Jamie, Charlotte, Nathan, Jamie, Charlo...' Her world seemed to fade away with the three most important people in her life on her mind.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan felt like he'd been there all day. In reality, he'd been at the hospital a couple hours. He was waiting to see a doctor or a nurse, to hear good news and his stomach was in knots thinking about it.

Footsteps were approaching but his head was down. Someone took a seat next to him and the coffee smell was comforting. "Here." The man handed Nathan the cup of steaming goodness.

He knew that voice. Nathan looked up and smiled. "What are you doing here?"

Before he answered, Jamie let his father take the coffee. "Charlotte and I didn't think you needed to be alone." It was true. Neither of them thought it was a good idea for Nathan to be alone waiting on the news without someone for support. "She was already upset talking about it so I knew I needed to be here. I wanted to come."

"Thank you." Nathan knew he had great kids. Having his son at his side now, at that moment, was everything he needed. If Charlotte wasn't hormonal he'd want her there too but they all knew it would be best if she stayed home.

Jamie took a sip of his coffee, "How was she before surgery?"

"Fine." Nathan thought of how strong she was, how calm Haley seemed to be.

"And what about you? How are you?"

Nathan wasn't going to lie. Even if he did, Jamie would have been able to tell. "I'm worried. I'm nervous. I felt like I was going to throw up when I saw her hooked up to everything."

The thirty something nodded at his father and shrugged, "She'll be alright, Mom always is."

"Yeah." Nathan leaned back in the chair and looked down at his watch. It would be just a little bit longer.

Jamie had made another coffee run and phone calls to his wife and sister, aunts and uncle to give updates, but they were still waiting to hear from the doctor. Then a little while later Nathan saw Doctor Kirkland walk towards him and knew he was either about to hear good or bad news. Whichever the case, they could deal with it. He knew that, but it didn't make it any less hard.

"Mr. Scott." Doctor Kirkland smiled, "We successfully removed the tumor and were able to keep the thyroid intact. Haley's doing just fine and won't need any medication or anything to treat the condition. It seems like it was a benign tumor that had us worried about nothing."

Jamie was breathing easy, "It's not cancer?"

The doctor looked at the young man and shook his head, "No, she's fine. Perfectly fine."

Nathan felt his chest fill with air and a smile start to spread across his face, "She's okay?"

Doctor Kirkland nodded, "She's being transferred to post-op now, one of you can go back there when a nurse comes to get you."

Extending his hand, Nathan smiled, "Thank you."

"Sure, sure, I'm glad I could help" Doctor Kirkland shook Nathan's hand and saw that the younger guy was holding out his hand too.

"Thanks Doctor." Jamie shook his hand and watched him walk away. He turned to his father and smiled, "Mom's alright."

"Yeah." Nathan couldn't help but smile now. "Yeah." After nodding, Nathan looked at his son, "Why don't you call everyone and head home?"

Jamie wanted to see his mom but only one person could go back there at a time and he knew that his father needed to be that person. He could wait till she got back home. "Okay. I'll see you in a little while."

Nathan nodded and hugged his son. He was just so happy everything was going to be okay. Jamie pulled out his phone and started to dial Charlotte. She was going to be in so much relief she'd probably cry. Nathan watched Jamie leave the waiting room and saw a nurse walk towards him.

"Mr. Scott? You can come see her now."

A swell in his chest helped move his feet forward as he followed the nurse. He listened to the woman explain that the tumor had been benign, nothing to worry about, that her incision was about three inches and that Haley had removable stitches. Her scar would be minimal and that the pain in the first few hours might be rough but she was getting a prescription for that. Most of the rest of the information was a retelling of what Doctor Kirkland had said.

They approached Haley's bed in pre-op and her eyes were shut. She looked peaceful. He walked close and took her hand. Her neck and face were covered in Betadine and there was a strip of medical tape over her stitches, but she looked fine."Hales?"

The voice she heard was Nathan's. She knew that for a fact. Haley slowly opened her eyes and smiled. In a horse whisper she spoke, "Hi."

He smiled and leaned down to hiss her forehead, "You're okay. Everything's fine. The surgery went well."

Haley raised her hand towards her neck with wide eyes.

Nathan shook his head, "It was nothing. Benign."

"Really?" It was awkward to speak but she wanted to make sure.

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. They didn't even have to take out your thyroid."

Shutting her eyes, Haley took it all in. Things were okay. She was okay.

"Jamie came to sit with me, and he and Charlotte are at the house now. The nurse said you'd only have to stay a little while longer. Wait for you to fully come out of anesthesia and then we can go home."

That was a relief. She couldn't wait to get out of there. She wanted to be home. Haley nodded and intertwined her fingers with his. Things were going to be okay.

Turned out the tumor ended up being harmless. The surgery probably wasn't necessary, but at the time they thought it was something more than a golf ball sized nothing. Nathan and Haley had thought they were dealing with something that could potentially tear them apart. Now that it was gone, Nathan looked at his wife and realized how lucky they'd been. It could have turned out to be bad. Things could have gone wrong but they didn't. Just like always, Nathan and Haley James Scott defeated yet another obstacle. They could beat out whatever life threw at them. No matter what.

**OTHOTH**

**WOW, that was a monster chapter. Over 9,000 words! New record! Okay, so how did I do? Did you guys love it? Hate it? Wish I'd never written it? _Please, please, please_ let me know what you thought!**

**If some of you were wondering, I left out Charlotte's little girl's name for a reason. That will be addressed in her spin off story and or if I ever do a chapter about her first child in here. Do some of y'all want that? I know we got to see a chapter about Bennet being born (he was the first grandchild after all) but what do you think about Charlotte's first baby? Yay or nay for mother/daughter, father/daughter bonding over her first child?**

**On a side note: If you are reading Jamie or Charlotte's spin off, I'm gonna try and write them/ finish both chapter fours as soon as I can. They will probably both be posted when I get back. Sorry for the wait.**

**My reviewers are the reason this chapter was posted so quickly. You guys rocked it with the reviews last chapter and I was so thankful for the response. I always appreciate any type of feedback. Thank you. There were so many of you anonymous people that this next part will be long, lol! But that's a good thing!**

***Sophiaaaaa, Diana, Amber, Heather, cdbern, ann, Jennifer, Bwyn, MagicalNaley23, kutebloo, j, tasha, Always and Forever, and anon...thank you so much for the reviews. I really do appreciate the feedback!**

**Mish: Haha, I'm _sure_ I'm not Mark Schwann. I'm so glad you thought the last chapter was realistic to the character's personalities.**

**Maddie: Well, Haley wasn't the one who was taking care of Nathan, but how did you like it. I plan on doing a chapter later when Haley has to deal with Nathan getting hurt (the aftermath of the bar fight in Season 5) so maybe you'll like that one.**

**Emma: You made me laugh. Epic chapter? I guess jealous Nathan is pretty epic, lol. Happy Fourth to you!**

**Shelby: I'm happy you haven't gotten bored yet. That's always something I try not to do. I don't want to bore my readers. I'm glad you liked the throwback to the sex tape list. I do try and make the story as close to the show by adding in things that did actually happen.**

**Blurrystars: The kids were included in this new chapter so was that what you had in mind? I hope it wasn't Jamie or Charlotte overkill.**

**KC: Haha, "no fist flying, rude comments or death threats" that was so funny. I'm with you, it's kind of nice to see a tame jealous Nathan. I'm glad you liked the age that Jamie was. I'll try and have more chapters with him that age.**

**Satcher: Well this new chapter was in fact longer. Hopefully not too long. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Katie: I'm going to have a college fight/storm chapter coming up, I've just got to put the pieces together and figure out what I want them fighting about.**

**Naley98: Thank you for the great compliment, but the OTH writing staff does a pretty good job most of the time, lol. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you've liked the story.**

**Leah: Thank you for reviewing when you normally don't. I really appreciate the feedback and I'm so happy you liked the chapter.**

**Mazzy: I know you were looking forward to a health scare chapter so was this along the line of what you wanted. I hope I met your expectations.**

**Morgan: Thank you for the chapter suggestions. I like the first two but I'm not sure about Haley getting mugged. That will go on the "maybe" list. I appreciate you ideas and if you have others feel free to send them my way.**

**Becky: I'm so glad you liked the jealous Nathan chapter. Those are always fun for me to write. High school Naley is the hardest for me to do so if you have specific idea on what you'd like to see let me know. It might help spur my creative imagination.**

**Joan: I'm glad you liked the part where Nathan wanted to run Tommy over with the stroller. I'm trilled you think I do the show justice. Happy Fourth of July to you too.**

**Alexis: I'm pretty sure my creativity comes from my sheer love for this couple, lol. I can't write the others like this. I'm so happy you liked the chapter.**

**Scott2312: My favorite part of this story is how it's all out of order so I'm happy you like that too. It makes it fun to write. I can switch up time frames so I don't get bored. Thanks for the review!**

_**Please review guys!**_


	66. Don't Scratch that Itch

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 66: Don't Scratch that Itch**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I _still_ don't own One Tree Hill.**

**A/N: Hello? Hello? Anyone there? That's my lame attempt at cracking a joke about how long it's been since the last update. I've got good excuses, I do, but I know you don't want to hear them and probably don't care. So I'll cut it to that and let you read on about the adorableness that is Nathan and Haley.**

**-Oh and I had to re-upload this chapter because fanfiction was acting weird. Sorry for the confusion if any of you were scratching your heads.**

**-Okay so mishap number two. Somehow fanfiction deleted this chapter again. Diana, thanks for the heads up about that. Hence the re-post. Those of you who've already read this chapter, chapter 67 will be up just as soon as I get it done.  
**

**OTHOTH**

The cool winter air was chilly but not freezing, not yet. Nathan was on a short lived break from his days playing for the Bobcats and was trying to spend as much time with is family as he could. Those were the days he couldn't get back. As much as he wanted to, there was no pause button he could press that would stop time so he wouldn't miss things. Nathan looked over his shoulder and saw them, the three of them. It was an image he'd never get sick of looking at. Where was that pause button now?

Haley was pushing the stroller and Jamie was riding his bike like a maniac down the sidewalk. They'd made it a family outing. Lunch had been simple and easy. The Reel Cafe was always low key this time of day with just a handful of diners.

"Dad? Dad?" Jamie zoomed by Nathan and slowed down. He pointed to Port City Java and smiled, "Can we go in there?"

Nathan looked up at the corner coffee house and nodded, "Yeah." He looked at Haley and raised his shoulders, "How bout it Hales?"

She strode up to her boys and smiled. Laughing, Haley saw Jamie's red cheeks and shook her head, "No caffeine for you mister."

Jamie didn't mind. The caffeine wasn't the the pull, it was their hot chocolate. "Sweet!"

Nathan loved Jamie's enthusiasm. He watched as Jamie rode to the side of the street. "Wait, Jame, hold on." Nathan had no interest in watching his eight year old son riding across the street in traffic.

"Don't cross yet, Jamie." Haley stepped up her pace so she could get to her son faster. The boy did as his parent's asked and waited.

The family of four waited for the crossing light to illuminate and Nathan guided everyone across the street. His hand was placed in the small of Haley's back and Jamie was on the other side. Traffic was almost non-existent but Nathan wasn't going to chance crossing a Tree Hill street. He'd already had one really bad experience.

But all was well when everyone's feet and the stroller wheels hit the other side of the sidewalk. Nothing to worry about on that front. Jamie hopped off his bike and yanked his bike lock around the parking meter. It wasn't like someone was going to steal a kid's bike in Tree Hill, but Jamie had gotten the lock from Chuck as a Christmas present and loved using it. It must have been a kid thing.

Haley couldn't help but smile at her son. She watched him spin the numbers around in case someone were to try and take the bike and it was adorable. Jamie hadn't told Haley what his four digit code was, but she had a pretty good idea about what numbers he used. The first two were the same two numbers she had inked on her back and the other two were sequential. The number Jamie had told Nathan to wear in the NBA, the number he did wear.

Nathan held open the door and Haley pushed the stroller inside. She eyed a table in the corner and looked at Nathan. He knew what she wanted. It was that look he'd come to know and love. It was the 'Honey, I would really love it if you ordered for me while I go sit down. My feet hurt' look and it worked every time

She hadn't even asked him but Nathan nodded, "Yeah, I got it. I know what you want, but should I get anything for Charlotte?" Nathan eyed his nineteen month old and then looked at Haley.

Pulling her scarf around her neck, Haley shrugged, "Uh, apple juice I guess?" Charlotte wasn't really old enough for hot chocolate. Maybe she was, but weren't toddlers supposed to stay away from chocolate till they were two?

"Alright." Nathan nodded and walked toward the counter. "Come on Jamie. I'll need your help carrying our drinks." Jamie followed closely behind his father.

Haley looked on and smiled. Their backs were to her but that didn't matter. Father and son were next to each other standing in the same position, and Haley knew that it would only be a few more years till Jamie would sprout up to Nathan's height. Or, well, she hoped. Turning her attention to her daughter, she smiled wide. "You. You can stay small for as long as you'd like." Haley laughed and unbuckled Charlotte out of the stroller.

Up at the counter Nathan was eying his choices and deciding on what to get. There were about one thousand and four of types of drinks and he couldn't decide. The line moved up and he had to act fast. Jamie looked up to him and Nathan knew what he wanted.

"Hey, what can I get for you?" The twenty something guy smiled at Nathan with a raised brow. Then he looked at Jamie with a familiar grin.

"Hot chocolate for me." Jamie smiled and looked to his father.

Nathan nodded and began to order the rest, "Yeah, make that two hot chocolates, one apple juice, and..." He looked over his shoulder to his wife and daughter.

The Port City Java employee noticed who Nathan was looking at and started punching the buttons on the screen. "A Mochaccino with a shot of sugar free vanilla Monin, and extra whipped cream. I'm on it."

Furrowing his brow, Nathan wasn't sure how this guy knew Haley's order. "Uh, yeah." Nathan eyes got even larger when he saw the guy write Haley's name on her cup. Her name! His feathers had already been ruffled enough because he thought he was the only one who knew Haley's order.

"Your order will be up in a minute." His name tag read Zach and he handed Nathan his change back.

Turning to walk back toward his girls, Nathan couldn't shake the surge of hurt he felt. He knew that this guy didn't mean anything to Haley, but that guy knew her coffee order. That was Nathan's thing. Lucas probably didn't even know how Haley ordered. Well, no, he probably did, but that didn't count. Having this coffee guy know Haley's order was another one of those stings that made him realize he missed a lot while playing in the NBA.

Haley watched Nathan sit down and rested her cheek against Charlotte's head. "You wanna go sit with Daddy?"

Nathan's mood changed a little when he heard the question and Charlotte's response. He held his arms out and took the girl in his grasp. Her body was warm and her eyes were just like her mother's. He'd always wanted a girl who looked like Haley and now that she was here, he never imagined he'd get a little replica.

"Mom, our stuff's ready." Jamie pulled on Haley's arm.

She looked at the counter and saw that he was right, "Okay."

Nathan watched as Jamie and Haley walked to the counter and found himself staring at Haley. He let out a laugh and looked down at Charlotte, "Your mom's kinda pretty, you know that?"

Charlotte mumbled a little and clapped her hands together, "Mama."

The mother and son duo walked back with the drinks and Jamie handed Nathan his hot chocolate. Nathan looked back to the counter and then to Haley. "I guess you come here a lot since that coffee making guy knows your order."

Haley laughed, "He's a barista." She looked at the employee and nodded, "I guess so." Picking up on the tone of Nathan's voice, Haley arched her brow with a simple laugh. "But don't worry. He doesn't know what type of macaroni I like." Nathan had to laugh at that. He nodded and realized that she was right.

It didn't take too long for the family to finish their drinks and then they found themselves heading towards home. If Nathan thought that worrying about some coffee making, barista, whatever he was called, was the extent of the day's problems. He was wrong.

**OTHOTH**

Right around the time they got back to the house was that time of the day Nathan loved most. When he was home he loved looking forward to Charlotte's afternoon nap. It had become somewhat of a given that as soon as Charlotte's eyes started looking heavy Nathan would take over. He'd pick her up and the two of them would lie on the couch. Her cheek flush against his chest was the recipe for bedtime.

Haley was walking upstairs with Jamie and shaking her head laughing. He'd managed to ride though the one and only puddle downtown and got himself coated with dirty water.

"Mom,do I have to take a bath? I don't feel so good."

Shaking her head, Haley smiled, "Not gonna work this time, pal. You're all muddy and sweaty and trust me. You don't want to get into your bed tonight like that."

"But Mom..." Jamie hung his shoulders and walked into his room. He took off his jacket and tossed it on his bed. Haley pulled out clean clothes and turned to her son. His shirt was stuck around his head and she smiled. But that smile didn't stay long when she spotted the red mark on his chest. Jamie sighed, "A little help here?" Haley was still focused on that little mark but started to help Jamie out of his shirt. Once she got the button undone she saw that Jamie was looking a little sickly. Her hand went straight for his forehead and she grimaced.

"Have you noticed this, Jamie?" Haley pointed to the red spot on his chest with a worried look.

Jamie looked down and shook his head, "No? What is it?"

Haley had a pretty good idea what it was but didn't want to jump the gun. "Uh, I'm not sure." She took a deep breath and grimaced, "And you said you feel bad, right."

The eight year old nodded, "Yeah. It started just a little while ago."

She knew exactly what it was. Jamie had the chicken pox, and if he had the chicken pox then Charlotte was gonna get them too. "Alright, well why don't we get you in some clean clothes and you can lie down?"

"Okay."

Haley looked at Jamie and started to walk out of his room. "I'll bring you up something in a second." She walked out of her room and was faced with a dilemma. Would she purposely go ahead and let Charlotte get the chicken pox so that would be over and done with? Or what if Charlotte already had them? What if Jamie got them from Charlotte? Haley stopped in her tracks when that scenario flashed through her mind because there was someone else in the equation. Nathan.

She hurried into the bedroom and reached for the phone. Haley dialed her mother in law's number and waited for Deb to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Deb."

"Haley, hey. How is everything?"

Letting out a half laugh, Haley sat on the bed, "Well, actually I was wondering if you remembered if Nathan ever got the chicken pox. I don't think he did but..."

"You know, I think you may be right. I don't remember him ever having the chicken pox." Deb thought back on the years and shook her head, "I'm pretty sure he never did."

"That's what I was afraid of." Haley winced.

Deb caught Haley's drift. "Oh no, does one of the kids have it?"

"Jamie does. Well I think he does. Charlotte might, but she's asleep right now. I haven't been able to check."

"And what about Nathan?"

Haley laughed again and shook her head, "He's with Charlotte and the chicken pox are really contagious so I think he'll get if even if she doesn't have it...yet."

Deb smiled and tried to ease any of Haley's worries, "Well, I guess it will be a good thing if they all get it at once."

"I guess so." Haley sighed, and after a little more conversation she said goodbye to Deb. As she headed downstairs Haley peeked her head in Jamie's room and saw that he was asleep. After she made sure Jamie was alright, she headed to check on Nathan and Charlotte.

Nathan wasn't asleep but Charlotte was. His eyes were glued to the screen and he looked at Haley when she saw her walk toward them.

Haley sat down on the coffee table and bit her lip. "So, I've got bad news." She was whispering making sure she didn't wake up Charlotte. Nathan didn't know what the problem was so Haley went ahead and told him. "Jamie's got chicken pox."

"But that's not bad, right. He'll be okay?" Nathan wasn't thinking about himself, but his sick child.

"Yeah, yeah. He'll be fine, but...you haven't had the chicken pox yet."

Nathan realized the problem. "I'm gonna get them?"

Haley nodded, "Probably. Charlotte will get it too, she might already have it. I don't know."

Looking at his little girl that was tightly curled up on his chest, Nathan sighed, "I guess I should call Clay."

"I'm sorry. I know this is really bad timing." Haley found herself in another odd predicament. Number one she was sorry that Nathan was gonna be missing time from basketball but number two, he would be home. That wasn't ever a bad thing.

Nathan realized that he might be out longer than the average head cold. "How long does it last?"

"Uh, two weeks maybe? It depends I think?"

"Two weeks! We're playing conference games the next two weeks."

"I know, I know." Haley knew that the timing was awful.

Nathan felt Charlotte squirm and he sighed. "Does it hurt?"

Haley shook her head and gave him a half smile. "It will itch a little." She didn't want to tell him that it would itch like nothing else that had itched him before, but she'd keep that to herself for now. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe things would be alright. Maybe.

**OTHOTH**

It had been two days and the Scott house was more like an infirmary. Both kids and Nathan were sick with chicken pox and Haley was trying anything and everything to ease the itch. For some reason she thought that Charlotte would be the hardest to manage since she's so little but that wasn't the case. Nathan was the one who was having the hardest time with it. If he didn't stop scratching, she was going to tape mittens over his hands.

The bath water was warm and Haley dropped the self made cloth bag full of oatmeal into the tub. She got Charlotte out of her clothes and watched as the little girl splashed around in the water. Nathan had made fun of her for putting together an oatmeal bag but it was a remedy for the itch. Haley's mom had done it and now she was using it for her children.

Nathan and Jamie were in the master bedroom watching a movie while Haley bathed Charlotte and she could hear the explosions and the oohs and ahhs coming from her husband and son. Haley sat by the tub with a wash cloth and gently ran the soft material over Charlotte as she played with the bath toys. She'd gotten itchy but never as bad as either of the boys. Those two were the worst.

"You're a trooper Charlotte, and just between you and me, you're doing much better with this than you brother and Dad."

"Hey, I heard that." Nathan walked into the bathroom with a raised brow.

Haley's eyes went wide. "Well if you would take an oatmeal bath it would help."

"An oatmeal bath. I'll pass." Nathan laughed and sat on the edge of the tub. "I'm not a bath kinda guy Hales. The only baths I take are the ones when you're..."

"Nathan." Haley looked up to him with a warning tone. Her red cheeks were enough to make him stop. She sighed heavily, "If you stop being so stubborn it will help the itch. I promise it works."

Looking down into the tub, Nathan saw Charlotte sloshing the water around. "Feeling better, Char?"

Charlotte held up the plastic toy and smiled, "Boat."

Laughing, Nathan crossed his arms. He started to itch his chest when he felt Haley swat at his leg.

"Stop Nathan. You're gonna scar and then you'll...you'll lose all those endorsement deals." That was pretty extravagant but it worked.

Nathan stopped itching and looked at her. "I'm gonna scar?"

She nodded, "If you keep it up you will. And it cost more money to airbrush over your body than it would be to hire some other NBA star, so..."

Nathan furrowed his brow. He stood up pulling his shirt off and studied himself in the mirror. His marks didn't look that bad. Nathan knew that he needed to stop scratching though. Haley had a point.

Getting up from the floor, Haley looked at Charlotte and then walked the few feet to Nathan. "You're not gonna loose your endorsements, I was just saying that." She hesitated, "But you need to stop scratching."

"Dad, you're missing the best part!" Jamie called out as the movie played.

Nathan turned around and arched his brow and kissed her forehead before walking back to the bedroom.

Haley went back to the tub and for the next half hour or so she watched Charlotte splash around. Just before the little girl was about to prune, Haley got her out. After putting on a new diaper, Haley set Charlotte down on the bed with the boys. She needed to get the calamine lotion. When she returned she couldn't help but smile. Nathan was shirtless and that was always a plus, but it wasn't just that. Nathan had his shirt off, Jamie had his off, and Charlotte was only sporting her diaper. All three of them were proudly displaying their chicken pox.

"Stay just like that." Haley smiled and hurried over to the bedside table. She pulled out her camera. This was going to be a moment they wouldn't ever forget. Haley took one picture of them in bed but had a cuter idea.

Nathan got out of the bed and Jamie stood in front of him. Charlotte was in front of him and he was holding onto her little hands. It was perfect.

Haley laughed, "Say cheese!" The three spotted Scotts smiled and Haley clicked the camera. Haley looked at Jamie and then at the TV. "When the movie is over it's your turn for a bath, Jamie."

The boy nodded and it was only fifteen or so minutes before the credits started to roll. Jamie hopped off the bed and headed toward his room.

Nathan was lying with Charlotte and he looked at his wife. She had been doing so much while they'd all been sick. Charlotte was still only in her diaper and needed to get dressed and a fresh coat of lotion on. He looked at Haley and smiled. "You want me to get her dressed?"

She looked at him appreciatively, "That would be great." Haley grabbed the calamine lotion and tossed it to Nathan as she walked out of the bedroom.

"Nice throw." Nathan laughed when he caught the bottle because Haley normally didn't have the best aim, or athletic coordination for that matter.

Haley stuck her head back in the room and smirked, "I try."

Nathan let out another laugh and looked at Charlotte. "Ready? Hopefully this time I wont put your clothes on backwards. That was bad." Nathan grabbed the pajamas Haley had gotten and made sure which way the tag went. Sometimes it was hard though. Randomly, idiot manufactures put tags on the side of the clothes. Now how was that supposed to help? It didn't. Nathan would know.

But before he dressed his little girl he remembered he needed to get the lotion. That was a huge factor with chicken pox. He got Charlotte to stand up and then Nathan proceeded to dab the lotion all over her spots. Once he was sure he'd gotten them all covered he raised his brow. He knew that the lotion needed to dry a little before he put her clothes but how long would that be? Nathan reached for the _Sports Illustrated_ near by and started waving it at Charlotte. She startled to laugh and that made Nathan laugh.

Haley walked back in to the room quietly watching the interaction. Nathan was such a good father. He may have been gone from time to time, but when he came home he more than made up for it.

Nathan gently touched one of the lotion covered spots and nodded, "That's good. Dry enough." He proceeded to get Charlotte dressed and nodded to himself when he was done.

"You've gotten better at that." Haley spoke up and walked toward the bed.

"Hey." Nathan furrowed his brow, "That was a one...two time thing."

Laughing, Haley nodded her head. "Well, you have gotten better."

"I try." He flashed her that smirk and Haley felt her heart begin to race. God the way he could still do that. After ten plus years that smirk still made her world spin. He knew that it still happened and was more proud that he still held that string with Haley. He laughed and looked past her, "So Jamie's taking his oatmeal bath?"

Haley laid down on the bed and sighed. "Yeah. I hope he stays in there a while." She rolled over and looked at Nathan. "I might take a shower myself."

"Yeah, whatever you want. That's fine. We're good. Right, Charlotte?" Nathan nodded at the brown eyed little.

Haley slowly got up off the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water and then walked out toward Nathan. "Check on Jamie in a little bit. He should be fine but, just in case."

"I will." He watched Haley walk back in the bathroom and heard the sounds of clothes dropping on the floor.

Under the warm water, Haley closed her eyes and ran her hands over her hair. It was certainly a handful for all three of them to have the chicken pox now. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be glad Taylor had ever given her an ailment as a child. Next time she saw Taylor, Haley would have to thank her. It would have been torture if the Haley had come down with chicken pox too.

**OTHOTH**

The kids had gone to bed and hopefully they would sleep well. One or both of them were bound to wake up itchy and uncomfortable. As a mom it was hard for Haley to see her kids like that. But in reality, there was only so much she could do. And anything and everything that could be done, was being done. Haley would do anything for those kids. Nathan too.

Nathan had come from upstairs with a glass of water. He laid down in bed and started scooting his shoulders back and forth to relieve the itch.

Haley had been reading and set her book down when she saw Nathan wiggle like a worm. She got up and walked straight to the bathroom.

Nathan heard the water turn on and then saw Haley come back out with a stern look on her face.

"You're taking an oatmeal bath if you like it or not."

The authority in Haley's voice was pretty sexy. He smiled and raised his eyebrows. Nathan decided he'd test the waters. "And what if I don't."

"Then you can sleep somewhere else. When you move to itch you shake the whole bed."

When she'd said that he felt bad. Nathan stood up and slowly made his way to the bathroom. He opened his mouth to speak but Haley shook her head.

"No. You'll be fine in there by yourself."

He laughed because she knew him too well.

Haley held up the little cloth bag of oatmeal and smiled, "Drop it in and soak in the water. I promise it will help." She climbed back on their bed and Nathan got into the tub.

It wasn't but five minutes later that she heard her name. "Haley?"

She set her book down and raised her eyebrows, "Yeah."

"Come in here. I'm bored."

Laughing, Haley got up and walked to the bathroom door. "Bored?"

He ran his hands over the water and nodded. "Talk to me. What was your day like?"

Haley smiled because he was so genuine about it. He knew what she did that day. "Well, I played nurse to my spotted family. Charlotte looks like a really cute Dalmatian and Jamie does too. My husband on the other hand..."

Raising his brow, Nathan laughed, "Yeah. I look pretty dumb, huh."

"I don't know if I'd say dumb. Peculiar might be better." Haley laughed and shrugged, "It's not often that you see grown men with chicken pox."

He nodded, "Did you hear what they said on SportsCenter today?" Clearing his throat, Nathan did his best interpretation of the sportscaster, "For all you Bobcat fans, Nathan Scott was put on the disabled list after coming down with the chicken pox. You heard that right folks, chicken pox. Looks like someone's spending time in the hen house."

"What? Are you serious?" Haley shook her head laughing.

"Oh yeah."

"That doesn't even make sense. Chicken pox has absolutely nothing to do with chickens."

Nathan nodded then shook his head, "Wait, what?"

Haley's eyes widened and she nodded, "Yeah, you knew that."

"No."

"Really?" Haley scrunched her forehead and laughed.

Nathan was confused, "Why is it called chicken pox then?"

"It's from the Latin word cicer, which means chickenpeas. And apparently the spots on the skin looked like chickenpeas." Haley smiled, "So it doesn't really have anything to do with chickens."

"Oh." Nathan ran his fingers through the oatmeal water, "I never knew that. I thought it came from eating bad chicken or something."

Haley started to laugh. Sometimes she forgot that Nathan hadn't been an A student. She was about to say something but heard Jamie calling out for her. "That's me. Let me go check on him."

While Haley went to tend to their son, Nathan splashed the home remedy oatmeal water up on him. As he laid back in the tub he wondered if it mattered if you used cinnamon or low-fat oatmeal. Would that stuff make a difference? Cinnamon might have been nice.

For the next twenty minutes or so Nathan continued to relax and when he felt his hands start to prune he knew he needed to get out. But before doing that, he eyed the little yellow bottle of shampoo and got curious. It couldn't hurt anything and it did smell really good.

Haley had gotten Jamie situated and checked on Charlotte before she went back to the bedroom and when she walked Nathan was putting lotion on.

"Will you get my back?"

Nathan handed her the bottle and she nodded. Haley dabbed the lotion over his bumps and blew on them so they could dry. Her breath on his skin made him shiver. Once everything was all dry, Nathan thew on a shirt and climbed into bed. Haley did the same and smiled at him.

"It worked. The oatmeal." Nathan nodded. "I don't feel so itchy."

Haley smiled, "I told you."

Nathan leaned close to her and she put her hand on his cheek. Luckily he didn't have any spots on his cheek. That may have been a problem since she liked to touch his cheek a lot. He smiled. "You're a great mom, you know that?"

She smiled and her eyes said thank you.

He moved closer to her and kissed square on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too." Haley put her face close to his and took a deep breath. She tilted her head and laughed, "Did you use Charlotte's shampoo?"

"Maybe? Yes." Embarrassed and worried it may have messed up the oatmeal bath, Nathan winced.

"Nathan!" She laughed and shook her head.

He smiled, "What? It smells good."

Haley knew that. It did smell good. There was something in the Johnson and Johnson no more tears shampoo that did smell great. But as much as it smelled good, Nathan didn't need it. Haley was perfectly content on the way he smelled pre-baby shampoo. She'd gotten used to that smell. It was in the house and on the sheets, especially on his pillow. It was the thing that kept her sane while he was away. It may have sounded dumb or even cliché, but his smell had a hold on her. It was something she'd been used to for over ten years. Things hadn't changed. Well, the calamine lotion had a little bit of a smell but that would only be temporary. Chicken pox wouldn't last forever, but Haley knew she and Nathan would.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. This chapter was a lighter than the last one. Got a request for next chapter? Send it my way! I'm gonna try and do college Nathan and Haley next chapter so send you suggestions via review if you've got one.**

**The feedback for last chapter was beyond amazing. Literally. At first I was really worried how people would react since it dealt with an emotional subject but thank you for all the wonderful comments. I know the topic hit very close to home for some of you (me too) and I thank you all for the nice words. **

**To those of you I can't respond back to... There were so many of you this chapter. Thank you. I love it! Tasha, ann, bethanyfan23, Hadley, Jennie, Hailey, Katie, Alexis, Ella, Laura, Caroline, Mary Garland, Jana, Flynn, ana, **

**Julia: I love me some Chris Keller too and I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate him in this somehow but I'm still figuring it out. I know a lot of people don't like him so that may be one of those voting polls I throw out for my readers to decide on.**

**Mish: Great idea about Haley being nervous the first time they go swimming at Nathan's place. I'm adding it to the list of chapter scenarios.**

**Emma: I know last chapter was sad but unfortunately they do have to do die at some point. Ah, that sounds awful but they can't live forever (as much as we would all love for that to happen). The last chapter was to show that they aren't invincible or anything. I hope you re-read a happy chapter after that one to change the mood a little.**

**a: Charlotte's daughter's name will be brought up in her story if it doesn't get brought up in here. I'm not sure which it will happen in first. Probably her spin off story if I had to guess.**

**Always and Forever: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Charlotte's kids will most certainly be mentioned in her spin off. I'm not sure when exactly but they all will get their own chapter (the pregnancy and birth and stuff like that...)**

**kutebloo: I'm so happy you liked how Liza and Jamie are with Nathan and Haley as grandparents. If you read his spin off, you'll get to see much of that in there. I'm also so happy you like the grandkids!**

**Naley98: Knowing that you think my writing is "real" or makes things seem real really means a lot. Thank you!**

**blurrystars: I'm not gonna like. How do you say goodbye to someone you're supposed to spend forever with was by far my favorite line of the chapter. I'm thrilled you liked it too. A chapter with all the grandkids by be kind of tricky. I mean I know how many there are and names and stuff but that's a lot of introduction at once, you know? I wouldn't want to bombard you all with a sea of newbies in one chapter. Maybe I'll do that down the road.**

**MagicalNaley23: I guess it's a good think you didn't cry since you were at work and that was a great compliment to get. Thank you. You're right, Nathan is a worrier. He'll always be worried about Haley. At least to me. He just wants (needs) to make sure she's okay. I doubt I'll be doing a second part to the cancer scare only because it kinda takes a lot out of me to write. Believe me, if it hadn't been over ten thousand words I would have loved to include Brooke and Peyton and Lucas in there but I just couldn't fit it in. I thought about having Lucas be the one who went to sit with Nathan at the hospital but I chose Jamie instead. Maybe that was a bad choice on my part. I've got an upcoming chapter where Nathan gets mad at Charlotte and also one where Haley gets upset with Jamie (although...Haley kinda gets more mad at Nathan). And of course, when and if I do a chapter in here about Charlotte's first baby it will be both mother/daughter and father/daughter bonding.**

**Bwyn: It's so great to know that you started this fic when I was in the forties and now you're hooked. That's the kind of think I love to hear. I'm so glad you are enjoying it! I know the emotional ones can get pretty dark and sad but I try and do them the best I can so hopefully things are rushed over. Thank you so much for the review!**

**Joan: I think you were the only one who mentioned the things that Nathan and Haley talk about in the doctors office (Charlotte hiding shoes and Jamie almost catching his parents as the tooth fairy...) I loved writing that little bit. Charlotte's first child/pregnancy will probably be a chapter in here at some point. And I loved that you are really starting to like Liza. That really means a lot since she's my character!**

**Mazzy: Well I guess it was a good think that you thought Haley was gonna have cancer. I wanted people to suspect the worst but end up with the best case scenario.**

**Diana: This new one was on the fluffy, cheesy side but it's good to know that you thought last chapter was as good as those!**

**BDavis: I'm so happy you liked the chapter. It was a tough one to write,but it all came from personal experience so I credit that for anything that worked in the chapter. I think I'll probably do a chapter in both stories about Charlotte's pregnancy(cies). I know they will be in her spin off and you're right, it would be great to get a Naley perspective as well.**

**Shelby: I'm gonna try and do college next time. I've got a few request for that time frame so hopefully I'll be able to do that. **

**Maureen****: I know that sometimes (or probably a lot) I write about the kids or Nathan and Haley with the kids so I'll try and do a chapter soon where it's just Nathan and Haley.**

**Please, please, review! And remember, any suggestions...let me know!**


	67. The Storm Within

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 67: The Storm Within**

**Disclaimer: No. No. No. And no. I don't own One Tree Hill. I don't have any affiliation with it. I wish I was in Wilmy right now and could bounce some ideas off of Mark and co. That would be all kinds of awesome. Not to mention I'd die if I got to meet James and Joy!**

**A/N: So guys, some of you may have noticed that LM got updated like three times in the last few days, and that it was all for the same chapter. Yeah, I know, strange, but FanFiction has been really screwy lately. I'd post the new chapter and then it wouldn't show up. It would vanish into cyberspace and I was baffled. But this is the real deal. So if FanFiction hasn't already deleted the chapter, go on and read because it might vanish shortly. Enjoy!**

_**-Flashbacks in italics.**_

**OTHOTH**

Haley had to take a deep breath. After she'd heard the front door slam, she knew there was nothing she could do. She wanted to fix it, to tell him things would get better, but she knew that Nathan needed to take a minute to cool down.

Slowly walking toward the window, Haley looked outside and saw that darkness was setting in. As a wife she couldn't help but be worried about where he went. That darkness that was spreading over wasn't from the sun setting, but from clouds rolling in. A storm. And the rumble of thunder outside matched what she was feeling inside.

They'd had a fight. A fight that was going to happen whether they wanted it to or not.

Most college kids would agree that first semester was more than just stressful. You're given so much work you feel helpless, so much reading your eyes cross, and more responsibility than you know what to do with. So put that on top of marriage, parenting a five month old, work, and basketball, and someone was going to blow a gasket.

Haley looked at her watch and then back outside. If he didn't come home soon she was gonna start calling people.

Taking another deep breath, Haley closed her eyes and rewound the last few months in her head. It hadn't been easy. Nothing ever was. It was a conglomeration of events, conversations, even things out of their hands that had had built up and was now coming to a crash landing.

Haley had noticed that she was feeling her own kind of pressure and last Saturday was an example.

_Saturday afternoons were always fun days. Fun days because no school was bogging them down and the young couple got to spend time with their son, together. Neither were jutting in and out of the house running late for class and for however many hours it was just the three of them. Lucas sometimes too, but it was a time they could be a family._

"_Ready?" Nathan walked out of the bathroom and looked at Haley and Jamie._

_They were all going to the park. Haley had packed everything they'd need in a bag and only had to get up off the floor. She was sitting with her legs spread out and Jamie was sitting up pressed against her stomach. He'd been siting up by himself for a few days and Haley loved to watch him play with his blocks. Their little boy would gnaw and smack the colorful plastic together and she'd smile and wish Jamie would stay little forever._

_She looked up to her husband and leaned back on her arms, "Why don't we let him finish playing with these and then we'll head out?"_

"_Sure." Nathan nodded and then looked back to Haley, "Is there anything else we need to pack? You want a bottled water or anything?"_

_Haley hadn't even thought to pack stuff for herself and Nathan. "That would be great. I totally forgot to get us stuff."_

_Laughing, Nathan shook his head. "Little man's taking over, huh?" She let out a laugh nodding and watched as Nathan walked toward the kitchen._

_Nathan hadn't even made it to the refrigerator when he heard wails echoing from their bedroom. The worried father in him took over and he'd sprinted back to the bedroom faster than he'd run his timed sprints. "What...what happened?"_

"_He was playing fine, then all of the sudden he started leaning forward and did a face plant into his blocks." Haley had Jamie wrapped in her arms trying to sooth his cries. She felt awful. It was like it had happened in slow motion. Her son was tilting head first into a mound of hard toys, and she didn't have the ability to react fast enough to get him._

_The young father walked over to his wife and son, kneeling down next to them both. "Hey bud? You okay?" Nathan rested his hand on the back of Jamie's head and he couldn't help but feel bad for not stopping what happened._

_Haley loved her son but she hated it when he cried. No mother wanted to hear that. His cries were like little bitty pokes to the gut that made her feel like she'd done something wrong. She was his mother, she was supposed to protect him from things._

"_You want me to take him? Maybe if I walk around with him he'll calm down." Nathan eyed his brown eyed girl and shrugged._

_She nodded and passed their son over to him. Nathan held Jamie close and stood up. "You're alright, Jame. Those mean old blocks weren't trying to hurt you."_

_Haley laughed when Nathan said that, but she couldn't help but feel responsible for her son's pain._

_Nathan walked out of their bedroom to the kitchen, around the den, into Lucas's room telling Jamie that he was brave and strong. The little boy seemed to take to his father's voice and words because as they made their way to the bedroom, Nathan could tell that Jamie had fallen asleep. When the father and son walked into the bedroom, Haley was lying on the bed and wiped a tear away from her cheek when her boys approached._

_Nathan instantly furrowed his brow when he saw Haley. In a hushed whisper, Nathan laid their son on the bed next to her. "He fell asleep."_

"_I'm sorry. I didn't..."_

"_Hey?" Nathan shook his head and didn't want her to finish her sentence. "It was an accident. He just bumped his head."_

_Haley turned to her son and ran a soft finger along his arm, "Do you think he'll bruise?" She tried to look at his forehead but she was on the wrong side._

"_It won't matter." Nathan shook his head and looked at her before lying down next to her._

_She felt his chest against her back and while it was semi comforting, Haley took a look at Jamie and her eyes began to well. "I'm a bad mom."_

"_What?" Nathan leaned up and tugged on her shoulder so he could face her. "You're the best mom I know. You're a great mom."_

_Taking it in, Haley let his words settle and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so emotional about this."_

_Nathan had an idea why. School. "I bet that test you were stressing over this week has a lot to do with it."_

_Haley thought about it and he was right. School was something else. Normally she didn't have to try all that hard, but lately she felt like she was running on fumes when it came to academics. Her grades were beginning to slip and that wasn't like her. That wasn't like her at all. Why was it so hard to juggle motherhood, marriage, and school? There wasn't a direct answer to her question, it just was._

_She looked up to her husband and smiled, "Maybe you're right."_

_He was. Nathan gave her a small nod and leaned down to kiss her. It was short and sweet and made her feel a whole lot better._

_Looking into her deep brown eyes, Nathan's eyes grew with intensity. "And you're a great mother. Don't think you're not." He'd felt the need to repeat himself and then kissed her again. _

_Haley relaxed against his body. She was in between the two boys she loved most ,and she laid her head further into the pillow. Nathan always knew the right things to say._

The pitter patter on the window pane bumped Haley from her daydream and she sighed. The rain had started to fall and that made Haley nervous. Normally it was a turn on, but considering Nathan was roaming around outside, it was more worrisome than sexy. He didn't need to catch a cold, he didn't need to be out in the watery mess, and he didn't need to be alone.

But the rain wasn't washing away her memory. That Saturday Jamie bumped his head was one of those moments where she realized this wasn't going to be easy. Life was turning into a juggling act.

The wind whipped against the trees outside and Haley had to get up. She didn't want to stare out the window waiting. Waiting was no fun. Waiting a minute felt like an hour. As she stood up, Haley walked to the kitchen and passed by the grocery list. It was just another thing that was part of this colossal ball of shit that was over her head, over their head.

Groceries meant they needed money and it wasn't like they were living off some trust fund. Lucas was contributing to the pot with his minimal earnings from assistant coaching, Nathan didn't have time for a job, and Haley was working three days a week at a little restaurant downtown. The owner was an ass and was nothing like Karen. He didn't understand what it was like when a little boy only wanted his mom for bedtime. She'd have to sneak a phone call home in the bathroom just so her boss wouldn't freak out.

Those were rough nights. She'd come home frustrated and pissed, but luckily Nathan was nothing but sweet. He and Lucas would have taken care of Jamie and the boy would be asleep by the time she got home. And each night after work, Haley would tip-toe in to see her son and smile at his little sleeping form. Watching him almost made that assy boss of hers not so bad.

Haley had opened the fridge to see that they were low on milk and would need another gallon next shopping run. She pulled the pen from behind her ear and scribbled the added necessity on their list. A loud clap of thunder practically shook the house and Haley's mind instantly flew to Jamie.

She walked toward his bedroom and cracked the door open. He was fine. The thunder hadn't woken him up from his afternoon nap and she was thankful. Quietly, closing his door, Haley walked back to the living room and flopped down on the couch. Where was Nathan? Was he okay? Was he waiting the storm out somewhere? Haley didn't know and it was killing her. She wanted him to be home, for him to be next to her, for them to be fine. The feel of his lips on her skin wouldn't be so bad either. Life's stresses had taken their toll on nearly all the aspects of their life and even their love life wasn't able to skirt away unscathed.

_Haley had figured out how to feed Jamie and herself at the same time like a pro. There was no more of the- feed Jamie first, eat later kind of thing going on. Nathan, Lucas, and Haley with Jamie in her lap, were all sitting at the little table in the kitchen eating and made pleasant conversation and laughed over dinner. Basketball, literature, the weather, and Jamie were the hot topics of the night. _

_Once they had all eaten. It was Nathan's turn to do the dishes and the three college kids parted their own ways. Lucas had a meeting with Whitey, Haley was gonna put Jamie to bed, and then she and Nathan each had dates. Dates with textbooks and laptops. Both of them had papers due in a few days and needed to get working on them._

_It was easy for Haley to get Jamie down and when she walked to the bedroom Nathan was sitting on the bed with his laptop on his legs._

"_Hey? How do you spell Montaigne?" He looked up from his screen hoping Haley would know._

_Of course she knew, she was or had been Tutor-girl after all. "M-O-N-T-A-I-G-N-E." Haley thought about it and nodded, "Montaigne."_

"_Thanks." _

_Nathan's fingers were hard at work and Haley smiled. He was sexy on the basketball court but when he was concentrating on something for school, that's what really made her heart race. Her thoughts were delayed when she noticed her English binder. Nathan would have to wait. There was an analytical essay she needed to jump on first._

_She walked over to the desk in their bedroom and pulled out her book flipping through the pages until she found the essay she was writing about. Haley started to jot down a few quick notes from the passages, and Nathan looked over getting lost watching her work. She'd pause for a moment and then scribble something on her paper and the routine continued until she was done referencing her article._

_Nathan had watched her the whole time she read whatever piece it was and he knew he needed to get back to his own work. But there was something about her that made him think "Of Cannibals" wasn't so important. He saw that she'd casually put her hair up in a loose bun and he took a deep breath. Nathan had to get a hold of himself. Procrastination was going to get him in trouble, or maybe it could get him in bed?_

_He clicked the save button and looked in her direction. "You've read the cannibal essay, right?_

_Haley had just finished her notes and opened up her computer. She'd just pulled up a blank Word document and was about to start her assignment. She looked at her husband and nodded, "Yeah, you need help or something?"_

"_It's just...there's this part and I'm not sure I'm getting the real meaning."_

_She scooted the chair back and walked toward the bed. "Which part?"_

_Nathan wasn't going to be able to keep a straight face. He didn't really need help, he just wanted his wife. "Uh...the beginning."_

_Haley climbed up on the bed and crawled toward him. She wasn't doing anything overtly sexy but it was. "Okay..." She sat down next to him and picked up his copy of Montaigne's famous essay. "__According to Montaigne, barbarism, or the act of war, popular among tribes people, is one of the two important articles taught in their society. Montaigne views the barbaric act comparable to Modern Europeans..."_

_He wasn't paying attention. Nathan actually knew what the essay was about but loved hearing it come from Haley._

"_Nathan? Hello?" She noticed that he was spaced out and laughed, "Hello? Honey, you're never gonna get this done if you blank out."_

_His gaze turned to her and he smirked._

_Oh no. Not that smirk. Haley could feel her cheeks heating up and the color was probably already a dead give away. Yep. Nathan's smirk was wider and he leaned in close._

"_You're so sexy, Haley."_

_She felt his lips on the skin just below her jaw and she closed her eyes. This could spiral out of control __any minute. "Na..Nathan."_

_He had moved to the other side of her neck. "Mmm-huh?" Pulling away, Nathan raised his brow, "Our homework can wait." His lips met hers and he was doing a pretty good job of convincing her that school wasn't so important._

_Haley loved the way he felt, the way he smelled, the way he made her feel, but none of that was going to help her get an A in English. As they broke away to breath, Haley rested her hands on his chest and bit her lip. "I've got to get back to my paper."_

_Furrowing his brow, Nathan shook his head, "Come on. Hales..." He looked around and shrugged, "We haven't..."_

_She didn't want him to finish. She knew how long it had been. Too long for them. "Later. I promise." Haley kissed him quickly on the mouth and scooted off the bed._

_Nathan knew what later meant. Later would turn into much later and then both of them would be asleep or too tired. That was the problem. With their busy lifestyles the main thing that was going on in their bed was sleep. _

_It wasn't like Haley was the only one shutting it down though. Nathan had been faced with predicaments of his own. If it wasn't school that was sucking his energy, it was basketball. Nathan would come home and would hardly have the stamina to play with Jamie._

Haley got the blanket folded over the couch and pulled the warmth up to her chin. Nathan must have been the last one to use it. It smelled like him. She took in the scent and leaned back into the pillows. Glancing out the widow, the water still splattered against the window. It had only been about fifteen minutes since the rain started pouring and it didn't show any signs of stopping soon.

**OTHOTH**

The water was running through the streets like rivers and his shoes were soaked through. He'd been jogging down the sidewalk clearing his head when the first drop hit his hair. The water was cold and hard but it didn't stop him or make him turn around. Nathan was running. He wasn't running away from anything, but running to stand still. To have a moment where he could stop the madness and find a place he could think.

Sloshing through the mud and the muck, Nathan took cover under a sprawling Oak to catch his breath and shield himself from the rain. Running his fingers through his damp hair, Nathan shook his head at himself. Why did he let himself get this far. If he'd taken a few deep breaths or talked it out with Haley a few weeks ago he might not have blown up.

Nathan knew that life was piling up. Choices, decisions, good or bad. He just never knew he'd feel so guilty about it. Was he supposed to feel bad about marrying young, having a baby before college, playing basketball, and trying to get a college degree? No, and he didn't literally feel bad about those things, but put them all together an he couldn't breathe. He was too young to deal with it all. The reality of life was hitting him hard and he wanted to go back and be that immature jock who stole buses and was a man whore. Okay, so not that far back, but back to the days were life wasn't knocking him around like an air hockey game.

He knew it was going to be hard. Nathan knew that college wouldn't be easy, that adjusting to everything would be a challenge. He just never expected it to creep up on him and make him realize that he wasn't a kid anymore.

The rain was coming down harder now. His shirt was clinging to his body and the air was cold and musty. What he wouldn't give for it to stop. To rewind the clock and start over. But he knew he couldn't do that. If he could have, he would have wound it back to high school. Before he messed up the one thing he regretted most in life. The one dream he would never be able to make happen.

Every now and then it would sneak up on him. Duke. But mainly Stanford. As Nathan looked out over the wet street one of those instances came to mind.

_Lucas and Haley were both in class and that meant one thing. Nathan was on Jamie patrol. Dad duty. Mr. Mom. Whatever the correct term was, Nathan was watching his son._

_They were both siting on the couch and Nathan had Jamie curled up in one arm holding the bottle with the other. _

"_Alright, let's see what's on TV." Nathan looked down at his boy who was more concerned with the bottle than television._

_Nathan reached for the remote and flipped through the channels. Out of habit he tuned it to ESPN. His heart sunk when he saw the SportsCenter story running. Some rookie from Duke had been tearing it up on the court. Scoring more points than any other incoming freshman and Nathan shook his head._

"_That should have been me."_

_He hit the power button and looked down at his son. He'd messed up so bad. Why did he have to stoop to the lowest of lows and shave points for money? Nathan knew why, but that didn't change the fact that he'd permanently changed not only his future, but Haley and Jamie's too. She wasn't able to go to Stanford, and that killed him. His actions prevented her from going to her dream school and he'd always carry that guilt. Always._

_And it wasn't only that. Nathan could have lost basketball all together. He'd only been lucky that Whitey had taken the coaching position at Gilmore. Nathan had packed his family up and taken them to a little known school in hopes of achieving his dream. But what about theirs? What would Jamie think when he was older? Would Haley resent him for not allowing her the chance to go to her West Coast college?_

_Those were the things that plagued him everyday. Add that to the list of things to worry about. Maybe put it somewhere between his schoolwork and the big game next week._

"_What's your take, Jamie?" Nathan looked at his son knowing he couldn't respond. "Would you have liked California or Durham better than here?"_

_Nathan looked at the blue eyed little boy and shook his head. "I know this isn't how you pictured it. How I pictured it. But we're doing alright." The baby kept busy with his bottle and Nathan smiled. "I have you and your mom, so things will be okay."_

_He wanted that to be true. But even with Haley at his side and Jamie in her arms, that wasn't enough to mask the wrong he'd done. The guilt he felt about letting his friends down, his family, and most importantly, his wife._

_There were still fans who heckled him about point shaving and he was getting over it. They were just another constant reminder of what could have been._

A car splashed by and the headlights broke Nathan from his thoughts. His hands were starting to feel like they were going to prune soon and he knew he needed to get back. He needed to talk with his wife.

Nathan hadn't noticed, but his initial jog away from the house had gotten him pretty far. It was going to take him a few minutes to get back home.

The wind blew against his skin and he could feel the cold run through his veins. As his feet hit the pavement he wanted to erase the last hour. Nathan wanted to be home with his wife laughing about something Jamie did.

As he ran, Nathan thought about the good times. The things that weren't causing him so much stress. It wasn't school or basketball or anything like that. It was the weather.

_They'd been lying in bed for about an hour when they'd first heard it. Thunder. Haley's eyes widened because she didn't know what Jamie was gonna do. Would he cry? Would he care? The new parents didn't know. It was his first thunderstorm._

_Tree Hill always had great storms. Nathan watched the water splash across the window of his childhood bedroom and smiled. He looked at Haley and nodded to himself. Tree Hill had perfect storms._

_The little boy was about three weeks old and both of his parents had watchful eyes glued to him._

"_Think he'll wake up?"_

_Nathan shrugged, "I don't know?"_

_Haley ran her fingers along Jamie's back and sighed, "Maybe he'll like the rain."_

_Rolling over to face his son and wife a little better, Nathan smirked, "If he does. He gets if from me."_

_She furrowed her brow, "I like it too."_

"_Then that must be one of those genes he'll split fifty/fifty."_

_Haley laughed, "Listen to us. Talking about our son splitting a gene about liking rain. I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist."_

"_Oh it exists." Nathan nodded and looked out the window._

_She wasn't so sure. "I'm pretty sure that certain circumstances shape what you like and don't like."_

_Nathan found that smirk he loved to put on and laughed, "So what exactly was the circumstance that made you like rain?"_

_Haley didn't really need to answer but she did. "I think you know. You were waiting outside and Peyton dropped me off..." She eyed her husband and smiled, "What was yours."_

"_I was six and I was sleeping over at Tim's. It started raining and he wet the bed. I laughed about it for a week, and from them on I knew I liked rain."_

"_Ugh." Haley leaned over and smacked him._

"_But if you want the truth... I'd been an idiot and my girlfriend was pissed at me."_

"_More than pissed." Haley laughed and let him continue._

_Nathan nodded, "More than pissed, but I went to her house to tell her I was sorry."_

_Haley knew the end of the story. She'd been the one who'd lived through it. _

"_You were looking pretty hot standing in the rain." Nathan looked at Haley and nodded._

_Biting her lip, Haley tired to hide a smile. She turned her attention to their son and sighed. The thunder boomed outside and she looked at Nathan. Her finger traced little circles on Jamie's back and she smiled, "I guess he doesn't mind the rain?"_

_He watched as Haley used her finger to draw on their son's back and he shook his head. "I guess not." Nathan leaned over for a kiss and was happy when Haley met him halfway._

_Storm or no storm, Jamie didn't seem to mind the rain at all, and he most certainly got that from both of his parents._

Lightening lit up the sky and Nathan picked up his pace. He wanted to get home before the storm got worse. The thunder clapped and the rain poured harder, but Nathan didn't mind. It was just a little rain. It had never been bad before.

**OTHOTH**

The front door opened and Haley sat up so quick she started to feel light headed. Nathan must have come back.

"It's really pouring out there."

It wasn't Nathan. Haley watched as Lucas took off his raincoat and saw him smile.

The light haired Scott brother laughed and wiped his forehead clear of any water droplets. "Shouldn't you and Nathan be like, standing in the street making out?"

Yes. Rain was their thing, but not this time. Not this storm.

Lucas saw that Haley neither laughed nor smiled, "What's wrong?"

"We had a fight." Haley sunk back on the couch and watched as Lucas came to sit down.

He took a seat next to her, "What happened?"

"I don't know we're both arguing and he just left." Haley could feel her chin start to quiver. It was always so much harder to talk about it out loud than to think it over.

Lucas didn't want to pry too much but this was his family. If something was wrong, he wanted to try and fix it. "So what were you arguing about?"

Haley took a deep breath "He came home and I could tell that he was in a bad mood..."

_Nathan walked through the front door with steam coming out of his ears. His jackass history teacher gave him an F on the last test. An F! Nathan was past those days. He wasn't that guy anymore. He was at least making Cs most of the time._

_Haley heard the front door open and shut, and walked out from Jamie's room. She'd just put him down and smiled when she saw her husband. "Hey."_

_Her tone had been soft and welcoming while his was not. "Hey."_

_She instantly took note and furrowed her brow. "What's going on?"_

_Nathan pulled out the folded test paper and tossed it on the kitchen counter, "So much for studying last week for that history exam. My teacher gave me an F."_

"_What?" Haley reached for the paper and looked it over. "But I helped you study."_

"_I guess I didn't study hard enough." Nathan ran his hands over his face and shook his head. "I mean God, what does the guy expect? Exact dates?"_

_Haley knew that Nathan had studied. He had. He'd studied hard. "It was one test. Next time you'll do better."_

_He loved that she was being positive but it didn't help his attitude. "I've already got so much going on, and other things to worry about. This is just..."_

"_Hey." Haley walked to him with a smile. "It'll be okay."_

_The stress of everything was building and he wasn't so sure. "That's the thing, though. I don't think it will. Not this time." They'd been through hardships before and had gotten over it, but basketball and school, fatherhood, and marriage was taking it's toll._

_She didn't want to hear him talk like that. "Nathan..." Haley turned her back and shrugged. She was about to say something but he beat her to it._

"_Haley don't. You have no idea what I'm dealing with right now."_

_No idea. What did he mean no idea? She was struggling with everything just as much as he was. Cutting her eyes at him, she shook her head. "No idea? No idea? Nathan?"_

_He turned to her and shrugged, "When you're failing tests, have..have fans scream at you for shaving points, trying to be a good husband and father, then we can talk." He could have mentioned a few other things but really didn't want to go into everything._

_Haley's mouth fell open and she shook her head. "So you're the only one dealing with things? Nathan, in case you haven't noticed, I'm having a hard time too. Don't act like this is all on you." He didn't even so much as acknowledge her struggles so Haley's eyes widened. "It might come to a surprise to you but school hasn't been easy for me either. Work sucks, and I don't even remember the last time we had any alone time together. Not to mention, we've got a five month old. Half the time I don't know if I'm even doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm a freshman in college with a baby! So don't you dare think you're the only one in need of a pity party. I'm there too Nathan."_

"_You don't get it." At this point, Nathan was arguing for the sake of arguing. If he'd been level headed he would have realized that they were both at their breaking points. It was all getting to be too much._

"_Yes! I do!" Haley shook her head. "Why are you being like this?"_

"_Why? Did you hear what I said? I've had some stuff on my mind lately. I can't...this wasn't supposed to be like this."_

_Haley's heart sunk. "I know I wasn't always in your plan book but you know what Nathan? That was uncalled for."_

_She took that wrong. "No. God. Haley..." Frustrated he shook his head. "Ugh! I didn't mean it like that."_

"_So you meant to say that you... What?"_

_This wasn't panning out well. They were both upset about everything but somehow it had gotten turned around and Haley thought Nathan regretted her. That wasn't it at all._

_He looked around and shook his head. "I gotta go."_

_Haley stood in front of him and her face faded. What? He was leaving. "Nathan..." She watched as he turned around and headed for the door. "Nathan!"_

_The door shut and Haley walked after him. Did he really just leave? Where was he going? She looked out the window and felt a tear slide down her cheek. He was right. It wasn't supposed to happen like this._

"...So he left and I don't..." Haley stopped because the door opened. She got up off the couch because it had to be him.

Lucas quietly walked to his room to give them some space.

Haley took a look at Nathan a saw that he was dripping wet. "God, Nathan, you're soaked." He shivered and felt her hand on his arm leading them to their bedroom. "You need to get out of those wet clothes. You're gonna get sick."

They'd made it to the bathroom and he stripped off his shirt while Haley got him a towel. He wrapped it around himself and they both looked at each other not knowing how to start.

"Haley..."

She nodded, "I know. I'm sorry too."

"I never meant for you to think that you were the thing that was supposed to be different. That's not what I meant." Nathan shook his head because that was the worst thing that had come of it all. "I was talking about the whole thing. Gilmore. Here. We were supposed to be at Duke or maybe we could have gone to Stanford..."

"Nathan." Haley took a step closer to him and sighed, "Why do you keep beating yourself up over that. You know I'm happy where you are. Wherever that is."

Nathan sighed heavily. "I just...I think everything hit me all at once. My schoolwork, the team, everything. I didn't mean to snap. That history test sent me over the edge and I'm really sorry. I know you're dealing with everything too. And I don't know how you do it." Nathan took a step closer to her. "You do so much and I wish I could handle myself like you."

"Ha." Haley wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, "I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"Yes you are." Nathan shook his head. "Hales. You don't give yourself enough credit for everything. School, work, Jamie, _me_." He laughed and looked down at her with a smile. "It's a lot and you do everything so well."

Haley swallowed hard. "We need to be able to talk about these things. I don't want us to have another blow up."

He wholeheartedly agreed, "We will. I promise. I don't want that either." Nathan saw her nod and he added, "And I'm sorry I walked out. I shouldn't have done that."

"I got really worried."

Nathan let out a small laugh, "You know how much I like the rain."

Haley did know how much he liked the rain. She glanced up at his wet chest and it was a reminder of how much she liked the rain.

He was pretty sure she was staring and he took a step closer. He let his towel drop so he was only standing in his shorts. There were no words exchanged, no arched brows, just blue on brown. He was looking at her and then her body moved to his. Nathan could feel the warmth of her cheek against his chest. He leaned down to kiss the top of Haley's head and held onto her.

They'd stayed like that for a while but moved eventually. The outside rain was still pounding against the window and Haley went to check on Jamie. Nathan got changed into some dry shorts and threw on a t-shirt. Haley walked back into the room and she saw that he was lying down on the bed.

"He's still out like a light."

Nathan nodded, "You know how he likes to sleep through storms."

Haley climbed on the bed next to Nathan and closed her eyes. "I've missed this."

Nathan felt her nudge closer to him and he nodded, "Me too."

There was something about the sound, the rain, the weather, the two of them together. Nathan wrapped his arms around his wife and took a deep breath. Maybe the storm would last all night? That wouldn't be such a bad thing. The rain, and Nathan Scott and Haley James weren't a bad thing at all.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay so I'd gotten requests that pretty much wanted Nathan and Haley in college, a fight, and a storm. How did I do? I hope you all liked it. If some of you thought the storm might pop up in another chapter hold your horses. I still have another storm themed chapter coming. Next one will more than likely be high school Naley unless I get a huge push for something else. And again, any and all suggestions are still appreciated. What do you guys what to see in the upcoming chapters?**

**Here comes a plug: Check out my Jamie and Charlotte spin offs if you haven't already. They are each on chapter 5 and will be getting into the meat of those relationships soon. Try them out if you haven't! Click on my profile and test the waters!**

**My reviewers are wonderful and I write for you guys! I sincerely don't have the words to thank you all. The feedback is always appreciated and always encourage me to write chapters quickly!**

**BWyn: Sorry it took me so long to update after the cancer scare chapter. I got really busy and had a hard time finding time to write. Hopefully I won't leave you guys hanging that long again. I hope we get to see Nathan interacting with a baby (also hoping it's a girl!) on the show too. I would have loved to see a little more of that one the show the first time around.**

**Hailey: So you were one of the ones who wanted a fight so how did you like it? Hopefully it was something that didn't let you down. They had a fight but it wasn't a group project. Instead it was about the overall struggle of life at that time. They had a lot on their plate to deal with and nobody can go through that much pressure and not break at some point.**

**Anna: I have not had a little moment that includes an infant Charlotte where Nathan and Haley haven't gotten much sleep. That can't really be spun into a whole chapter but I'll see where I can fit it in.**

**Alexis: Sorry you had a crappy day at work. I'm glad that you liked that Nathan came down with the chicken pox too. I knew from the get-go that I wanted that to happen and I'm so glad you liked it. I hope the wait wasn't too long for this chapter. I'll try and not leave you guys hanging for two weeks again. Life does get in the way but knowing that you look forward to the story just edges me even further to write faster!**

**mazzy: Yeah, I have always imagined that Nathan is a big kid at heart so why not have him act like a kid when he's got the chicken pox, lol? The cinnamon and low fat thing was something I thought might cross Nathan's mind, ha. Glad you liked that part. And yes. Nathan will always believe in what Haley says, she is the A student/tutor.**

**MagicalNaley23: I'll try and get some more Charlotte and Nathan in upcoming chapters. I know a lot of my readers really like that dynamic. Yes, the oatmeal bath does work. I'm pretty sure that's what my mom did. Jealous Nathan in the mix was a little bit of a bonus for you guys since it took me so long to update. Almost everyone likes jealous Nathan and I figured it would be a nice addition after my hiatus. A peace offering of sorts.**

**Joan: Haley does deserve a number one mom trophy. I'll have to get her one in the story, lol. I'm so glad you liked the chapter and the story as a whole!**

**Kaite: Yeah, sorry for the confusion about updating the story a couple of times. Next day updates are held off for milestones...we're pretty close to one now so check back tomorrow!**

**BDavis: Knowing that you love the little details is great. Sometimes I feel like readers don't always catch little throwbacks or things like that but knowing that you like the details is awesome. Brooke and Leyton will be appearing next chapter if nothing changes. I'm not sure about doing a party when they finish college. Nathan would be getting ready for the draft and it seemed pretty apparent that when Brooke, Haley, and Peyton all see each other in the beginning of season 5 it had been a while. We'll see. Maybe I'll change my mind.**

**Lauren: Yes. I am still planning on doing a storm/hurricane chapter. Don't think that this chapter's storm took over your request/idea.**

**FromBelgium: Thanks so much for the review! I would say thank you in your native tongue but I didn't know if it would be Dutch, French, or German. Either way. Thank you! I'm so happy you are enjoying my stories. That means a lot. It's great to know I have international readers! I'm glad you liked that Nathan got the chickenpox too. And on a side note, your English was great. Well done!**

**Hadley: Naley fluff is good to have, I agree. Nathan not wanting the oatmeal bath was something I thought he might do. I can just picture him being against it and then finally giving in.**

**Amy: Sorry about the double post confusion. I know a lot of people probably got excited about a next day update.**

**Emma: I'm so glad you liked the chapter. A lot of people seemed to like Nathan getting the chickenpox too and it was good to know you liked it as well. I hope you liked the college Naley.**

**Always and Forever: It would be great to see Nathan take care of Haley and the kids if they were sick. I've done something similar. Haley gets sick and Nathan, with Jamie's help, takes care of her but I haven't had one with the kids sick too. Maybe I'll have to do one of those. I hope you liked college Naley.**

**Becky: I hope you had fun on your vacation! Nathan getting the chickenpox was a lot of fun to write. I hope you liked the college Naley. You wanted a fight as well and I combined the too. How did you like it? Oh and no problem about doing so many jealously chapters. I've got a lot of help in that department on request and nudges and I know my readers seem to really enjoy those. They're fun to write too.**

**Naley98: I had to laugh at your review. I'm sure Nathan did look ridiculously sexy with the chickenpox!**

**Diana: It's perfectly fine if you run out ways to say you loved the chapter. A simple review is worth a thousand words. Or on you reviewers part...a new chapter. Thanks so much!**

**Please review guys!**


	68. Because She Didn't Have To

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 68: Because She Didn't Have To  
**

**Disclaimer: OTH belongs to Mark and co. Not me.**

**A/N: Well, the review count was down last chapter. I haven't had a chapter reviewed that little since chapter 25. What was wrong guys? I'm all for some constructive criticism. But even with the low number, I was pushed over that 1800 review mark and you know what that means. Air high five for next day update! Guys, I never would have guessed that I would be over 1800 reviews at this point. I think I'm gonna have to do something really extravagant when I hit the 2000 mark (if we get there). The thought alone, it blows my mind. My reviewers are great! This chapter takes us back to the high school. It wasn't what I had originally planned to do but I hope you like it! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had to get out of there. The hospital was cold and dark and worst of all his father was there. Dan had been a real jackass to his doctor when the poor man was only doing his job. He'd made a mistake, Nathan did. Taking those drugs to help his game was probably the most stupid thing he'd ever done.

Somehow amidst the confusion and hustle and bustle, Nathan grabbed his clothes, snuck past the nurses, and knew he needed to go see her. Haley was the one person he could lean on, the person he could talk to, the person he wanted to be with. No nurse, no doctor, no nobody could give him anything she couldn't. It was her smile, those big brown eyes, and the fact that she listened to him without passing judgment that made him want to see her.

Making his way out of the hospital he checked for his phone. Luckily it was still in his pocket but his battery life was a good as dead. Maybe he could get one call in? He didn't have a car and he sure as hell wasn't going to get his father to give him a ride. He was still ripping the doctor's head off inside anyway.

Nathan scrolled through the contacts and hoped that the call would connect. Tim wasn't the most reliable person but he knew he had a car. Peyton had a car but she'd been in some kind of funk lately, not to add to the fact that they weren't dating anymore. It wasn't like he could just call her expecting a curbside hospital pickup.

"Waz-up!" Tim had this crazy idea in his mind that he was somehow black. He wasn't.

Rolling his eyes, Nathan sighed, "Tim. Come to the hospital and get me."

"Nathan!" Tim hadn't looked at his caller ID screen so when he heard Nathan's voice his eyes grew large. "Are you okay? You really freaked us all out."

Nathan didn't want to talk about it right now. "Look, just do me a favor and come get me." He looked out into the darkness and sighed, "Please."

"Yeah. Okay."

Tim hung up and Nathan slowly walked toward the bench outside the entrance. He knew they'd be looking for him. There was probably a team of medical staff searching the hospital. It should only take Tim a few minutes to get there so hopefully he wouldn't be caught waiting. If he had the energy, he'd walk. Haley's house wasn't that far, but it was far enough.

An older man was wheeled out of the hospital and it looked like he was going home. Maybe he'd had surgery, or something. Nathan took a deep breath and shook his head. How could he have been so dumb? That old man was seventy plus and still kicking. Nathan was only a teenager, but was tempting fate more than the old guy. Nathan knowingly chose to take those pills and was lucky to come out of it the way he did.

Headlights illuminated the exit of the hospital and Tim had to swerve to miss the old man getting in his ride home.

Shaking his head, Nathan got up and watched as Tim stuck his head out of the window and waved at the old fella. "Sorry! My Bad!"

Nathan walked to Tim's car and got in the passenger seat. "Trying to kill the guy?"

"I didn't see him." Tim looked in his rear view mirror and saw that the gray haired guy was clutching his chest, "He'll be fine."

Leaning his head against the window, Nathan felt Tim pull out of onto the main street and closed his eyes.

"Where are we going? Wanna go grab a pizza? Maybe a few beers?" Tim looked at Nathan nodded and like a dumb little kid.

Pizza? Beer? No. That was the last thing Nathan wanted. "Haley's."

Tim sunk back in his seat when he realized that he wasn't going to get to have a guy's night. His pea sized brain had obviously forgotten that Nathan had overdosed.

Nathan pulled out his phone and saw that his battery icon was flashing. One more call? He'd tried. He dialed her number but the line went dead and the screen turned off before he heard it ring. She was probably worried. Haley was the last person he remembered seeing and the look on her face was enough to sober him up. He'd been so scared, so terrified of what was happening and as he thought about he knew that it wasn't exactly something anyone would want to witness.

Nathan was right. He'd fallen hard. His body was limp on the floor and there was nothing anybody could do. The rush of anxiety and fear that had swarmed Haley's body had her speechless. Nathan had been carted off to an ambulance and Haley didn't know what to do.

As he went to the hospital, Haley had gone to the cafe only to find out that Deb hadn't known what had happened. Haley stayed the cafe trying to keep her mind preoccupied but she couldn't help it. Was he going to be okay? What happened? Did he overwork himself? Dan was such an ass.

She was wiping of the counter when the front door opened. Haley heard the little bell and didn't even look up. "Sorry, we're closed."

Lucas knew the cafe was closed, he wasn't there for food. "Haley?"

She turned around and saw her best friend, "Hey. Have you heard anything?"

Lucas took a seat at the counter and Haley did the same. Lucas shook his head and looked at her, "No. Have you?"

"No. I got here and Deb didn't even know what had happened." Haley shook her head and narrowed her eyes, "What kind of person doesn't call his wife when their son collapses and is rushed to the hospital?"

Lucas knew who. "Dan."

"I just...I just. He puts so much pressure on Nathan and..." Haley looked at Luke realizing she was talking about his dad too. "It's not fair. Neither of you should have to deal with him."

"Yeah we'll, you don't get to choose your parents." Lucas sighed and looked Haley with a close eye. "Are you okay?" She didn't know. Haley shrugged her shoulders not saying anything. Lucas could see the worry in her eyes and put her hand on her arm, "He's gonna be okay, Hales." As much as it killed him to say it, it helped her. Lucas still wasn't exactly loving the idea of Nathan and Haley, but it was something he couldn't stop.

Haley gave Lucas a small smile and nodded, "Thanks, Luke."

Lucas looked around the empty cafe and turned back to her, "I'll close up." Tilting his head toward the door, he told her without say that she could go home.

She got up off the stool and grabbed her bag. As she walked toward the door, Haley turned back to Lucas. He'd gotten up and was getting the broom out. She knew he wasn't a fan of Nathan. Not a whole lot of people saw in him what she did. Before she opened the door, she looked over her shoulder and smiled once more time. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Lucas stopped sweeping and looked at Haley nodding. She walked out of the cafe and he took a deep breath. Nathan Scott still wasn't high on his list of favorite people but it wasn't like he wished him harm. For Haley's sake, Lucas wanted Nathan to be okay.

**OTHOTH**

She'd been pacing her room when he showed up. Fragile and broken, his voice had cracked more than a couple of times when he stood in her doorway. Her parents were gone for the weekend and Nathan let himself in after there was no answer at the front door. Haley was happily startled when she heard his voice. They sat down together and Nathan let it all out. Never before had he been so vulnerable.

Hearing him talk, whisper, about how thinks weren't going to be okay, made Haley's heart sink. He just needed somebody. Somebody to be there for him, to stand by him, to tell him it was going to be okay. Haley was that person.

After he'd told her how much he needed her how much he wanted, her, they'd kissed. It was sweet and comforting, and in that moment, Nathan knew that things were changing. She saw past his mistakes but they didn't matter. None of that mattered.

Haley had gotten up off the bed and walked to the door.

"Haley? He paused and looked up to her, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

She looked at him and closed the bedroom door. There was no where else she wanted him to be. Nodding, Haley walked back to the bed and sat down. Nathan looked so tired that it made her eyes feel heavy. "Do you need anything?"

Nathan slowly shook his head. The only thing he needed was sitting right next to him. Taking a deep breath, he unzipped his basketball warm up jacket and Haley got up.

"Here." She reached for it and folded the jacket neatly and watched him scoot up toward her pillows. The reality of the situation hit her and it hit her hard. Nathan was gonna sleep in her bed. Was she supposed to sleep with him? Not sleep _with_ him, but next to him? Yes. No. She didn't know. Haley looked down at her old red t-shirt and jeans. She certainly wasn't going to sleep in that. "I'm gonna change. Are you sure you don't need anything?" The worry wart in her wasn't going away. He'd just gotten out of the hospital, surely he might need a glass of water.

Shaking his head, Nathan leaned back into her pillows and watched her pull out a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. Haley walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Stepping up to the mirror, she took a long hard look at herself. 'Breathe. Just breathe. It's fine that a boy's in your bed. Totally fine.' Haley took he own advice and breathed deeply before she changed into her pajamas.

The bathroom door opened and Nathan saw her come out. She bit her lip before walking to the bed and laid down next to him. Her head was on his chest and one of his arms was securely wrapped around her side.

"I'm sorry."

The silence had been broken by his two simple words.

"I'm sorry for everything."

Haley didn't need an apology. "Nathan..." She leaned up to look him in the eye and shook her head. "You don't have to apologize."

A feeling of warmth rushed over his body and suddenly he felt better. This girl who could see past his mistakes was really something. She laid her head back down on his chest and Nathan realized it then. Nathan Scott loved Haley James.

She could feel his arm wrap tighter around her frame and she listened to the beating in his chest. It didn't matter what he'd done.

They both laid like that for a while. The lights were still on but that was alright. Nathan didn't need for it to be dark to fall asleep. Haley heard him fall asleep. She didn't know that was possible. To know the exact moment when sleep overtakes someone and their out for the night, but she'd heard it in him. His breathing got a little deeper and his muscles relaxed. The grip he had on her had subdued and Haley listened to the pattern of his breath.

Haley wanted to stay, she did, but she couldn't. Mrs. Scott would at least want to know that her son was okay. After she laid with Nathan, Haley carefully moved away from him and got up off the bed. She reached for the phone and quietly walked into the hall.

The phone was pressed firmly against her ear and she waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" Deb's voice was full of worry and Haley winced.

"Mrs. Scott? It's Haley."

Relieved that it was Haley, Deb knew that Nathan had to be with her. "Is Nathan there? Is he okay?"

Even though, Deb couldn't see her, Haley was nodding. "He's fine. He's asleep."

"I'll come get him."

Haley didn't want that, and Nathan wouldn't either. "Actually, if it's okay with you, he's fine to stay. He was pretty exhausted when he got here and I think he needs to rest. He might not get back to sleep if he wakes up." That last part was Haley's attempt at trying to keep Nathan there.

"You're sure he's okay?" Deb wasn't exactly fond of Nathan spending the night out after he'd just gotten out of the hospital but she trusted Haley. Haley was a good girl.

Haley nodded and tried to reassure Nathan's mom. "Yes. If anything happens I'll call."

As much as it pained her, Deb knew that Nathan would be better with Haley anyway. Coming home would just cause him more stress, and obviously he didn't need any of that. "Okay. Thanks for calling, Haley."

"Sure, no problem. I didn't want you to keep worrying."

Deb had never in her life met a more responsible, caring teenager, "I really appreciate it."

The two of them said their goodbyes and instead of turning back to the bedroom, Haley made her way downstairs. Nathan my have said he didn't need anything, but Haley was gonna get himself some water anyways.

With two glasses in her hand. She tiptoed back to her room and placed the glasses on each sides of the bed. One for her and one for him. Turning off the lights, Haley crept back to the bed and slowly slid next to Nathan. He was warm and soft and she closed her eyes. She could get used to this.

Haley fell asleep and for about three hours they stayed like that. She was next to him and he was next to her. They didn't know it yet, but that would be how they'd spend the rest of their lives.

It was close to two am when Nathan woke up. He'd forgotten where he was but the warm body beside him was a sweet reminder. His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he could see her chest slowly rise and fall. He tried to swallow but his mouth was so dry he couldn't. Glancing at the bedside table, he saw that there was a glass of water. Haley must had gotten for him after he'd fallen asleep. He took a quick drink and ran his hand over her back.

Nathan closed his eyes and it didn't take long. He fell asleep relatively quickly and it most certainly had to do with Haley. She was no ordinary girl. She was different. He'd been vulnerable and scared but Haley was the one who was on his mind. Nothing else mattered.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning he woke up expecting to feel her next to him, but Nathan was alone. He felt drained, like life had been sucked out of him, and he wanted to go back to sleep. He could have. He could have opted to close his eyes but didn't.

Slowing rising, Nathan peeled the covers off his body wondering how they got there in the first place and rested his feet against the floor. He stood up slowly and tried to stretch every muscle he could. Once he felt out all the kinds, Nathan started walking for the door and headed downstairs.

Haley was in the kitchen. He saw her pulling out a few waffles from the toaster and he couldn't help but smile.

The old wooden floors creaked and she looked over her shoulder. "Hey." Haley put the waffles on two plates and smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Alright." Nathan walked further into the kitchen and took the plate she was holding. He glanced to the kitchen and saw that there was orange juice on the table. "You didn't have to do all this."

She knew she didn't, but she wanted to. "I thought it might help. And I didn't know the last time you ate and most of the time going around on an empty stomach is no fun. And the orange juice is full of vitamin C so..."

He smiled because she'd rambled. Something he'd come to love. "Thank you."

Haley nodded and they both sat down at the breakfast table. She took a bite of her waffle and raised her brow, "Did you sleep okay?"

Nathan finished chewing his food and nodded, "I did. Thanks. And thanks for getting that glass of water last night."

"I thought you might need it." Haley smiled and took another bite of her breakfast.

Using his fork to point to the waffles, Nathan smiled, "These are really good by the way."

She smiled, "My famous frozen waffles. If you want the recipe I'll have to kill you first." He laughed and it was the first time she'd seen that smile, his real smile, in a few days. "Or you can by them at the store. Either way." Haley bit her lip and watched him take another bite.

"They're better than anything I'd be having at my house. I can tell you that right now."

Haley sort of hated that he had such a dysfunctional family. "I uh, last night I called your mom." Nathan took a sip of his orange juice and furrowed his brow. She didn't know if he was mad about that or not, but she explained herself. "I just told her you were here. I thought she might be worried."

"Doubt it." Nathan rolled his eyes. "If it doesn't involve work, she's not normally concerned."

She shook her head, "No, she was. I could tell." Haley wiped her mouth and sighed, "She was gonna come over here and get you but I told her you were already asleep, that you were exhausted."

"I know that last night..."

Haley didn't need to go over again. She knew it was a mistake. "Nathan, it's okay. I get it." She looked at him with her concerned brown eyes and smiled. Changing the subject, she eyed him across the table. "What are you thinking about doing today?"

Nathan didn't know. Something easy. Something low key. "I don't know."

"We can go to the movies." She contorted her brow trying to remember what was playing. "We can go see _Elf_, _The Matrix_...uh, whatever the third one's called, or _Love Actually_." She'd said _Love Actually_ with a bit of a tease in her voice. She knew that he wouldn't want to go see that.

"Which one would you rather see?"

"I think Elf's supposed to be funny. Will Ferrell is in it."

Nathan tried to think who Will Ferrell was, "Is that the guy from SNL?"

Haley nodded, "And _Zoolander_. You know..." Haley tried to do her best Derek Zoolander pose and started to laugh. "Will played the bad guy or whatever."

Remembering the movie, Nathan started to laugh. That movie was pretty funny, but watching Haley strike a pose was even better.

"Okay, laugh, I know." She rolled her eyes and her cheeks started to turn pink. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to mimic Zoolander.

"No, it was funny. That was actually a really good impression." Nathan was being serious. It wasn't like it was the best in the world, but it was entertaining.

Haley arched her brow and shook her head. "So what did we decide? Elf? Is that okay?"

Nathan shrugged. "Yeah. That's fine." He didn't really care. As long as he was with Haley that was all that mattered.

"Okay great. I'll check the paper. There's probably one showing in a little while."

Haley got up and reached for both their plates and Nathan watched her rinse them off. She didn't know it, but she was helping him more than he knew she could. Haley hurried out of the kitchen to get dressed and check the paper, leaving Nathan to himself.

While Nathan waited for Haley to get dressed, he watched TV. Nothing particularly interesting was on but one commercial came on and he rolled his eyes. It was his father. Advertising some huge deal at Dan Scott Motors. Nathan wanted to yell at the TV that those deals were flops. There were hidden fees and taxes that were probably added on later. Nobody in their right mind needed to buy a car from his father.

Shutting off the television, Nathan stood up and shook his head. "Bully your customers into buying a car too?" The question was rhetorical because Nathan new the answer. Yes.

Nathan got up off the couch and looked over at the picture on the table. It was four girls. Young girls. It had to be Haley and her sisters. While he was studying it, he wondered which one she was. He was positive that she was the youngest but that littlest one had blonde hair. Maybe Haley was naturally blonde? He looked from girl to girl and was reassured that the Haley was the one he thought. None of them had her eyes.

"I was blonde back then." Haley smiled when she walked toward him. "You wouldn't know it now, but that's my natural hair color. It'd probably be dirty blonde or light brown now."

Nathan tried to imagine her with that color hair but all he saw was her face. It didn't matter what color her hair was. "These are your sisters?"

Haley nodded and pointed out Taylor, Quinn, and Vivian. "We were a pretty rowdy bunch when we were together." Haley looked around the house and smiled, "It's been kind of nice with all the silence though.

He knew the feeling. Sort of. At his house it was either dead quiet or someone was arguing.

"I was thinking we could go by your house so you could change before the movie?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. I should shower. I'm probably smelling pretty ripe."

She shook her head. "No. You smell just fine."

Haley set down the picture and put her hand in his. She knew that the possibility of going to his house meant that his parents would or could be there. Nathan needed someone on his side if he was going to have to deal with them.

**OTHOTH**

The weekend had shaped up to be relatively easy. When Nathan and Haley had gone to his house neither Dan nor Deb were there to berate him, and it was just as well. No body needed a confrontation anyway.

The rest of Saturday and Sunday, Nathan spent the majority of his time with Haley. It made sense. He didn't need to be with anyone else.

He thought he'd get the worst of it from his parents, and while Dan had a few harsh words, it was nothing compared to what he felt Monday morning walking through those doors at Tree Hill High. All eyes were all in and he could hear the whispers. Normally all Nathan ever got was praise and devotion but this was something he'd never experienced.

His morning got a little brighter when he saw Haley. She was stacking books in her locker when he walked over.

"Hey." Her face lit up and it was hard for her not to smile.

Nathan looked around and sighed, "So I guess I'm the talk of the school, huh?"

Haley glanced around the crowded hallway and shrugged, "Don't worry about them."

The first period bell rang and Nathan raised his brow, "I'll see you around." He gently kissed her cheek and turned to go to class.

Haley quickly picked up her History book and was startled to see Brooke when she turned around. "Brooke. Hey."

"Hey Tutor-Girl. So is it true? Did Hot Shot really show up at your front step with his hospital gown?" The raspy voiced brunette raised her brow smiling.

"Uh..." Haley shook her head. "He did come over but he was wearing his warm-up clothes. I don't know where you got the hospital gown thing."

Brooke kinked her brow even further, "Are you kidding? It's all over school."

Haley hadn't noticed. But then again. She wasn't the kind of girl who'd be getting that information yet. All the gossip circulated in a certain path. Normally she was pretty far down the road to get the scoop before first period.

Brooke wasn't done. She still felt like she had obligations to making sure that Nathan and Haley were doing well together. "So what's the story? What happened? This pill thing like totally brought you closer together, right?"

That wasn't exactly any of her business. "I've got to get to class." Haley turned down the hall but Brooke was still behind her.

"Me too. And you can tell me the whole story while our teacher lectures us on the Civil War."

Haley sighed. She'd forgotten that Brooke was in her class. They just recently even started talking to each other and Haley was going to have to get used to captain of the cheer squad sitting next to her in History.

They both walked in class and Brooke tried her hardest to get the story out of Haley, but she was busy taking notes about Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.

Their teacher cleared his throat and looked at Brooke, "Mrs. Davis. Jefferson wouldn't happen to be a relative of yours, would he?"

Brooke hadn't been paying attention at all. She looked up to her teacher and smiled, "Oh yeah, we go way back." Brooke flashed her teacher a smile, not really knowing what he'd asked.

The classroom all laughed and Brooke was pleased with herself. At least her classmates thought she was funny.

Haley laughed as well and maybe the talk around school would convert into Brooke's ancestors instead of Nathan's collapse. Wishful thinking on her part, because by third period things had only gotten worse.

Lucas was rounding the corner headed to English when he met Haley halfway there. "Hey, you."

Haley smiled at the familiar face, "Hey loser." She laughed and arched her brow. "Ready for our quiz?"

He nodded, "I think I've just about got all of Ethan Frome memorized."

Laughing, Haley smiled, "I'd say you're ready then."

Lucas was pretty confident. They made their way down the halls and Lucas turned to his best friend. "How's Nathan?"

"Okay." She turned to Luke and shrugged, "It's gotta be hard for him to be here."

Lucas understood that. He knew what it was like to be the oddball. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Haley looked up to Lucas with a nod. It was weird to hear Lucas talk about Nathan like that, like he cared. Peyton was walking in their direction and they stopped to say hello.

"Hey." Peyton was holding her notebook close to her chest and smiled at Haley and Peyton.

"Hey, Peyton." Lucas gave her a small smile.

Haley said hello and Peyton cleared her throat, "So how's Nathan doing? I know this has to be tough on him."

Lucas excused himself and let the two girls talk.

"It is. I don't know if he even knows what he wants to do anymore. You should have seen him Peyton, I've never seen him like that."

Peyton took a deep breath and nodded, "Dan has always been on his ass about basketball. I'm not surprised Nathan did what he did." She looked around and shrugged, "He'll come around. I think he probably hit his breaking point."

"Yeah I think so. I just wish there was something I can do."

Peyton couldn't help but smile. "You are doing something." For whatever reason, Haley seemed to think she wasn't much of a help in this whole debacle but that wasn't the case at all. She was probably the reason Nathan was alright.

The bell rang and Haley looked at her classroom, "I gotta go."

The lanky blonde watched Haley hurry towards her English room and then Peyton walked off down the hall. She felt bad about what Nathan was going through, but at least he had Haley.

Having Haley was the one thing that was saving him. It was lunch and Nathan was walking through the quad looking for his table, the basketball table, and then he saw Tim.

"What up, baller?"

Just Tim being Tim was already annoying. Instead of taking a seat, Nathan kept on walking.

"Whoa, whoa, Nate! Come on man."

Nathan just kept on walking and knew where he was headed. As he walked inside, he tried to balance the tray so his food and drink didn't topple over. There probably weren't going to be many people there. Most of the times it was just her and her homemade sandwich, piece of fruit and water.

He carefully opened the Tutor-Center doors and saw her working on something at the far right table.

"Is this seat taken?"

Haley looked up and smiled, "Hey. No, sit down."

Nathan did and dropped his bag on the floor. "Today has been pretty hectic." He poked his fork in his cement like mashed potatoes and widened his eyes.

Rubbing her hand across his back, Haley furrowed her brow, "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, I've got about seven different practice tests I've got to grade."

It did, but it didn't. Nathan looked at her worried he was imposing, "If you're busy then..."

"No sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Haley shook her head and pushed the papers aside, "They can wait."

Nathan smiled at her and then looked at his food. "This stuff shouldn't be served to inmates."

Haley laughed and pulled out her sandwich. "Here. I only eat half anyway."

It was things like that. The fact that she would split her sandwich, or postpone grading a few papers, that made him wonder how he'd found such a good girl. Nobody ever treated him the way she did. It amazed him because she didn't have to.

The two of them quietly ate and talked about their days. Haley told Nathan about History and English, and Nathan told her about Chemistry and his History class. Simple conversation that kept both of their minds away from the turmoil of last week.

He'd told her he was nervous to see Whitey, wondering how he was going to explain it all. They discussed the various ways the old coach might react but Haley never had anything bad to say. She was always seeing the good in things.

So for the next twenty minutes, Nathan sat in that Tutor Center with the girl who'd been able to take it all away, a girl who could make his day brighter, and also raise his test scores. It may not have seemed like much but it was. Nathan knew then that everything was going to be okay. It wouldn't matter what he did, or how things played out. Haley would be right next to him. If he'd taken anything away from his moment of stupidity it was mainly about how he felt towards Haley. If she could help him get over this, she could do anything. They'd just set themselves up for a lifetime of teamwork.

**OTHOTH**

**Not at all what I had intended to write for high school Naley but that's what came out. So how was it? What do you all want to see next? I'd love a review. They really help me know what you guys like so send me some feedback. Good, bad, indifferent. I don't care.**

**The readers who did review for last chapter were awesome. **

**Bwyn: It think it's good to have them fight sometimes too. All couples go through it and I'm with you. The season 3 birth control fight is one of my favorites. In about three chapters we'll see an infant Charlotte so I hope you'll like that one!**

**MagicalNaley23: It is sometimes nice to be reminded of the struggling couple they once were. You're right, they are human. As much as we all probably want to think, Nathan and Haley can't be perfect. I know Lucas wasn't in a whole lot of last chapter but he does pop up in this one. Hope you liked that. I've always been a bif fan of the Lucas/Haley friendship so when I get the chance to write that, I'm always pleased.**

**Leah: I'm so glad you have enjoyed the story so far. Thank you for sending me that link with the photo. It looks like some cheesy photo opp really cheesy parents take their kids to (ie NH, cause they can be really cheesy. It fits them, lol). I'll see if I can work that into a chapter some how.**

**KC: Thanks for the review. It was a reminder of just what they would have been going through at that time. I wouldn't even know how to handle all of that stuff. I agree with you, I thought having them hug it out would be nicer than taking it a bit further. Sometimes the more simple, the more meaningful. Glad you liked the flashbacks.**

**Always and Forever: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and having a fight and storm combination. I had to laugh out of humbleness when you said the thing about watching the show and being like "Where's Charlotte." That's great to read as an author.**

**Mazzy: I would have liked to see Nathan and Haley coping with all the stress on the show too. There were definitely some missed opportunities when the show skipped those years. And yes, rain storms are very much indeed a Naley thing, lol. **

**Hadley: Like other reviewers and yourself, I'm with you on the college stuff. I kind of wish we got to see some of that stuff play out on the show.**

**Bethanyfan23: This one was high school Naley. I hope you liked it.**

**Naley98: Ha, I guess it is a good thing that Jamie sleeps through storms. His parents can most definitely use that time to their advantage.**

**Alexis: I'm glad the wait wasn't too long. I'm guessing you didn't mind the wait for this chapter either. Next day updates are always fun, right? I'm glad you liked the bit about Jamie and the rain.**

**Please Review!**


	69. In Search Of

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 69: In Search Of**

**Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I had some in so I could get a glimpse of how Mark and co. work to write these characters. But I don't, and I still don't own anything.**

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I've been super busy getting ready to go back to school. But alright, so we are almost to seventy chapters guys. SEVENTY! Wow, I can't believe how long I've been doing this. I hope you all have enjoyed the last sixty eight chapters because I've loved writing them. This one occurs during a time frame I think you'll all enjoy. The kids are still young and Nathan and Haley...well, they're sill all crushed out on each other like they always will be. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan opened his eyes slowly adjusting to the morning light. He wasn't in his bedroom in Tree Hill but at the loft in Charlotte. It still felt like home though. Mainly because the sleeping body next to him smelled like home, sounded like home, she was home. Haley was everything Tree Hill represented and the days she and the kids got to come to Charlotte were his favorite.

He leaned against the pillow and watched her sleep. Her brow was relaxed and she looked so content. Haley was about to wake up though. She'd scrunched her nose like a bunny and that was the tell tale sign. Leaning over, Nathan kissed her softly on the corner of her mouth and that was when Haley started to open her eyes.

"Hi." She spoke first and it was soft and sweet.

The smirk he'd flashed her countless times appeared on his face and he smiled, "Hi."

Haley tried to scoot closer but something, or someone was in her way. She knew who it was. Three year old Charlotte had a way of nestling in between her parents and Haley looked down at the little girl.

"I was gonna move her last night but you both looked really comfortable." Nathan glanced at his wife and then down at his daughter.

Kissing the top of Charlotte's head, Haley didn't mind. "That was fine. She was alright here."

Nathan scooted down the bed and rested his face across from Charlotte's. It was scary how much she looked like her mom. Those brown eyes were hypnotizing. Charlotte's were closed but underneath those lids, he knew Charlotte's matched her mother's.

Haley knew that with both kids still asleep, she needed to take advantage of the opportunity. "I'm gonna jump in the shower. If she wakes will you get her some cereal?"

"Yeah." Nathan looked up to Haley nodding.

She got out of the bed but leaned back to Nathan without bumping into Charlotte. Haley's lips met Nathan's and that was exactly what she wanted. It was the best way to wake up, the only way to wake up.

Haley walked to the bathroom and left her husband and young daughter lying on the bed. Nathan was pretty occupied watching Charlotte, and when her little body started moving he picked her up and she rested her head on his chest. She was like this little ball of adorableness.

Charlotte was waking up and dug her head further into her father's shirt. She sighed once and then yawned.

"Morning Char." Nathan put one of his hands on her back and smiled.

The little girl opened her eyes and realized she was with Nathan. Slowly lifting her head to look at her father, Charlotte flashed her dad those big brown eyes and laid her head back down on his chest.

Couldn't Charlotte stay little like that for forever? Nathan wished that could happen. "You slept in here all night. Did you know that? Right between me and your mom."

Looking to the empty side of the bed, Charlotte furrowed her brow. She held out her hand and looked at her dad, "Mama gone?"

Nathan couldn't help but smile, "She's in the shower."

The bedroom door opened wider and Nathan saw his ten year old son step into the room. "Hey Jame."

Charlotte perked up when she hear her brother's name and turned to look at the door. "Jamie!"

Jamie smiled and walked to the bed. He climbed up and settled in Haley's spot.

"Me there." Charlotte moved away from Nathan and scooted next to her brother.

The little girl leaned her back against Jamie's stomach and Nathan got a good look at his two kids. They were perfect. They were everything.

"What's for breakfast, Dad?" Jamie's blue eyes widened and he was curious about his morning meal.

"Cereal." Nathan could see the disappointment on Jamie's face. "But we can make some toast too."

Jamie got excited, "Do you have cinnamon?"

Nathan furrowed his brow, "Uh, I don't know."

Charlotte looked at her big brother then her father, "Sim-a-nem-anin!"

That was precious. Charlotte couldn't say cinnamon right. Nathan laughed a little and arched his brow, "What do you want, Charlotte?"

"Sim-a-nem-anin!"

Jamie smiled and tried to correct Charlotte, "Cinn-a-mon."

Nodding at her brother, Charlotte smiled, "Uh-huh."

"Come on you two, let's go see what we can do." Nathan got up and watched as Jamie let Charlotte get a piggy back ride.

The three of them went into the kitchen and while Jamie got out the milk and bowls, Nathan looked for cinnamon. He checked the cabinets but wasn't having much luck.

"Find it yet, Dad?" Jamie looked at his father and then pulled the bread out.

Nathan shook his head and glanced to Charlotte who was sitting on the counter watching everything unfold. "Where'd you put it, Charlotte?" Charlotte shook her head. She didn't know where the cinnamon was.

While the three Scotts in the kitchen continued to search for the cinnamon, Haley stepped out of the shower. It was quiet outside the bathroom door so she knew her family must be fixing breakfast. Quickly drying off and slipping on some clothes, Haley walked to the kitchen to see both Nathan's and Jamie's head stuck inside cabinets. She stopped in her tracks and looked to her daughter with a raised brow.

"Mama!"

Haley smiled at Charlotte and walked closer to her, "Morning, baby." Haley picked up Charlotte and balanced her on her hip. "What are these two doing?" She pointed at Jamie and Nathan and looked at Charlotte.

Nathan stuck his head out and shrugged, "We were going to make cinnamon toast but I don't know if we've got cinnamon."

She knew where it was. Haley walked to the cabinet next to the one Nathan was looking in and got up on her tiptoes to grab the little shaker. "This?"

"What? How did you find that?"

Haley laughed and set the cinnamon next to the bread, "You just gotta know where to look."

Jamie realized that his mom had found what he desired most. "Yes! You found it!"

Four slices of bread buttered with a bit of sugar and cinnamon went into the toaster, and they all ate a little bit of cereal and the all important cinnamon toast. After breakfast Haley got Charlotte dressed and then it was Nathan's turn to get dressed. He flung his shirt on the bed and quickly changed out of his pajamas. He had a meeting with the trainer before the game that night and if he didn't get a move on he'd be late.

Nathan stood in the doorway of Charlotte's room and watched as Haley got their daughter dressed. "I gotta head out, but I'll see you later."

Haley looked up and saw Nathan in the doorway. She walked toward him with Charlotte in her arms. "You think you'll stay at the arena 'till game time?"

"I don't know. It might depend on our pregame meetings. I'll call you and let you know though."

Haley looked at the little one in her arms and smiled, "Just in case we don't see you..." Haley turned to Charlotte and raised her eyebrows, "Better tell Daddy good luck. We might not see him before the game."

"Good luck."

Charlotte's soft three year old voice resonated in Nathan's ears. "Thanks, Char." He looked at the little girl and kissed her on the forehead. Then he turned to his wife, "Bye."

"Bye." Haley leaned into his kiss and didn't want to part.

"I love you."

She nodded and watched him start to walk away. "I love you too."

**OTHOTH**

The locker room was always a busy place. Most of the guys were getting taped up or changing out of their warm-ups into their jersey's, and that's what Nathan was doing. He slipped his Under Armor undershirt on and pulled number 12 over his head. He tucked in his shirt and laced up his shoes, but something wasn't right.

Nathan's hand went to the middle of his chest and he felt nothing. Where was his ring?

He looked down and felt for the chain but it wasn't there. "Where the hell..." Nathan stretched his collar out to make sure he wasn't missing it and shook his head. "Dammit."

One of Nathan's teammates, Ray, sat down and arched his brow, "What's with you."

Quickly turning his head, Nathan looked at his shooting guard, "Don't move." He got up and looked around the floor and then in his locker.

Ray was sitting still and wondering what Nathan was doing. "What are you looking for, man?"

"My ring." Nathan's hand instantly flew to his chest where the little gold band was supposed to be hanging but it wasn't'. "I don't know where it is."

Understanding the problem, Ray got up and looked around, "Where was the last place you had it."

Nathan had absolutely no idea. "Uh, I don't know." He thought about it and the only time he remembered thinking about it was last night after his shower. He'd put it back on after he got dressed but that was all he could remember.

"Do you remember having it here?"

"No. I don't know." Nathan shook his head and realized there were about a million places it could be. It could be back at the loft, in the parking lot, somewhere hidden in a crevasse around the locker room, or any other place Nathan had been. This sucked.

"Free shoot in five minutes guys." One of the assistant coaches called out as he walked toward the court.

"What am I gonna do?" Nathan threw up his hands and shook his head.

Ray didn't want the star point guard to be off his game. He knew they needed to find that ring fast. "You go find Stanley and tell him to keep an eye out and I'll go tell some other janitors."

The two Bobcats split up and Nathan was looking for Stanley. He was an older man who'd been cleaning up the locker room in Charlotte since the foundation in 2004. He wasn't in the open room and he wasn't in the coaches office but when Nathan passed the equipment room he saw the familiar gray trashcan on wheels.

"Stanley?" Nathan walked to the room and hoped he was there.

"Mr. Scott, what can I do you for?" The man had been sweeping and smiled at the star player.

Nathan twisted the vacant space where his ring should have been and he sighed, "I think I lost my wedding ring around here. It should be on a chain but if it's not..." Nathan make a circle with his thumb and pointer finger, "...it's about this big, gold, maybe the size of a quarter."

"Uh-oh. The missus won't be too happy bout that, now will she?"

He hadn't even thought about Haley. Great. What was she going to think? Nathan looked to Stanley with wide eyes and shook his head, "Probably not."

"I'll keep my eye out for it. It'll turn up somewhere."

Nathan nodded. "I hope so." It was under his breath and the old janitor didn't hear it but Nathan did thank Stanley for his time.

It didn't take long before his five minutes were up, and Nathan had to get out on the floor ring less and worried. He knew that the game against the Timberwolves wasn't going to go well.

And he'd been right. When halftime rolled around, Nathan was having a rough go of it. Four turnovers, three missed layups, and two for six at the line. Yeah, something was up with his game.

He wasn't the only one who noticed. As the Bobcats all made their way to the locker room, Haley could see Nathan slowly walking off the court and wondered what was wrong. Was it just not his night? Had the coach really blasted them during the last timeout? There were so many possibilities and Haley wasn't sure.

"Hales?"

Haley turned her attention to the voice coming down the stands and smiled, "Luke! You made it!"

Jamie looked up to the man and smiled, "Uncle Lucas!"

Lucas smiled and walked to the empty seat next to Jamie. "Been saving my seat, J-Luke?"

The boy nodded and watched as his uncle took a seat. Luke glanced at the scoreboard and furrowed his brow, "Down by twelve? What'd I miss?"

"Dad's not playing so good." Jamie looked up to Luke and shrugged.

"What?" Lucas didn't believe that. Haley put Charlotte down so she could so sit with her uncle for a second. Luke scooped up the little girl and rested her on his knees. "What's going on Charlotte? Why aren't the Bobcats winning?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Popcorn!"

Lucas laughed as he watched Charlotte munch on the snack. "Oh, it's the popcorn?"

"No." Jamie shook his head. "Our shooting percentage is way down and the man to man isn't working. Dad's getting beat every time Ellington goes to the goal."

Haley had to smile at what Jamie said. The fact that he referred to the stats as 'our' was too cute. She turned to her best friend and decided against basketball talk. "How'd the signing go?"

"Really good. It was a nice turnout."

Smiling, Haley congratulated him, "That's great."

Lucas nodded, "I would have gotten here earlier if the publishing team hadn't wanted to go to dinner to celebrate our first stop. I kinda had to cut out on them. Hopefully they won't care too much."

Haley laughed, "I doubt they'd care if their bestseller decided to take in a basketball game."

She was probably right. Lucas's new book was doing great. He was at the top of his game. As he looked out on the floor and at the scoreboard again, it seemed like his little brother's game wasn't faring the same. Something must have been on Nathan's mind.

Something was on Nathan's mind and it wasn't basketball. While the dark haired Scott brother sat in the locker room he was zoning out on trying to figure out where his ring was.

"Scott? Are you listening to this?" Head Coach Brown raised his eyebrows waiting for a response. "Get your head in the game."

Nathan blinked away his previous thoughts and nodded. He listened and watched as Coach Brown drew on the white board but his attention was limited. Nathan didn't care about a fast break or how they would push Minnesota toward the left.

Before he knew it the team was up in a huddle and Ray started spitting out words of encouragement. They all smacked each other on the butt and before they started to head to the court Ray caught up with Nathan.

"Hey? Is this about the ring?"

Nathan really wasn't wanting to talk about it. "Ray..."

"It's a ring man. Come on, we gotta beat Minnesota."

Arching his brow, Nathan shook his head. Ray didn't get it. How would he feel if he didn't have his shoes on, or didn't have that sweat band he wore every game? Probably not one hundred percent. That ring was just as much apart of his outfit as the shoes and sweat band Ray had on. "It's not just that, Ray. I've worn that ring in every game I've played in since I've been married."

Ray took a deep breath. He wasn't married so maybe he couldn't relate it to anything, but he understood. "I get it, but we gotta get out there and show 'em what we got. Try not to think about it. Look..." He held his hands out and looked around the locker room. "...I'll be on my hands and knees looking for that thing after the game. Just keep your mind focused on winning."

If only it was that easy. Nathan took a deep breath and nodded for Ray's sake. They both walked out of the locker room and Nathan's eyes went' directly to where his family was sitting. He didn't see the kids but he saw her. His hand flew to his chest and he sighed. That damn ring had better be found soon.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie was waiting with his back against the wall and Haley was holding Charlotte in her arms. The game had ended and it didn't end well. The Timberwolves extended their lead in the second half and ended up beating the Bobcats by twenty.

Charlotte was fighting sleep and her eyes were trying so hard to shut. Haley rubbed the little girl's back and looked at Lucas. "He's probably taking a little longer getting dressed. He always takes the loses to heart."

Lucas nodded, "He never was a fan of loosing."

Jamie chimed in and shook his head, "Yeah, Dad always tries to win."

Haley switched arms holding Charlotte and Lucas looked at his best friend. "You want me to hold her?"

She looked down at Charlotte and then thought about her back. They'd been standing around for a while so it would be nice to pass Charlotte off. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Lucas walked closer to Haley and took his niece.

A few of Nathan's teammates had walked passed Lucas and Haley, and the kids so Haley checked her watch. "He should be out soon."

Jamie folded his arms and winced, "Maybe the coach is talking with him."

"Maybe." Haley sighed and leaned against the wall next to her son.

Nathan wasn't talking with the coach and he wasn't taking his time getting dressed. He'd gotten dressed in record time. The only reason he was still in the locker room was because he had to make sure he'd combed that area clean.

"It's not on that side." Ray looked to Nathan and shook his head.

Nathan was on his knees looking under the benches, "Dammit. Where the hell?"

"It'll turn up." Ray wasn't certain that was true but it was what Nathan needed to hear. "Just be sure to check everywhere else you've been today."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He got up off the floor and looked at Ray. "Thanks for doing this."

"Yeah man." Ray chuckled and arched his brow. "I sure hope you get that thing back before the next game."

Nathan rolled his eyes and watched Ray leave the locker room. Finding it before next game would be nice, but finding it in general would be better. Nathan slung his bag around his shoulder and took one more look across the floor before he left.

When he walked out of the locker room he wasn't in the best of moods. He'd lost two things that day. The game and his ring. Not exactly a winning combination. He sighed heavily and headed out to see his family. Those were the people who could cheer him up.

And normally that was the case, but when Nathan saw some guy standing next to Haley making her laugh he started to get irritated. Great, some tool in a button down was hitting on his wife. He could feel his blood begin to boil and if that guy didn't back off he was going to get a beat down. Nathan Scott wasn't in a forgiving mood.

Nathan got a little closer and just as the steam started to come out of his ears he let out a sigh ofrelief. It was Luke. That's right, Lucas had a book signing in Charlotte. Haley had told Nathan he might make it to the game. The simple thought that the punk who was hitting on his wife was actually his brother made Nathan laugh out loud.

"Dad!" Jamie saw his father approaching.

Smiling at his son, Nathan walked closer, "Hey, Jame."

Lucas turned to Nathan and smiled quietly. He didn't want to wake up Charlotte. Nathan greeted his brother and took his daughter in his arms.

Haley loved that. The way that Nathan immediately wanted Charlotte. "Sorry about the game."

"Yeah, what was the deal tonight?" Lucas looked at his brother with a raised brow.

Nathan's left hand was hidden by Charlotte's legs and swallowed hard. "I don't know, I was distracted."

Instantly curious, Haley wanted to ask more but figured he probably didn't want to talk about it. Not now.

Luke winced, "I guess I won't come to any other games then."

"No. It wasn't you." Nathan laughed and shook his head. "I just...I don't know..."

"It's alright, Dad. It's not always about winning." Jamie looked to his father with those matching blue eyes.

Haley put her hand on Jamie's shoulder and smiled at her husband. She looked at Lucas and had an idea. "If you two want to go out or something. I'll take the kids back."

"I wanna go." Jamie scrunched his forehead. He didn't want to get left out. Ten was pretty old, right?

Haley laughed and shook her head, "Not tonight, bud." Jamie's face fell but it he got the message.

Lucas looked at Haley and then to Nathan, "You want to?"

Nathan held on to Charlotte tightly and thought it over. If he wasn't home then there was more time he could wait between telling his wife he'd lost his wedding ring. Then on top of that, he could get Lucas to help him find it. "Yeah. That sounds good." He turned to Haley and started walking towards the exit. "I'll walk you to the car."

"Okay." She nodded and they all walked to the parking lot.

Charlotte hadn't budged one bit while they made it to the car and didn't even open her eyes when Nathan put her in the car seat. Haley got in the driver's seat and Nathan walked around to her window. She rolled it down and smiled, "I might be asleep when you get back."

Nathan nodded and leaned inside the car, "We won't be out too late." He sweetly kissed her and looked into her big brown eyes.

"I love you." Haley had said it first and Nathan was quick to respond.

"I love you too. I'll see you later."

She nodded and started the car, "Bye."

Nathan stepped back and watched his wife pull out of the parking lot. He quickly turned to Lucas, "You gotta help me."

Startled by Nathan's intense tone, Lucas arched his brow, "Okay, but what for?"

Holding up his left hand, Nathan's eyes widened, "I lost my ring."

"You're kidding." Lucas smiled and started to laugh.

"No man." Nathan was kidding around. "I need you to help trace my steps."

It wasn't exactly the night out he had in mind but Lucas wasn't not going to help Nathan. "When was the last time you had it."

"If I knew I would be wherever that was." Nathan was already annoyed with Lucas's one question. "I just need an extra pair of eyes." He took a deep breath, "Haley's gonna be so upset with me."

Luke nodded, she might get upset. Nathan had that ring for twelve years. While he saw the panic on Nathan's face he wondered what Peyton would do if her ever lost his ring. She probably wouldn't be thrilled about it. Lucas held his hands out and looked at Nathan, "Where do we start?"

"I already checked the locker room and anywhere in the building so we just gotta check the parking lot."

Noticing how dark it was, Lucas didn't think they would have much luck, "Won't it be hard to see?"

Nathan didn't care. "We gotta at least try."

Lucas followed Nathan to where his car was parked and took shook his head. The likely hood of finding that little ring was about as good as seeing a pig fly. But for Nathan's sake they'd try.

So that's what they did. Lucas and Nathan searched the dark parking lot for over an hour hoping to find what was lost.

It was late when Nathan got back and he tried to be quiet when he walked into the loft. The parking lot was a bust and they'd found nothing but a few bottle tops and loose change. His ring was nowhere to be found.

He walked toward the back and checked on both Jamie and Charlotte before he walked to the bedroom. They were both sound asleep and he secretly wanted Haley to be asleep to. The ring conversation was something he was trying to delay.

Luckily for him, Haley was asleep. Nathan quietly changed into something more comfortable and slid next to Haley. He draped his arm across her and breathed her in. Hopefully she'd forgive his irresponsibility.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning, Nathan woke up to find he was alone in bed. The smell of bacon told him that Haley must have been up and that was a good thing. He'd get to check the bedroom while she was busy cooking.

He got his bearings and then checked every corner, every square inch of the bedroom and came up with nothing.

"Where is it?" He was on his hands and knees checking under the bed when he heard footsteps.

"Where's what?"

Nathan hadn't meant to say that out loud, or for anyone to hear him. When he looked up he saw Jamie's curious brow and Nathan sighed. "I need some help."

The boy was intrigued. "Doing what?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Nathan watched Jamie nod, "A super secretive secret?"

"Uh-huh".

Nathan lowered his voice and leaned close to Jamie's ear, "I lost my wedding ring."

"Your ring?"

It came out pretty loud so Nathan's covered Jamie's mouth. "Shh. I don't want your mom to find out."

Jamie mouthed 'sorry' and cupped his hand over his mouth, "Want me to help?"

"That would be great." Nathan nodded, "I need you to distract your mom so I can look in the kitchen. Can you do that?"

"I think so."

They devised a little bit of a plan and then the father-son duo walked out of the bedroom. Nathan gave Jamie a thumbs up. There little plan was going to work.

Haley could hear two pair of footsteps coming down the hall and she knew who they belonged to. She hadn't even turned around when Nathan walked up behind her.

He kissed the side of her head, "Morning."

"Morning." She smiled and turned around. "Bacon and eggs?"

"Sounds great."

Jamie cleared his throat, "Hey Mom? Will you help me do something?"

Haley turned her attention to her son and then to the bacon, "I'm cooking, Jame. Can't you get your dad to do it?"

Shaking his head, Jamie answered, "No I need you."

"I'll handle the bacon, Hales." Nathan was desperately hoping she would go back to Jamie's room.

"Alright." Haley handed Nathan the spatula and followed her son back to his bedroom.

Nathan quickly put the spatula down and started searching the kitchen for his ring. Maybe it had fallen off yesterday morning?

While he looked on the floor and checked the counter tops Charlotte walked over to her father. He hadn't even realized that she was up. "Hey Char, wanna help me find my ring?"

"Ring?"

Nathan was nodding, "Yeah."

"Otay." Charlotte smiled and ran over to the living room. She stuck her hands on her knees and leaned over to look under the coffee table. Nothing under there. She scrunched her nose and mouth. Maybe it was under the couch?

Nathan was still checking the places in the kitchen but wasn't having much luck. He'd run to the bathroom and see if it was in there.

It wasn't in the shower and it wasn't next to the sink, and it wasn't on the floor either. He sighed heavily and then realized that something smelled funny. The bacon.

"Shit!" Nathan ran out of the bathroom and went straight for the kitchen. He'd left the bacon cooking in the pan and he was sure it was burnt. When he got to the burned breakfast food he reached out to take the skillet off the burner but the grease popped up and caught him on the hand. "Ow!"

Haley hurried to the kitchen and was wide eyed, "What happened?"

Nathan was shaking his left hand and and winced, "I burnt the bacon."

"I can see that." Haley waved the light smoke around and hoped the detector didn't go off. She noticed that Nathan was looking down at the top of his hand, "Are you okay? Let me see." Haley walked to him and Nathan coiled his hand away from her. "Nathan? I'm not gonna hurt you."

"I know it's just..." He sighed and shook his head.

"What is it?" Haley dropped a brow with a hint of confusion. Why was he being so weird?

Nathan looked at her and knew he had to tell her at some point. "Yesterday... I uh, I lost my ring. I've been trying like crazy to find it and that's why I burnt the bacon. I went to check the bathroom and forgot all about it." He paused to take a breath. "I wanted to find it before I had to tell you but... that didn't happen."

Haley listened to him explain and she couldn't help but smile.

He saw that smile, that adorable little grin spread across her face. "What?"

She'd forgotten about it till he'd said something. Haley reached to her neck and pulled at the chain under her shirt. "This ring?"

"How long have you had that?" He felt a huge rush of relief pass over him when he saw that familiar chain and gold band.

Slipping the chain over her head, Haley smiled, "When I was turning down the bed last night I found it. It was between the sheets and one of your pillows."

"It was there this whole time?" He laughed at himself and shook his head. "I was freaking out yesterday. I thought I'd lost it at the arena."

Haley shook her head and got on her tiptoes. She put the chain around his neck and pulled down. "It was here the whole time." Haley smirked and kissed him.

Nathan's hand went to the chain and he'd never felt so relieved. Catastrophe avoided.

She looked up to his blue eyes and bit her lip, "Is that why you played so bad last night?"

He wasn't going to deny the obvious. "Yeah. And Luke and I didn't get drinks last night either. We spent the night searching the parking lot for this thing."

Jamie had walked to the kitchen and held his nose. That burnt bacon wasn't an appealing smell. He saw his mom and dad standing next to each other and the chain around his father's neck. "You found it. Where was it?"

Haley's mouth fell open. "Jamie knew?"

Nathan nodded, "Charlotte too. They were both trying to help me out." He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I knew you'd be upset if I lost it."

That was probably true. She may have been upset about the ring for a little while, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. That ring meant a lot but it wasn't everything. If it was lost it wouldn't mean what they'd been through had been for nothing. It wouldn't change the fact that they'd spent over a decade together, and it wouldn't mean he loved her any less. It was a sign of their devotion and promises made, but as Haley looked to Nathan she knew the ring was only part of their story. A little piece of history that would only tell so much.

What they had was bigger than a simple band of gold. What Nathan Scott and Haley James had was something that could never be lost.

**OTHOTH**

**How was that? A little bit of a reverse situation from Haley's lost ring in season 3. Sort of. Kind of. Either way, I hope you guys liked it. I apologize for the delay in updating. Life has just been super hectic as I try and get ready to head back to school. Fingers crossed that I don't have to make you guys wait long again.**

**My reviewers are great and deserve praise. You all are so generous with your words and I'm always encouraged to write more! Thank you! Kutebloo, Leah, othnaley23, Alexis, Becky, ann, and BDavis! **

**Emma: I'm glad you liked chapter 67. It's so good to know you liked the little details. I understand where you were coming from when you said that Naley needed more dialogue in chapter 68. My only thought on that was I was afraid things would get too repetitive. I really do appreciate the feedback! Thank you!**

**Mazzy: I'm with you. I think Nathan would have been top gossip at school and it would have been nice to see how he would have dealt with it. You know I'm all about throwbacks so adding in the bit about Nathan falling in love with Haley then was definitely a throwback to 5.13! I'm glad you caught that.**

**Diana: No, it's not sad that you know/remember what she was wearing in the episode the last chapter referenced. I'm like that too, ha.**

**MagicalNaley23: I'm so glad you liked the chapter. I happened the catch the episode and thought I could make a little moment out of it so I'm thrilled you liked what I did!**

**BWyn: I'll try and get some protective Nathan in the story sometime soon.**

**FromBelguim: Thanks for the suggestion! I've had one small reaction from a classmate of Haley's while they are in college but I do like your idea. It might be hard to write 5,000 words surrounding it but I'll see what I can do. Danke!**

**Hadley: I'll try and come up with some season three high school moments. High School is the hardest time frame for me to do but I'll try and come up with something.**

**Always and Forever: I'll try and have Peyton in here a little more. She's the hardest character for me to write (I don't know why, I like her just fine) but I'll try to get her some more 'screen' time. This new chapter had a little bit of Charlotte and Nathan. I hope you liked it.**

**Anon: Thanks so much for the review. It's so great to know that I'm still getting a few new readers here and there. I appreciate the feedback!**

**MilkNoSugarPlease: Wow! That was one of the best reviews ever! It's so gratifying to know how much you enjoy my writing! I will say that I do have lots of errors though. I normally try and do a "hot off the press" kind of thing and there are always mistakes but I guess you can look past them. It really does mean a lot that you think so much of the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thank you!**

**Review Please!**


	70. Three Becomes Four

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 70: Three Becomes Four**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own anything related to OTH. But I _will_ be owning the season 7 DVD that came out yesterday! Go get yours people!**

**A/N: So I'm looking down as I type this. If I were a dog I'd have my tail between my legs. I feel awful for having to abandon my stories for a while. If you read my profile updates you know I was insanely busy but things have settled now. Yay! Classes did start today but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I actually got a lot of writing done during classes last year, so there's hope!. But again, I apologize for the wait and I really hope you all like the chapter. We're at seventy chapters people, SEVENTY! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Most nights Jamie could go to bed easily and sleep through the night. Most nights one or both of his parents would tuck him in, maybe read a little, and he'd fall right to sleep. Most nights the Scott household was filled with silence and dreams. This night was not one of those nights.

It had been eight days since Charlotte had been home. There was no more silence and Jamie was no longer an only child.

The seven year old had woken up after hearing his new baby sister's shrill cries, and the little clock near his bed flashed 1:27am in small red numbers. Charlotte was apparently unhappy about something, and Jamie was sure she'd woken up the entire neighborhood. He blinked through the darkness and let his eyes adjust to the dim light. Footsteps creaked outside his door and he knew that either his mom or dad was tending to his little sister.

They did that a lot. Any burp, any gurgle, any anything and they were both by Charlotte's side. It wasn't so bad the first few days but Jamie wouldn't mind going back to the days when it was just the three of them.

While the boy ran his eyes over his dark bedroom he'd caught sight of his bulletin board. About six months ago he'd pinned up an ultrasound photo of someone he was excited about. For the longest time he thought it would be great to have a little brother or sister. But as Charlotte's cries filled the house Jamie was taking back his prior thoughts.

Scooting out of the covers, Jamie put his feet to the floor and walked over to Chester.

The bunny's eyes met Jamie's and the seven year old smiled, " She woke you up, huh?" The bunny wasn't going to say anything but Jamie sighed, "Yeah, me too."

For a moment the house got quiet again. The only thing Jamie could hear was his pet rabbit rustling around in the wood chips.

"Mom probably got her this time." Jamie opened up the cage and ran his hand over Chester's back. The quiet didn't last long because Jamie heard Charlotte wail again. "Or maybe not." He laughed and widened his eyes, "This is supposed to get better, right?"

Chester moved around in his cage and Jamie got up to head back to bed. Once he shut Chester's cage he climbed back into the covers and closed his eyes wishing for sleep. The noise had died down and it wouldn't take long for him zonk back out.

And it didn't take long at all. No more than three minutes later Nathan quietly crept in his son's room. The man looked at Jamie and sighed thinking about how fast he'd grown up. It felt like only yesterday that he'd been running around in diapers.

Content with his son's state, Nathan tiptoed back to his bedroom to find Haley with Charlotte.

"Was he awake?" Haley was sitting in bed and had looked up when she heard Nathan come in.

Shaking his head, Nathan answered, "He was out."

"I'm always so worried that she'll wake him up."

Nathan slid into bed next to his two girls and leaned against the pillows, "Maybe if he does start to wake up we should move him downstairs for a while? The noise won't be so bad down there."

It was a logical idea but Haley didn't want that. "But he didn't wake up tonight, right? I don't want him to be down there all by himself." Haley looked down at the little one in her arms and the back to Nathan. "How are we going to do this?"

Nathan turned to her and furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean this, us. We've got a baby and a seven year old. You're going to training camp in a few months and..."

"Hey...it'll be fine." Nathan gave Haley a sweet look and nodded, "We'll figure it out."

Charlotte let out hiccup and both of her parents' attention flew to the baby. Nathan couldn't help but smile. How could something so normal and familiar as hiccups be so cute?

He laughed and shook his head, "Remember when Jamie got the hiccups for the first time?"

She nodded, "I totally freaked out." Haley laughed out of embarrassment. "I made you call the doctor because I thought he was dying."

Nathan was still laughing, "They were _hiccups_!"

Haley rolled her eyes, "Well, I was a new mom. Every single anything was terrifying."

"But you were so good."

"I was a mess."

Shaking his head, Nathan disagreed, "Jamie had..._has_ the best mom out there." He turned his attention to the little girl in Haley's arms. "Charlotte, too."

The mother of two knew that she could never love a man as much as she loved Nathan Scott. Sighing, she leaned over and kissed him on the mouth, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Haley gently rocked Charlotte, and Nathan watched carefully as she did so. It may have been one something in the morning, but Nathan wasn't going to waste the night sleeping when he could look at them. He could have gone to sleep but he and Haley were in it together. They were a team. They won together and they lost together. And that meant getting up in the middle of the night (or in the morning) to feed their new baby was a team effort.

It would take some getting used to, but having Charlotte in their lives was more than worth it.

**OTHOTH**

Haley woke up with a crick in her neck. Sometime last night she must have arched her head precariously because the pain running down the left side was horrible. To top it off, the sore neck coupled with little sleep made her morning just about as bearable as the color pink. And she hated pink.

She got out of bed and saw that it was close to eight fifteen. Nathan had gotten up early to get Charlotte around five, and the deep snores next to her told Haley he was still very much asleep. He'd been a trooper about it. They'd both woken up but Nathan was the first out of bed. He knew that Haley would enjoy and probably need the extra sleep.

Pulling on a robe and quietly leaving the room, Haley peeked in to check on Charlotte and then she walked to Jamie's room.

When she got inside, Haley was surprised by the made bed and spotless room. Half worried and half curious, she made her way downstairs and was relieved to see her seven year old at the breakfast bar.

"Hey, Jame."

Jamie looked up from his cereal and smiled, "Morning."

It wasn't until she heard the spoon clink the bowl that she realized Jamie had fixed himself some breakfast. And not only that, but the boy was already dressed too.

"How long have you been up? You're already dressed?"

If Jamie wanted to be perfectly technical he could say he'd been up at one twenty seven am, four fifty six am, and seven nineteen am, but he knew which time his mom was referring to. "Seven something."

"Oh. I wish you had come to get us. I could have made some breakfast or something." Haley felt a tug at her heart. She knew that Jamie was going to grow up and become independent, but there was definitely such a thing as growing up too fast.

Jamie shrugged because he'd thought about it. His mom was world's best cook, but things around the house where changing. "I didn't know if you'd be busy with Charlotte."

This time that tug on Haley's heart was more like a yank. She knew that she and Nathan had both been incredibly preoccupied with Charlotte but she never wanted it to interfere with Jamie. Somethings were just inevitable it seemed. Haley was trying to come up with something to say but couldn't.

Before she was able to speak up Jamie swallowed his last bite and pushed his bowl forward, "I'm spending the day with Aunt Brooke, right?"

Haley nodded. She'd forgotten temperamentally, but yes, he was. Brooke had been so great. She'd offered any and all types of assistance while her friends handled baby number two. "I think you guys might go to the beach." Haley got out a glass from the cabinet and then the orange juice.

"Really?" Jamie looked down at his clothes wide eyed, "I need to go change." The boy ran past his mom to get on a bathing suit, but Haley called out to him before he made it up the stairs.

She set her glass down and took a breath. "Jamie?" He turned to look at her and Haley swallowed hard. "I love you."

"Love you too." He hurried up the stairs leaving Haley in a swarm of self doubt. How was she gonna do it? Was it possible to tend to a brand new baby and a seven year old? It didn't matter what the answer was. Haley could. She and Nathan were going to make it work.

"Hey." Haley hadn't even noticed but Nathan had come down stairs. He walked past her and kissed the side of her head. "Morning."

Haley turned to him and rested her hands on the counter behind her. "Nathan..." The tone in her voice gave him a warning sign so he stopped and looked at her. His warm blue eyes met her soft brown ones and Haley knew that hers were about to well with tears. "You know what Jamie did?"

Nathan wasn't sure if their son had broken something or said a bad word but it didn't seem to be a good thing.

"I went to check on him this morning and his bed was made. I mean all the way. Covers, pillows, everything. Then when I came down here he had made himself a bowl of cereal, and he was already dressed." She had to take a deep breath because it was already hard to talk about.

"That's a good thing, right?" Nathan wasn't so sure why Haley seemed so upset. Their son was being incredible during the chaotic times.

Haley shook her head, "No. I'm supposed to wake him up in the morning, and then we make breakfast, and then you tell him if his outfit is right." She laughed as she wiped a tear away. "It shouldn't be like this. I don't want him to feel like he's gotta do it all by himself now."

Nathan was understanding Haley's emotions. Did Jamie think everything had changed now? Did he think he was somehow less important because they had Charlotte? "You want me to talk to him?"

It was something they should do together, but when where they gonna do it? Haley knew Jamie was spending the day with Brooke so she suggested a time. "Maybe we can do it tonight? Before or after dinner? "

"Alright, we'll talk to him tonight." Nathan nodded and then took a step closer to Haley. "It's gonna be fine, Haley. He knows we love him."

"I know, but what if Jamie resents Charlotte?"

Nathan shook his head, "He won't. I know it's probably hard for him to deal with right now but it'll get easier." Taking a deep breath, Haley nodded and then felt Nathan's lips on her forehead. His eyes then locked with hers and he wrapped his arms around her side. "It's all gonna be fine."

Stepping up on her tiptoes, Haley quickly kissed her husband and pulled him into a close hug. Her hormones were still all over the place but Nathan knew all the right things to say. She'd feel fat and he'd tell her she was beautiful. She'd worry she was doing things wrong and he'd tell her everything was right. After ten years together Nathan Scott had certainly learned a few things from Tutorgirl; how to read her, how to make her day better, and how to say I love you with out saying a thing.

Nathan thumbed his finger over the stray hair by her ear. They were only looking at each other. Just simply looking. The moment was broken though.

"Mom!" Haley heard Jamie's voice from the top of the stairs. "I can't find my bathing suit. The green one with the black stripe."

Letting out a small laugh, Nathan kicked his head towards their son's voice. "Go get him, Mom."

Haley couldn't not smile at that. Nathan's smirk and the way he'd said mom were more than enough to put her spirits in a better place. She moved away from her husband and walked toward the steps.

Nathan watched her go and realized that things were definitely going to be hard. Nothing in life was every easy. Having two children was going to be a feat but they would get through it. And for whatever reason, Nathan knew that Jamie and Charlotte would end up just fine. They'd probably be as close as best friends and have the relationship he and Lucas should have had from the beginning.

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted when footsteps creaked down the stairs. Jamie looked through the staircase railing at his father. "Dad, Mom said you might know where my bathing suit is."

Raising his eyebrows, Nathan didn't have a clue. "Uh...I don't know, Jamie. Did you check all your drawers? When was the last time you had it?" The little boy shrugged his shoulders and Nathan furrowed his brow, "What about the laundry room?"

"Oh, I didn't check there." Jamie hopped down the stairs and hustled to the laundry room. "Got it. You were right." Jamie was grinning as he walked out of the room clutching his bathing suit.

Haley was at the bottom of the stairs, "You found it?"

"Yeah. Dad figured it out..."

"Knock, knock?" The front door opened and all the Scotts that were awake turned their attention to the raspy voiced woman. "Hi." Brooke slid her sunglasses up into her hair and smiled, "I know I'm early but I thought that Baby Scott might be up?"

Jamie shook his head. "Nope, not yet."

"Aw man." She walked toward the family and set her purse on the counter. "So what about you Jamie? Ready for an awesome day with your favorite person in the world?"

"Uh-huh. I just gotta get my stuff."

Brooke laughed as she watched Jamie run up the stairs. "And how are you two doing?"

Haley sat down next to Brooke and sighed heavily, "Um, good. A little tired but good."

"And what about you Nate?"

Nathan smiled and looked at Haley. "Tell this one to stop kicking me at night and I'll be fine" He laughed and shook his head. "No, it's great. I'm still trying to figure out how we did all this seven years ago."

Brooke kinked her brow, "Cause you guys are like super-parents."

"I don't know about that." Haley was having her doubts. "I'm kind of worried about Jamie."

"What do you mean?" Brooke shook her head.

Haley took a deep breath, "I think it's a lot for him to process. You know it just used to be the three of us for so long."

"Well, I mean I've never had to share parents or family time, not that Victoria and my father were worth sharing, but..." Brooke raised her shoulders and looked at Haley, "He'll get used to it. Jamie's a great boy. I'm sure he's ready for a little adjustment."

"I got my stuff Aunt Brooke!" Jamie bounced down the stairs and over to the adults. "I'm ready."

Brooke nodded, "I can see that." She got up off the stool and watched Jamie walk to the front door. Brooke lightly squeezed Haley's arm, "Super-parents, Haley James. Don't you forget that."

Smiling, Haley nodded. Brooke and Jamie left the household and Nathan and Haley headed for the stairs. Charlotte was bound to wake up at any moment.

**OTHOTH**

Time moved like a turtle, and it was probably all the repetition. Get Charlotte. Feed Charlotte. Put Charlotte to bed. It was a cycle that never seemed to end. It wasn't all that bad though. Things were going smoothly. Charlotte had fallen asleep again and Haley took the opportunity to run to the store for more formula. But what that meant was that Nathan was on Charlotte duty. All. By. Himself.

Haley had been gone for about seven minutes when Charlotte started to cry. Nathan had just sat down so he jumped right back up and headed to the baby's room.

He quickly made it to Charlotte's room and furrowed his brow, "Hey...shh. What is it Charlotte?" Nathan leaned over the crib and saw the tears rolling down the baby's face. "Come here." Nathan picked up the tiny little infant and held her close to his chest. "You're okay."

Charlotte wasn't fine. She was wet. She wanted to sit up and tell her father that she needed a new diaper but crying would have to suffice.

"What is it, Char?" Nathan furrowed his brow and felt around her diaper. Suddenly he got really nervous. Every time he'd changed her diaper Haley was right there next to him. But not this time.

"Uh, okay. A diaper. We can do this." Cautiously walking over to the changing table, Nathan gently laid Charlotte down. He popped the snaps from her white onesie and pulled the material out of the way. Nathan was going to have to talk himself through this.

"First, take the wet one off." Nathan was following his own instructions well and managed to do that part without a problem. "Then, get the new diaper and scoot it under her. Be sure it's even in the back and front." He was thinking of the ways Haley did this and she made it seem so much easier. It wasn't even like it was his first time to do this. Nathan and just been out of practice for six or so years.

With the diaper in place he folded the flaps around Charlotte's belly. "Not too tight, not too lose. Got it." Nathan looked down at Charlotte and narrowed his eyes. Everything looked right.

"So if this is on wrong, don't blame me, alright?" Nathan snapped the onesie buttons and scooped Charlotte back into his arms.

There was a rocker just to the right of the changing table so Nathan took a seat. His eyes were transfixed to the face in front of him. She had her eyes. Charlotte had Haley's eyes without a doubt. That little girl was going to be absolutely beautiful. "You know, I'm gonna beat off all your boyfriends till you're thirty." Nathan laughed. "Really." He nodded and looked into those familiar brown eyes, "Nobody's gonna break your heart and nobody's gonna hurt you. I'll make sure off that..."

When Haley opened the front door she tried to be as quiet as possible. Charlotte may have been sleeping.

After putting the formula away, she walked up stairs and heard his voice. Haley figured Nathan was on the phone. But as she got closer to their room Haley realized that the noise was coming from Charlotte's room. She silently stood in the doorway and listened to her husband speak.

"...so I'll help you with those. Free throws can be intimidating, but you just gotta find a way to block everything out. Think of something that calms you down. Wanna know a secret?" He raised his eyebrows looking down at Charlotte with a smirk. "You know who I think of? Your mom. She's the best person in the world." Nathan nodded, "And she'll teach you a bunch of things too. Probably not about free throws but she's the smartest person I know. You'll probably be just like her, but if you got my brains, then sorry. Your mom can fix it though. She fixed me..."

Haley was having one of those moments. One of those moments where she was trying her hardest not to cry and trying her hardest not to be seen. She could listen to Nathan talk to Charlotte forever.

"...and Jamie, he's gonna be the best big brother ever. I know you two don't know each other really well yet but you will." Nathan laughed and nodded, "He's gonna be right next to me when we scare off all the boys..." Nathan heard the floor creak and turned his attention to the door. "Hey."

Wincing, Haley took a few steps inside the room, "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Nah, I was just giving Charlotte the low down about some things."

Haley laughed, "The low down?"

"Well, whatever you want to call it." Nathan rolled his eyes and watched as Haley bent down to kissed Charlotte on the head.

"How was it while I was gone?"

"It was good. We got a little father daughter bonding in." Nathan looked down to the little bundle of adorableness in his arms, "Right, Char?"

Haley's heart melted when Nathan called Charlotte, Char. She'd only heard it a few times but she quickly realized that it was _his_ name. "Has she been fussy? You think she's hungry?"

"Maybe."

Getting up from her crouch, Haley smoothed out her shirt, "I'm gonna go make a bottle, are you good with her."

Nathan nodded. Things were perfect. The one thing he'd ever really wanted was staring up at him. He'd always dreamed of playing in the NBA, but having a little girl, this little girl, was worth more than some game.

Haley made the bottle and Charlotte ate a couple ounces before falling back to sleep.

Tying her hair up in a bun, Haley walked back to their bedroom and fell into the plush covers. "I wish I could sleep every three hours."

Nathan has been reading and set his book down, "It's a charmed life, huh?"

"Yeah..." Haley closed her eyes and leaned back into the pillows, "...it is."

Getting up off the bed, Nathan walked over to the light switch. The room went dark and he moved over to turn off the lamp near Haley's side of the bed.

"Nathan...?" Haley cracked her eyes open and lifted herself up on her elbows, "What are you doing."

"So take a nap." He got back on the bed and looked at Haley's tired eyes. "The baby monitor's on. I'm right here. That charmed life isn't only for babies, you know."

God she loved him. She loved him more than she even knew possible. Haley sunk back against the pillows and pulled the blanket over her body. Life was good.

Nathan smiled Haley's way but her back was to him. He knew that pretty soon she'd be out like a light. Having a baby was more than tiring. Maybe Brooke had been right. Maybe they were super-parents. But then again, anyone with kids probably deserved that title.

About an hour and a half passed and Nathan had finished a few chapters when Charlotte started to cry. With no surprise, Haley woke up without hesitation and instantly sat up.

"I got her." Nathan marked his page and got up to get Charlotte.

He brought her into the bedroom and Haley perked up, "Hey baby." She held her arms out and took their daughter with gentle hands. "Whatcha need now, Charlotte?"

Nathan was waiting to see if he needed to go get anything so when Haley started to feel if Charlotte needed a new diaper, he got worried. "She's not leaking or anything is she?"

Haley laughed and shook her head, "No. But she probably does need a new diaper." Haley got up and Nathan slowly walked behind them.

Lying Charlotte down, Haley unbuttoned the onesie an when she pulled up the fabric she laughed. "Nathan!" Haley ran her fingers around the seam and shook her head, "You put this thing on backwards."

He winced at her words. He knew he'd done something wrong. "Did I really?"

"Yes. Elmo goes in the front. Burt and Ernie go in the back."

Haley tried to stifle her laughs but it was so Nathan like. Adorable in the cutest was possible.

"Sorry. I thought I had it all right."

Laughing still, Haley fixed Charlotte's new diaper in record time and picked the baby up. "A for effort."

Nathan laughed. "You know, I think that'll be only A I've ever gotten."

Haley wished she could say she wasn't surprised but it was probably true. "It's the best kind of A to get."

"Oh, really." Nathan raised his brow with that smirk of his.

"Mmm-huh." Haley could feel her cheeks turning pink just by the change of tone in his voice. Six weeks, six weeks. They had to wait six weeks.

Nathan kissed her and laughed at her color, "What's with the blush, Haley James?"

He'd done it again. Any time he'd ever say Haley James she melt like ice cream on a hot summer day. "Nothing, it's nothing."

"Right, and nothing's what got us two kids?"

Obviously not, but Haley shook him off trying to change the subject, "Wanna hand me that burp cloth?"

He did and Haley walked back to their bedroom shaking her head. Nothing was definitely not what got them their two children. But nothing was gonna have to do for now.

**OTHOTH**

Turtle time seemed to increase a little bit because before Nathan and Haley knew it, it was time for Brooke to be bringing Jamie back home.

"You think he's sunburned?" Nathan was holding Charlotte watching Haley stir the pot of mash potatoes when he suddenly was curious about Jamie's skin care.

Haley shook her head, "I hope not. I packed him sunscreen. Three kinds."

Nathan laughed and looked down at Charlotte, "What about you Char? You gonna like the beach?"

It was going to be a given. Nathan and Haley loved the beach, Jamie loved the beach, Charlotte was predestined to enjoy it.

Sticking the spoon in the pot, Haley tasted the potatoes and raised her lip, "These need pepper, don't they?" She held out some of the creamy starch for Nathan to try.

He tasted the potatoes and had to think. They were good but maybe they could use a little added spice. "Yeah, maybe. Not much though."

The front door opened and the sound of Brooke's laugh echoed through the first floor of the house. She walked toward the heavenly smell, "Mmm, Haley, Tutor-mom's gotta go, how about FoodNetwork-Mom?" Brooke saw Haley by the stove but then she saw Nathan standing with that little bundle of cute. "Baby!"

Nathan laughed and watched as Brooke rushed over to him. "Well hey Brooke."

"Oh be quiet. Let me see her!"

Jamie walked into the kitchen and Haley smiled, "Hey bud. How was the beach?"

"Awesome. Julian and I played paddle ball and we were kinda great."

Brooke was rocking Charlotte in her arms and agreed, "They really were."

"Maybe next time you and I can do that, Jamie." Nathan raised his brow.

Jamie smiled, "Yeah."

Glancing from Jamie to Nathan and Nathan to Haley, Brooke knew that the two adults wanted to talk with their son. And as much as she wanted to hold Charlotte all night long there was always tomorrow. She walked back to Nathan and gently handed her back to him. "Before I get too attached I better go."

Haley laughed and nodded, "Thank you so much for watching him today, Brooke."

"You know I love it." Brooke shrugged and waved at the seven year old, "See you later, Jamie. Bye Nate."

Jamie hopped up on a stool and rested his hands on the counter. He leaned over to get a look at Charlotte, and when Nathan noticed he looked at Haley.

Nathan cleared his throat and glanced at his son, "How's it feel being a big brother?"

Leaning back and sitting on the stool properly, Jamie shrugged, "Good I guess."

"Charlotte's gonna look up to you know." Haley turned down the potatoes and walked close to Nathan. "I know I looked up to all my brothers and sisters."

Jamie cracked a smile, "Even Aunt Taylor?"

Haley laughed, "Well, when we were young." Nathan rolled his eyes and Haley shrugged, "But either way. Charlotte's gonna think you're a superstar."

"And I know it's been a little bit hectic the last few days but it'll get better."

Agreeing with what Nathan was saying, Haley added in her own thoughts, "And just because we've got Charlotte doesn't mean we love you any less."

Jamie nodded. Those were something along the lines of what he wanted to hear. He knew that, he really did know that, but hearing his mom say it made things easier. "Will she always wake up like three times a night?"

"No, not all the time."

Nathan shook his head with a chuckle, "You don't even know how many times you woke up each night."

"Really?" Jamie felt a little embarrassed.

Haley smiled nodding, "But after you felt comfortable you settled down, and Charlotte will be the same. It's just gonna take some time." She saw Jamie nod and continued. "You're being really, really patient about everything and we really appreciate it."

"Yeah, bud."

Jamie liked hearing that. He got off his stool and walked around the counter to stand close to Charlotte. The boy leaned near the baby and looked at his baby sister. She was so small. So small. Maybe she'd be really short, Jamie was already short as it was an he was seven. He watched Charlotte yawn and spoke to her. "I think I like you Charlotte, but if you wanna keep it down at night that would be great. Chester will be really happy."

Both Nathan and Haley laughed.

"Do you have any other questions or anything?" Haley looked at her son curiously.

Looking to his mother, Jamie smiled and nodded, "Am I always gonna be short like you?"

Nathan laughed out loud. "Probably not. I'm sure you'll sprout up when you're a teenager."

"But being short isn't so bad." Haley had to defend her short genes. Laughing, she rolled her eyes and ruffled Jamie's hair, "Go wash up for dinner you goof."

Jamie headed up the stairs and Nathan turned to Haley. "I think that helped."

"Me too." Haley looked down at Charlotte and knew that Jamie and Charlotte were the two best things in her life. The other one, the third one, well he was looking back at her smiling with that smirk and flirting with those eyes.

Nathan, Jamie, and Charlotte were her world. They were a unit bound together, and the little family once of three had become a family of four.

**OTHOTH**

**Alright guys. How was that? If it was just blah, I blame my little writing hiatus. Hopefully I wasn't too far off with the characters and story. If I was, hopefully I'll get that back since I'll be updating regularly again. But if and when I do ever have a long stretch of not updating, be sure and check my profile. I'll often put updates on there to let you know about story status. And if any of you are waiting on Charlotte's next chapter, it should be posted Friday. Jamie's was updated a few days ago so check that out if you haven't. And I really appreciate the patience guys. Life just got extremely hectic.**

**Oh, and next chapter is something I think all of you guys have been wanting to see since 7.08 aired. Hmm...what does that mean?**

**My reviewers for last chapter were amazing. Thank you so much for your kind words!**

**Joan: Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments. And no, I have no plans to become a full time writer, lol. I think I'll stick to fanfic.**

**Hadley: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I'd like to see some interaction with Nathan and the new baby in season 8 too! Fingers crossed.**

**Diane: Season 3 was my favorite and I pull from that a lot (throwback wise) and I'm so glad you liked that chapter.**

**Ann: I know it stinks when I don't update, sorry. Believe me, if I could have found the time to write I would have.**

**Kutebloo: Yeah, I have to humbly agree. Nathan worried more about what Haley was gonna think about his lost ring than the game was pretty cute. I'm glad you liked it.**

**Someone who reviewed with no name: It's so great to know you love the story. I have not done a chapter about when Haley gets a B+ so I'll add it to my list.**

**A happy naley fan: Well I'm not gonna stop writing chapters with Naley older than they are on the show, but I will continue to do chapters from that age and prior. College Naley is coming very soon!**

**Bwyn: Haha, if you squealed then I bet your brother was like, "What the hell."**

**MagicalNaley23: It was great to hear you liked last chapter so much. I enjoy writing the interaction between the characters so I'm glad you liked it. And I agree, I wanna see a scene where Nathan watches the new baby wake up...adorable!**

**Hey23callme: I'm so thrilled you liked last chapter! I hope you liked the new one!**

**Diana: I love that you love what I write!**

**Mish: I'm your favorite writer? Aw, thank you. That means a lot!**

**Emma: "Super realistic and super adorable"...those are the words I love to hear. Thank you. And yes, I've been/was so so so so so...busy. Sorry for the delay.**

**Anon: Thank you so much for the review. I'm so glad you liked how Nathan didn't want to tell Haley about the ring, but then how she found it in the end.**

**BDavis: Yeah, the kids are pretty cute when they are 3 and 10. Oh, and I love adding in the little hints/throwbacks to things from the show. I'm a total Naley dork so I gotta showcase my undying love for all things Nathan and Haley, ha. And thank you for reviewing chapter 58. I'm glad you re-read it because it was so funny. Drunk Haley is pretty hilarious.**

**Mazzy: Well of course the ring means something. I only meant the actual ring (as in a material object...not necessarily their rings) wasn't as important as what it represented. But yes, they are still very important and I would never want them to lose their rings.**

**Always and Forever: I'm glad you liked how Nathan losing his ring mirrored Haley's lost ring in season 3, and the character interaction.**

**Becky: I would think that Nathan's game would be off for sure if he ever lost his ring on the show so I'm glad you liked that part. And I'm gonna try to update more frequently like I used to in the beginning but with three stories, school, and life it's hard. I'm gonna try though!**

**Please Review!**


	71. High as a Kite

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 71: High as a Kite**

**Disclaimer: Ugh-uh. Nope. No. Negative. I still don't own anything related to OTH. But I did win a sticker from Twitter!**

**A/N: So this wait wasn't as long as last chapter. That's better, right? Well, as I teased at the end of last chapter, this one will deal with material from 7.08. But there's a catch! It's not set anywhere near season 7. I couldn't justify Nathan coming home after camping to find Haley high. Uh, there is no way she'd still be 'dazed and confused' after a nights rest and whatever. Oh, and to update, I just saw that a story was posted about 7.08, two days ago, ha. I guess it's a good thing mine won't be coinciding directly with the ep. So, with that said, I hope you guys like what I came up with. Oh and are any of you It Could Happen to You readers? Check the bottom for a status update on that.  
**

**OTHOTH**

The cold November breeze brushed by Haley as she stepped out of her American Lit. class. Her professor kept them late while he handed back their second paper but Haley had somewhere she needed to be. Nathan had Cobra's practice in twenty minutes and she needed to get back home. Fast.

Shoving her paper in her bag, Haley started to speed walk and it was more awkward than fast. She knew she looked like an idiot, but it beat running home. That would have been even more ridiculous. Actually, if she started to run there would be an extremely high chance that she'd trip over her feet and smack into the ground. These days that was Jamie's job. The seventeen month old was falling all over himself. He was at that age where his feet would get twisted underneath him and he'd tumble over at least five times a day.

"Wait! Wait!" Haley saw the transit close it's door and that wasn't a good thing. That was her ride. Some nice person had heard her call out and told the driver to hold on.

Flashing her I.D. card, Haley stepped up into the bus and smiled at the old man behind the wheel, "Thank you."

"Come on in." The man smiled at her and then shut the doors.

Haley took a seat in the first available spot and she couldn't help but notice the stench that was flowing through her nostrils. Turning to her right, she eyed the too much jell, can't grow a beard to save his life, hold your breath cause he's wearing too much cologne guy. He gave her a bright white smile and nodded.

Inwardly frowning, Haley politely smiled back and subconsciously twisted the band on her left hand. She instantly started to think of Nathan and Jamie, but this guy's Axe or whatever, was making her head spin.

The bus came to a stop and Mr. Smellsalot started to gather his things. Haley leaned back and held her breath as he scooted by. She let out breath of relief as he walked away and she rested her head in her palm. She'd closed her eyes for a moment and felt the bus start moving. She couldn't wait to get home.

Looking out the window, Haley recognized the street. It was her street. The transit came to a stop and she darted up and quickly walked off the bus. She couldn't wait to see her two favorite boys. Well three if Lucas was home.

Haley opened the front door and walked toward the living room. "Nathan!" She set her bag down on the kitchen table and waited for a response. The house was silent. Maybe he'd taken Jamie to practice with him? Haley checked the clock and she was a little late, but not that late. "Jamie?"

Nathan walked out of the bedroom with his basketball bag around one shoulder and holding Jamie on the other side. "Hey. I gotta go." Nathan walked close to Haley with a smile and handed their son to her.

"Mmm." Jamie wasn't saying words yet but whatever he'd just said was his word for Mama.

"Hi, baby." Haley kissed the little boy's cheek and brushed his hair with her fingers.

Nathan loved watching Jamie light up whenever Haley was around, but as much as he wanted to sit and watch he needed to get going. "I'll call you after practice."

She nodded, "Sorry I was late."

He shook her off and leaned down to kiss her goodbye. "Be good for your Mom, Jamie."

"Bye." Haley watched Nathan go. Turning to her son, Haley smiled at him with wide eyes, "What have you been doing today?"

Jamie's blue eyes softened and he mumbled out a few things but none of it made sense.

"Yeah? My day's been like that too." Haley put Jamie down and walked over to the fridge. "Are you hungry? Did Daddy get you a snack?" Haley pulled out an apple and then got out a knife.

Jamie's little feet stomped over to his mom and he held his hands up.

"Yeah, you want some apple?" Haley scooped Jamie up and set him on the counter. She picked up the knife and put it against the fruit, "Now you have to be really careful around these things. They'll hurt you." The little boy watched carefully as Haley started to cut. "Here you go."

The young mom handed her son a small piece and he chomped down. Jamie squinted his eyes and stuck out his half chewed apple covered tongue.

Haley couldn't help but laugh, "Not good?" She held her hand out and got the apple from Jamie then threw it in the sink. Haley took a bite of the apple for herself and she realized that Jamie was right to not like it. "Ew, sorry bud. This is really sour." Chewing the rest up, Haley puckered her lips and looked down at the half eaten Granny Smith. "How about something else?"

Jamie pointed to the cabinet and Haley smiled. The Goldfish were up there. She opened up the cabinet and frowned. Nathan had put the Goldfish on the top shelf again. Rolling her eyes, Haley lifted Jamie from the counter and set him down so she wouldn't have to worry about him while she jungle gym-ed her way up to the crackers.

"Why does he do this?" Haley used her arms to pull herself up on the counter and then she got on her knees to reach the Goldfish. "He knows I can't reach up there." When they were in her hands, Haley saw Jamie's eyes widen. "Let me get you a little bowl." She got down and then poured Jamie a handful of cheesy fish.

When she gave Jamie his snack Haley eyed her bag and realized that she hadn't looked at her paper yet. Still with the Goldfish bag in hand, Haley walked over to get her paper and pulled out the five page analysis on Equiano.

Before she looked at her grade Haley glanced at Jamie and laughed as he shoved three Goldfish in his mouth. Still smiling, Haley flipped to the last page and that smile of her's didn't last long.

Jamie turned to look at his mom when he heard something hit the floor. Little orange fish were scattered along the floor and Jamie didn't understand.

The shock and horror of a B+ stung Haley to her core so much that she'd dropped the Goldfish. She realized that she'd made a huge mess and flung her paper on the table.

"Oh shoot." There were little fish crackers everywhere. Jamie walked over to his mom and picked up a fish. He held it out to her and Haley sighed, "Thank you, that's sweet Jame, but you don't have to clean this up." Haley smiled at her son and started to gather up the snacks.

The doorbell rang and Haley blew away a piece of hair that had fallen in her face. Already aggravated by the mess and her grade, she really didn't want some door to door salesman to try and get her to switch cable companies. "Hold on bud, I'll be right back."

Haley put the Goldfish on the counter and hustled over to the door. But when she opened it, it wasn't a salesman.

"Hey little sis." Taylor flashed Haley a sarcastic smile and looked down to the little boy who was walking up behind his mom. It was still very strange to think of Haley as a mom. Jamie wrapped his arms around Haley's legs and Taylor knelt down. "Hey Jamie. Remember me? I'm your aunt Taylor."

The toddler gripped Haley's legs tighter and she bent down to pick him up. Haley situated Jamie on her hip and took a deep breath. "What...what are you doing here?"

Taylor reached out and touched Jamie's little arm. "To see my favorite nephew." Taylor nodded at the little boy and then looked at her sister, "So aren't you gonna let me in?"

Haley couldn't say no. Even if she wanted to, Taylor was still family. Haley held open the door and nodded. The two sisters and one little boy walked toward the living room and Haley knew that with Taylor visiting, her stress levels were going to skyrocket. But Taylor could find a cure for that.

**OTHOTH**

The boys would be home any minute and Haley was pacing the kitchen. How were Nathan and Lucas gonna handle Taylor being there? They didn't really have a say now sine she was already there, bags and all, but that didn't mean they were going to like it.

The front door opened and she heard Lucas and Nathan talking. She quickly walked over there and bit her lip.

"Hey Hales. What did you cook? It smells really good?" Lucas raised his eye brows and took in the scent.

Swallowing hard, Haley sighed, "Before you go out dishing compliments you need to know something."

"What is it?" Nathan could tell by Haley's tone that something wasn't right.

"Tay..."

Cutting her sister off, Taylor walked up behind Haley and squeezed her shoulders, "Well hey there little brother in law." She looked at Lucas and smiled that Taylor James smile. "Lucas."

Nathan could feel his stomach drop. Taylor? She was nothing but bad news. "H...Hey."

Jamie was already dressed and in his pajamas when he started running for Nathan.

The father temporarily lost track of Taylor and knelt down to his son, "Hey bud." Wrapping his arms around Jamie, Nathan picked him up and looked at Haley. He didn't say a word but she knew he wanted to talk. Alone.

Haley looked back toward the kitchen and then to Lucas. "There's pasta, salad, and toast. Go ahead and make a plate."

Taylor crossed her arms and shook her head, "And no. I didn't make any of it. It's not poisonous."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as he walked to the kitchen. Taylor followed leaving Nathan and Haley standing by the door with their young son. Nathan glanced at his wife wide eyed and walked to the bedroom.

Haley closed the door behind her and sighed. "I know she's not exactly the best house guest but she just showed up. What was I supposed to do?"

"It's...fine." He knew Taylor's antics. There really was nothing he could say or do either. Nathan set Jamie down on their bed and took a deep breath. "Does she need money or anything? Why's she here, anyway?"

"I don't know she didn't really say. It's probably one of her spontaneous visits." Haley sat down on the bed and shook her head.

Jamie had been running across the covers and when his mom sat down, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Laughing at the sight, Nathan shrugged, "At least we'll have an extra babysitter for a while."

"Absolutely not." Haley reached behind her and pulled their son close. "Aunt Taylor's not allowed to watch you without adult supervision." She laughed as she said it, but looked to Nathan seriously, "Really. That's not happening."

Haley was probably right. Taylor wasn't exactly babysitter of the year quality. Nathan walked closer to her and she stood up. Running his hands along her arms, Nathan shrugged, "Maybe it won't be so bad? Maybe she'll...behave herself."

She wanted to believe that, she did, but this was Taylor they were talking about. "Maybe."

"Well I'm starving, think we can handle dinner with her?"

"Yeah." Haley nodded and she scooped up Jamie as she out to the kitchen. The little boy had already eaten but Haley got Jamie situated in his high chair with a few building blocks before she made a plate.

"This is really good." Lucas turned to her as he slurped a noodle through his lips.

"Yeah Haley Bob. Who knew you were such a good cook."

Nathan knew. He gave himself a hefty portion and smiled at Haley, "She's always been a good cook."

That wasn't true, but she'd take the compliment. Haley sat down next to Lucas and Nathan sat down across from her.

"How'd that Equiano paper go? Did you get it back yet?" Lucas chewed his salad as he looked at Haley with a raised brow.

Letting out a sign of disappointed, Haley nodded. "Yeah."

Nathan knew that the 'yeah' had been less than exciting. "So how'd you do?"

It was more embarrassing than anything. "B plus."

"What?" Taylor almost spit out her pasta.

Arching his brow, Nathan shook his head. That couldn't be right. "A B plus?"

"You're kidding?" Lucas shook his head as he took a sip of his water.

"I've been super swamped lately..." Haley took a deep breath, "And it's not like the world's gonna end."

"You got a B?" Lucas was still in shock.

Rolling her eyes, Haley didn't want to have to go over it again. "Yes."

"Can't wait to tell Vivian that her protege is making Bs now."

"Taylor..." Haley's voice was full of warning and she shook her head. "It was a one time thing."

Lucas had gone over that paper with Haley a thousand times. "What did your professor say?"

"That he wanted more analytical input on the transformation from orality to literacy. I don't know. Apparently my interpretation and support wasn't what he was looking for." Haley stabbed a piece of lettuce thinking about that old balding man.

Nathan saw the violence inflicted upon her salad and he shook his head. "Maybe you can go talk to him?"

"No. He's not that kind of guy. I could talk my head off and explain why I wrote what I did but he'd probably just laugh and say that I should have picked out other main themes."

"You could always sleep with him. That'll get you an A." Taylor took a bite of her pasta with a smirk on her face.

Shaking her head, Haley turned to her older, wiser sister, "And that didn't work out so well for you, did it?" Haley cut her eyes as both guys remained silent.

"No, but I had a good time." Taylor laughed and shrugged. "I bet that..."

Nathan didn't particularity want to keep this conversation going. "What was Whitey saying at practice Luke? We're gonna try that new in bounds play tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Nodding, Lucas took another bite of his food. "It should open up the post for you guys."

Taylor had realized that she had been silenced and she chose to roll her eyes. Basketball talk was boring.

Smiling, Haley chewed a bite of her salad and thanked Nathan with her eyes for changing the subject.

The rest of meal was filled with appropriate dinner conversation and then while Lucas did the dishes, Nathan and Haley retired to their room. Haley grabbed Jamie's blanket and cradled their son against her chest. "I'm gonna go try and get him down."

"I'll do it if you want me to." Nathan offered because Haley did it last night too.

She shook him off, "It's fine." Haley could feel Jamie dig his head into her shoulder and she smiled at her husband, "It probably won't take long."

Nathan watched Haley walked toward Jamie's room and he went toward his closet for some pajamas. He would have showered but he'd taken care of that after practice. One he threw on some bottoms and an old t-shirt he slowly made it to his side of the bed and pulled back the covers. His body melded against the mattress and if Haley didn't get back soon he'd be asleep before she came back.

But it wasn't long before their bedroom door opened, maybe only twelve minutes max. She knew that he'd be exhausted from practice and since his eyes were closed, Haley made sure to quietly change.

"Hey?"

Turning toward the bed, Haley smiled, "Hey. I thought you were asleep."

Nathan shook his head and watched her climb into bed next to him. He opened up his arm and she scooted close and laid her head on his chest. They were quietly lying there but Haley spoke up.

"I can't believe that professor gave me a B."

Smiling, Nathan let out a small laugh and squeezed her shoulder. "At least it was a B plus, and screw the professor."

Haley laughed at Nathan's choice of words. Nathan wasn't on Taylor's side was he? She knew he wasn't, but it was still funny.

Nathan shook his head. "I mean, don't _actually_ do that but..."

She shook her head laughing and then leaned over and kissed him. "You don't have to worry about that."

He looked down in to her deep brown eyes and he could feel his heart racing. God he loved her. And that was something that was never going to change.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Nathan had a nine o'clock science class so when nine fifty rolled around Haley was getting ready for them to swap duties. She had a political economy class quickly approaching and she was going to be cutting it close if Nathan didn't hurry.

Jamie was rolling a train across the kitchen when the front door opened and Haley sighed in relief. She wasn't going to be late. "Hey, I just got him in a new diaper and...oh." Haley watched as Taylor walked in the kitchen and the younger sister sighed with disappointment this time.

"I know I'm not the person you were expecting but I'll have a surprise for you when you get home." Taylor rose her eyebrows with a suspicious smile.

Haley didn't know what that meant but she shrugged. She saw the grocery bag and looked at Taylor worriedly, "Just don't burn down the house down or anything like that."

"You won't have to worry about a thing." Taylor flashed Haley a sarcastic look and then knelt down to her nephew. "Doesn't your mom have a class to be in?"

"Yes." Haley pulled her bag over her shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm waiting on Nathan. We're supposed to switch."

Taylor rolled the toy train across the floor and looked up to her little sister, "I'll watch him."

"Uh...he...Jamie doesn't..." Haley was trying to think of an excuse. "Jamie's not big on new people watching him."

Furrowing her brow, Taylor shook her head. "But I'm not new. We're family."

That may have been true but Haley didn't particularly want her irresponsible sister watching her son.

"Hales?" The front door opened and Haley smiled. Thank God! Nathan had come home at just the right moment. "Sorry, my teacher let us out late."

"It's fine. I'll see you later, though." She reached out for his arm as she walked to the front door. "Bye Jamie." Haley turned to go and heard Taylor clear her throat.

"What? I don't get a goodbye?"

Turning around before getting through the door, Haley laughed, "Bye Tay."

"Bye." Taylor's tone was mimicking and facetious.

Nathan put his bag on the counter and scooped up his son. "How 'bout some SportsCenter, Jame? Wanna watch some basketball highlights?"

"Haley actually lets him watch TV?"

Shrugging, Nathan nodded, "A little." Maybe that wasn't exactly one hundred percent accurate. Most of the time Haley didn't know Jamie's was Nathan's SportsCenter bud. He walked into the living room and turned on the TV.

"I hope you don't mind..." Taylor opened up her grocery sack and got out the vegetable oil, "...I thought I'd make some brownies."

Brownies? Nathan loved brownies. "Yeah, whatever."

As Nathan sat on the couch commentating to his son about the sports show they were watching, he turned to the kitchen and stuck out his nose. Whatever Taylor was making did not smell like brownies. No. It didn't smell like brownies at all.

Jamie was perfectly content leaning on the side of the couch and Nathan got up for a moment. He walked into the kitchen and when he saw Taylor reach into a bag full of green his eyes widened, "What the hell Taylor!"

She turned around with a smile just as normal as ever, "Just wait. These brownies are the best you've ever tasted."

"Taylor!" Nathan looked back to the couch and shook his head, "What...what are you doing. We have a kid here."

"Stop worrying Nate. I wasn't gonna give Jamie any."

Ever since he'd become a father, Nathan had picked up a protective mode he didn't even realize he had. A couple years ago he would have thought nothing of a little bit of pot.

After eyeing the measurement of the 'secret' ingredient, Taylor gave up and dumped the whole bag in the mixing bowl. "Look, it's not a big deal. I've been doing this for years. When we were younger Quinn and I would mix up a batch of these things when Haley was stressed." She added in the powder brownie mix and started to stir in the oil. "And since she's making _B's_ now I think she could use a little bit of a _high_."

"Haley had no idea does she?" Nathan knew that Haley would never willingly eat pot brownies.

Shaking her head, Taylor continued to mix up the batter, "Nope and I think it would probably be best if it stayed our little secret."

Nathan sighed, "Taylor..." He looked at his sister in law and crossed his arms. "She's gonna kill you if she finds out."

"I guess I'll have to take my chances." Taylor had mixed everything together and poured the chocolatey goodness into the pan.

Not really sure what to do next, Nathan shook off the whole thing and walked over to his son. Jamie was still slumped against the couch watching his favorite show and he smiled brightly when his father sat down.

Nathan watched the little blue eyed boy crawl across the couch to him and Nathan sat Jamie in his lap. "I hope you didn't inherit that crazy James family gene."

"I heard that!" Taylor called out as she put the brownies in the over.

Lowering his voice, Nathan leaned close to his son, "Stick with me and we'll get through it." Jamie looked to his father like he understood what he was saying. "Your mom's the only normal one of them all." Nathan laughed and wrapped a secure arm around his son. "Well, normal after she got rid of that poncho."

Jamie leaned against his dad and Nathan smiled thinking of Haley and that poncho. That thing was ugly as hell. The only reason she'd hung on to the thing was because her mom made it.

Taylor walked toward the boys and sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch. "It'll be about twenty five minutes."

Nathan laughed quietly and figured that he next twenty five minutes would fly by. Haley would be coming home shortly, and that was going to be very, very interesting.

**OTHOTH**

When Haley pushed the front door open she smelled a heavenly scent. Her nose took her to the kitchen and she saw a plate of chocolate treats calling her name. She smiled and realized that Taylor had made brownies. Picking up a decadent chocolate square she bit into the thing and let out a laugh. These brownies weren't Betty Crocker, these were the brownies from her adolescence. Taylor and Quinn's secret recipe.

"Taylor, you made brownies!"

Walking out from the bathroom, Taylor smiled, "I thought you might want a pick me up after the news of that B yesterday."

Haley took another bite. "B plus actually, and yes, this is exactly what I needed."

Little feet pitter-pattered into the kitchen and Haley saw Jamie round the corner. Nathan was close behind and he watched as Haley picked up their son.

"You want a little taste of a brownie, Jamie?"

"NO!" Both Taylor and Nathan shouted towards Haley and she wasn't expecting the uproar.

"Jeez, okay. It was just gonna be a taste." Haley laughed as she handed Nathan their son.

He knew that if he told her what was in those 'special' brownies Haley would have a come-apart. Taylor would be blown to smithereens and Nathan would probably be kicked out for letting Haley eat them, much less, for letting Taylor make them.

Taking another bite, Haley finished off the first brownie and smiled, "Wow, that was just what I needed after classes." She smiled at her sister and walked toward the bedroom.

Nathan went wide eyes and looked at Taylor, "Wha...How long till it hits her? She scarfed that one down in like thirty seconds."

Laughing, Taylor shrugged, "Twenty minutes and she'll feel _pretty_ relaxed."

Checking the clock, Nathan figured he could get Jamie down for his afternoon nap before Haley started acting like a fool.

And just like clockwork, Jamie went down about 12:30pm and that was about the time Haley started to feel a little loose. Nathan walked into the bedroom wondering what Haley might be up to and she was lying on the bed watching the ceiling fan go around and around.

"How many times do you think this thing spins? Maybe there's like a set number. Do you think there's a set number. I bet there is..." Haley watched the blades spin around and then shrugged, "But why do you have to change your oil like every ten thousand miles?"

Nathan had to laugh because she'd just jumped an entire 180 in conversation. He sat down on the bed and looked at her with a smile. "You'll have to ask Luke, he's the one that knows about cars."

Perfectly content on just lying still, Haley furrowed her brow, "And why are dry erase markers called dry erase markers. They're not dry. They feel wet when you touch them."

Again, Nathan laughed and this time he laid down next to her. "Why all the questions, Haley?" He knew why but he just wanted to get her answer.

"These are need to know things. People should know these things." She looked around the room and sighed. Couldn't she just lie there all day? "I'm gonna take a bath. Doesn't that sound good?"

It did sound nice but what if she lost track of everything and drowned. Maybe it wasn't the best idea. "Uh..."

But before Nathan could protest, Haley walked into the bathroom and shed all her clothes. She pulled on her bathrobe and turned on the water. The cold temperature made her laugh and she couldn't stop. The giggles came as quickly as the water filled the tub. Fast.

He didn't want to obviously go check on her every five seconds, but Nathan definitely worried that she might do something dumb.

"Nathan?"

He got up so fast that he saw spots. Sticking his head in the bathroom door, Nathan looked at his beautiful wife submerged in a sea of bubbles. "Yeah."

"Wanna do me a favor and get me another brownie."

Nathan shook his head. There was no way she needed another one if she was already out of it. It had to be a weight thing. She was so tiny that the smallest amount of pot would probably send her over the edge.

"You don't need one. You just had one."

Haley arched her brow, "Are you trying to tell me something, Nathan Scott?"

Oh God, was this one of those trick questions. Was she implying that he was implying that she was fat?

"No. I just...maybe you should wait so you won't spoil your dinner." He sounded like a father talking to his daughter but it was the best he could come up with.

Nathan walked away before Haley could say something else and he went straight for the kitchen. She'd had her brownie, the other ten or so could be tossed. He certainly wasn't going to eat them and if Haley didn't mellow out, she'd never have to eat another 'special' brownie for a long, long time.

When he walked out of the kitchen, Nathan stuck his head in Jamie's room to check on his sleeping son. The little boy was fine and Nathan headed back to the bedroom. Haley was half humming, half singing a song and he sat down on the bed and pulled out a textbook. At least while he kept an eye and ear out for Haley he'd catch up on some Psychology reading.

He'd was just about to start the section about tardive dyskinesia when the bathroom door creaked open. Nathan had read about seventeen pages before the interruption.

With a smirk on her face that matched Nathan's best, Haley spun the extra material from her bathrobe belt in a circle. Her hair was wet and she was biting her top lip. "Hey."

Nathan's mouth went dry. The sound of her voice made his body cover with goosebumps and he swallowed hard. "What are you doing?"

She kinked her eyebrow and took a step closer. But she kinda tripped as she walked closer to the bed. Haley laughed but tried to stay serious, "What are you doing?"

He should have said 'watching you,' but that would lead her on. Nathan didn't want to take advantage of Haley's state of mind. He knew what was going on and it didn't feel right if he took that for granted.

Haley reached for the lotion on the dresser and propped her foot up against the bed. Now she was doing it on purpose. Nathan could see just enough thigh to make his blood start to pump furiously. She looked at him with those powerful brown eyes and tilted her head, "So what are you doing?"

To hell with it. He was about to take advantage of the situation. Nathan shrugged, and threw his book on the floor, "I was reading, but I think you're trying to seduce me."

"Me?" Haley ran her hand from her foot up her leg and smiled back at him. "No?"

"Yes." Nathan scooted up on the bed and reached out for Haley's hand.

He pulled her to the bed and Haley smirked. She asked him for the third time, "So what are you doing?

"I'm not doing much..." His lips found hers and he pulled away with a smile, "...but _we're_ about to get lucky." Haley nodded and kissed him as they both fell back against the pillows.

Luck had nothing to do with it, Taylor and her brownies on the other hand... yeah, they might have had a lot to do with it. The pot wasn't exactly something Nathan had been all that excited about, but with Haley straddling his lap he couldn't say he was mad at the circumstances. Now he only hopped that Jamie wouldn't wake up soon.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay, so it was nothing like 7.08 but it still involved a high Haley and we got a little insight about that B+ she made. Good? Bad? Indifferent. Would you have rather me done an extension of the season 7 ep?**

**What do you guys wanna see next. I've got protective Nathan in mind so who wants to see that, or who doesn't? Your votes count people.**

***It Could Happen to You: So I've gotten a few pushes to get chapter four written and since it's the weekend and I'll have a little bit of free time, what's the over all consensus? Should I give it a shot and see what comes out of it? Do you guys really want an update on that story?  
**

**So back to _this _story...my reviewers are great and I greatly appreciate any and all feedback! Thank you!**

**BDavis: If what I have planned for next chapter remains, the request/suggestion you had in your last review will be fulfilled.**

**MagicalNaley23: I'm so glad you liked Jamie last chapter. Brooke is always a nice addition to throw in the mix sometimes, so I'm glad you liked her too. And you're very welcome about doing a chapter with Charlotte as a baby. I knew that my readers probably wanted to see that time frame.**

**Kutebloo: I'll think about doing a chapter surrounding Charlotte's thoughts on Jamie as a big brother. To me I feel like we get that in little bits throughout the story but maybe I can do a chapter centered on it.**

**Mish: Well, I hope you were just as thrilled to get this update too.**

**Bwyn: Aw, you were checking every night for the last chapter? Sorry. I know I had a big delay. I'm happy you liked the time frame with Charlotte being really really young.**

**Alexis: Yeah, finding time has been like finding water in the desert. I can't, lol. But I enjoy writing as much as most of my readers like to read so I'm staying up extra late to get this one done, ha. Hopefully it's worth the late night. And I'm glad you appreciate the updates on my profile. I figured that people might wanna be able to know what the status was and stuff.**

**Hadley: Nathan putting on the diaper backwards was one of my favorite parts of last chapter. I'm so happy you like it!**

**Bethanyfan23: Yay, you thought the characters were well captured. I'm glad. I was worried that since it had been a while that I might have lost 'my touch'. **

**Always and Forever: I'm so glad you like the chapter. I think I'm with you. It might be one of my favorite Naley/kids chapters too. **

**Blurrystars 457: Chapter 66: I'm so glad you're back to reviewing, I've missed them,ha. Nathan and the chicken pox was something I thought might be funny, so I'm glad you like it and the picture part. Chapter 67: Aw, thanks for the great compliments. That means a lot! Chapter 68: The lunch part of that high school chapter was my favorite to write so I'm glad you liked it. Chapter 69: I'm so happy the chapter was a good read. I've always loved that old season 3 episode so I thought it might be fun to reverse the roles a bit. Chapter 70- Ha, I thought the part when Nathan's like, "Right, and nothing's what got us two kids?" was pretty funny too. Including Jamie's feelings was something I wanted to hit on before the new season started so I'm glad you like that.**

**Diana: I'm thrilled you liked the chapter and I'm gonna try my hardest to update as much as I can but it'll probably be once a week till I can get a good routine down. **

**Emma: Don't apologize for reviewing late. A review is gold, no mater if you review first or last. I appreciate all the feedback. I'm glad you thought the chapter was realistic. That was my mindset. I wanted to do something that we could potentially see in the upcoming season.**

**Please Review**


	72. Caught Up

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 72: Caught Up**

**Disclaimer: Nope. That should do.**

**A/N: So classes have been Hellaish, and that's about as good of an excuse as I can give. I will say that I'll be working on a grant proposal this semester (just 1 of my 6 classes, (about the influence of microwaves on kitchen design, college life, and the frozen food market) so if at any reason I tend to mention the microwave on a constant basis in my stories, it's not my fault. I will be overflowing with knowledge about that device. Strange, I know, but that's what I get for taking a 5970 level history course. Enough about me, let's get back to the meat and potatoes of this thing, Nathan and Haley! This chapter shows the kids older and includes that much loved Nathan/Charlotte relationship. I hope you guys like it!**

**OTHOTH**

Walking through the doors of the Tree Hill High gymnasium, Haley was hit with more instances of deja vu than she could count. It felt like she'd spent a lifetime in that gym. Nathan played there, Jamie played there, she'd cheered there, and now Charlotte was cheering there. Her now sixteen year old daughter was following in Mom's footsteps and donning that Raven's cheerleading uniform.

As Haley walked through the doors, her heels clicking against the wooden floors, her eyes instantly flew to one of the jerseys on the wall. Twenty three. It was more than just a number. That simple piece of clothing with those two digits represented a lifetime's worth of accomplishments. It was a framed reminder for her, for Nathan, and for anyone else to remember exactly how everything all started.

Looking from that jersey to the stands, Haley saw Peyton and made her way up to their seats.

"Hey." Peyton moved her purse and smiled as her sister in law sat down.

"Hi." Haley sidestepped around the other Raven's fans and smiled at Peyton.

Scanning the court and everyone around, Peyton turned back to Haley with an arched brow, "This is a trip, right? Twenty years after we roll through here our kids are taking our spots." It wasn't even the first game of the season, but Peyton couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Laughing with a nod, Haley agreed, "Yeah, I know." Her eyes roamed over the crowd and she had a pretty good idea where everybody was but hadn't spotted her nephew yet. "Where's Keith?"

Peyton's eyes widened, "Around. You know him. He doesn't want to be hanging out with dear ole' Mom at the game."

That was very true. Keith was fourteen and Peyton was right. No boy that age wanted to spend a fun basketball night with his parents.

Before Haley could reply the crowd got louder and both women turned to see what everyone was clapping about. The game was about to start soon and the cheerleaders had just walked to the sidelines.

Haley's eyes ran over each of the girls on the squad and when she saw the lanky blonde in the middle of the pack she had to smile. Sawyer was a seventeen year old version of Peyton.

"Where's Charlotte?"

Haley looked at Peyton with a furrowed brow. She hadn't even noticed that her daughter was missing among the group. "Uh, maybe she's in the restroom?" Haley had no idea where Charlotte was. It wasn't like it was her first time cheering so she wouldn't be in a nervous panic. Something else had to be keeping her busy.

Both women looked around the gym and found the young brunette Scott by the locker room doors.

"Found her."

Haley spoke up at the same time, "There she is."

Dressed in that familiar white and blue, Charlotte was leaning against the inside of the door frame talking to someone out of sight. Maybe it was Lucas?

Peyton and Haley couldn't help but watch Charlotte pick up her pom-pom and playfully swat at the person she was talking about. Maybe it wasn't Lucas.

"Oh, and who is that?" Peyton's eyes widened and she had a large grin on her face when she finally got a glimpse of who Charlotte was talking to. He was a boy. A basketball player who obviously enjoyed Charlotte's company.

Never in her life had Haley felt so relieved that Nathan was running late. If he was watching this all unfold he'd lose it. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "I have no idea?"

"Is she seeing anyone?"

"Not that I know of." Haley continued to shake her head as she looked carefully and closely at her teenage daughter.

Laughing, Peyton put her hand on Haley's shoulder, "Well, I think she is now."

"Yeah. I guess so." Haley nodded without much thought because the only thing she was really thinking about were the parallels. Haley had been sixteen and a cheerleader. Nathan was on the basketball team. So far things were falling into place. Charlotte following in their footsteps had always been something she joked about with Nathan but seeing it live with her own two eyes made her nervous for Nathan. And he wasn't even there yet. "You don't know who he is do you?"

"No. I'm scoop-less on that kid. He's probably nice though. Lucas said all the guys are great." Peyton turned her attention back toward her niece. The scoreboard showed that there was about five minutes till tip off and the boys would be coming out of the locker room anytime.

And that's exactly what happened.

The lights dimmed and the crowd started to cheer even louder. Haley could tell that Charlotte had run over to the other girls and then the music started to play so loud that she could swear the bass was shaking her chest cavity.

"Nate's coming, right" Peyton had to whisper-scream over to Haley because the volume in the gym was on overload.

Giving Peyton the nod, Haley answered and then heard the announcer introduce the team.

Nothing had changed really. It was the same old introduction with different player's names and a new coach, but sitting in those stands, Haley felt like she was about to watch Nathan. And in one sense she was. He'd come through the doors as the point guard was announced. She tried to make eye contact with him but it was dark and the likelihood that they could spot each other was minimal.

Haley obviously didn't realize that Nathan Scott could spot Haley James anywhere.

He started to walk in her direction and managed to sift through the crowd. "Sorry I'm late." Nathan leaned down and placed a quick kiss on the side of Haley's mouth. Looking up, he glanced at Peyton and nodded, "Hey Peyton."

Peyton smiled at Nathan and as the lights came back up Nathan started looking for his daughter. It was still hard imagining his little girl as a high school student, much less a cheerleader. He always wanted her to stay pint-sized and young the rest of her life. But obviously that couldn't happen.

"So how's your team looking, Nate?" Peyton could talk at a semi normal volume level as the cheers died down momentarily.

"Good. Everything's going really well right now. But maybe I'll get some extra pointers watching Luke tonight."

Haley secretly loved the fact that he'd said that. Nathan taking pointers from Lucas. Back in the day, Nathan would have rather eaten dog shit than gotten advice from his so called brother. But that was then. Now, now Nathan and Lucas were closer than ever and had been for the last twenty five years.

As the Ravens and the opposing team took their position at the top of the key for the tip off, Haley couldn't help but think that this night was going to be filled with memories and nostalgia. While that would happen, the bulk of the entertainment would come from something not so expected. It wasn't going to be the blowout score, or the fact that Charlotte's cheer-mate would bust it after a cartwheel, it would be more along the lines of something their own daughter would and wouldn't get a chance to do.

**OTHOTH**

As the halftime buzzer sounded, Peyton stood up to go get refreshments. Nathan told her he was more than willing to do it but the lanky Mrs. Scott didn't mind. She needed to check in with Keith anyways. So when Peyton got up she left Nathan and Haley sitting side by side in the stands.

Leaning into her husband, Haley rested her chin on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and they both smiled. No words, nothing said, nothing spoken. Just a simple smile said more than enough.

Out on the floor, the Ravens cheerleaders took over center court and Haley sat up a little straighter. "She's been working on this for a while, now." Haley hoped that the routine went smoothly and when the music started she looked at Nathan.

He laughed with that Scott smirk, "That sounds familiar." He laughed at himself and at the music. For the last two weeks whatever that song was called seemed to be playing through their house non-stop. Nathan probably had the words memorized.

The parents watched as the routine unfolded but Nathan wasn't exactly enjoying the show. Why was there so much thrusting, and hip movement, and skin? "Did...were your uniforms like that?"

Haley furrowed her brow and looked at her husband, "What do you mean?"

"That short. I mean God, that should be like a dress code violation."

Biting her lip, Haley tried not to laugh. She looked up to him with those calm brown eyes and had a smirk of her own. "I seem to remember you really enjoying that uniform."

Nathan's shoulders sunk, "That's different."

"Nathan, its' fine." Haley laughed and shook her head, "It might be a little bit shorter from what I wore but it's nothing to freak out about."

"I'm not freaking out..."

Raising her eyes, Haley was questioning him. "Oh really?"

Thankfully the song ended and Nathan took a deep breath, "Glad that's over."

Rolling her eyes, Haley laughed again. "Just be sure to tell Charlotte she did great." Of course he would. That was not something he planned on leaving out.

The sound of bouncing balls filled the air and Nathan looked over to the visiting team. Those poor guys. They were down by twenty something.

Haley could tell that Nathan was looking over Tree Hill's meager competition and bumped his shoulder, "You could have taken that whole team by yourself."

He laughed and hung his head, "I don't know about that."

The fact that he was denying the obvious was adorable. "Yes, you could have." Haley nodded, "All those three shots and foul pointers."

Nathan furrowed his brow. "You mean three pointers and foul shots?"

"What? Yeah? That's what I said." Haley didn't know why he was correcting her. She'd said it right. Right?

"You mixed 'em up. Foul pointers and three shots? Hales, come on."

"I did not."

"You did." Nathan laughed and showed off that smirk of his again.

"I think you're making that up." Haley was certain she hadn't messed up her basketball lingo. She'd been around basketball long enough to know her stuff.

Still laughing, Nathan held out his hands, "Whatever you say."

Arching her brow, Haley shook her head and narrowed her eyes. He met her with those peaceful blue orbs and she lost her train of thought. Swallowing those butterflies that still puttered around in her stomach, Haley took a deep breath. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That." Haley nodded her head.

He wasn't catching her drift so he shrugged. Momentarily his eyes wandered across the court and then it was his train of thought that was derailed. "Who the hell...?"

Haley looked to the floor and saw Charlotte hanging around that boy she'd seen earlier. He was shooting from the wing and Charlotte was standing by the sidelines with her arms crossed against her chest, a smile painted across her face.

"Haley..." Nathan turned to his wife and widened his eyes. "Who's that kid?"

"I don't know."

Nathan watched as number fourteen sunk shot after shot and suddenly he felt like the gym was one hundred degrees. This was not happening. Charlotte was not pulling a Nathan and Haley, was she?

Haley could see Nathan's pulse beating on the side of his neck. He obviously was not taking the scenario lightly. Running her hand over his back, Haley looked at her husband and shook her head. "I don't think you have anything to be worried about, honey. Charlotte hasn't even mentioned a boy."

And that was the thing. Maybe there was a boy and there was a reason she wasn't mentioning him. Maybe he wasn't exactly 'tell Mom and Dad about him' worthy. If he was some tool or some jerk, Nathan wasn't going to stand for that.

The rebound for one of the shots bounced off the rim and rolled over to Charlotte's feet, and Nathan watched as his daughter handed that boy the ball. But it wasn't just a toss or a quick exchange. There were long looks and smiles too. This game and this atmosphere was starting to make Nathan uncomfortable.

Noticing that Nathan was transfixed on the two teenagers, Haley tried to changed the subject. Her mind was drawing blanks but Peyton was quickly approaching with their drinks.

"Waters for you two and I got a Coke. Here you go." Peyton handed Haley her water and then waved the other bottle in front of Nathan's face. "Hello, Nathan? Here."

He wasn't exactly paying attention and Haley reached for his water. Peyton looked at Haley curiously and Haley tilted her head toward the court. Peyton looked around and realized what had Nathan in such a rut. It was one of those cute father moments that came with having a teenage girl. "It'll get easier, Nate. You'll learn to get over the boy issue soon enough."

Turning to face Peyton, Nathan furrowed his brow, "What?"

Pointing to the basketball player and the cheerleader, Peyton smiled. "That. Don't worry about it now. Charlotte's adorable and I'm sure all the guys want to date her. It'll get easier as she gets older. It'll wear off."

Haley's eyes widened. That could not have been what Peyton just said? Nathan was going to think the exact opposite.

"And look, ha, I didn't even put it together. They're totally you two." Peyton clapped her hands together and laughed out loud. "That's hysterical."

Nathan didn't find it funny at all. Deadpanned and emotionless, Nathan agreed, "Absolutely, hysterical."

The buzzer sounded and the players went over the the bench and the cheerleaders got back in their position along the sidelines. Hysterical was not the word. Hysterical was when Haley got a hold of Taylor's pot brownies or a little too much liquor. Hysterical didn't include his sixteen year old and some boy who seemed a little too much like Nathan twenty something years ago.

**OTHOTH**

After the game ended, the first and only thing Nathan wanted to do was find Lucas. Ask him who this number fourteen was and how long had Charlotte been hanging around him. But against his burning desire, Nathan took a deep breath and thought twice. He didn't need to be that dad. The one who is so overprotective that the kid ends up hating the parent. Nope. That wasn't gonna be him.

He did congratulate Lucas on the win, and when he told Peyton goodbye Haley walked up to Nathan.

"The squad's gonna get some pizza so Charlotte said she'd be home by ten."

Instead of protesting, Nathan nodded, "That's fine."

Using her thumb to point towards the exit, Haley looked up to her husband, "Which lot are you in. I'm back behind the library."

"The front." Nathan kicked his head in the opposite direction and Haley nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you at home then." She took a step towards him and lifted up on her tiptoes.

Nodding, Nathan kissed her quickly. "Alright."

Both Nathan and Haley walked their separate ways. The drive home didn't take long and as Haley stepped out of her car she saw the driveway illuminate from headlights. She waited for Nathan to get out of the car and she smirked, "Beat ya."

Nathan rolled his eyes and shut his car door, "I hit every red light possible."

"Right." Haley walked up to Nathan and wrapped her arm around his side.

He pulled out his keys and the couple walked inside and up the stairs. Haley turned on the computers as soon as she got into their bedroom. She was waiting to hear back from Jamie about his plans for Christmas. He'd said that he might go down to Savannah this year but nothing had been set in stone yet.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower."

Nathan walked toward the bathroom as Haley opened up her email. "Okay." She answered him for the sake of answering but was more concerned with Jamie's plans. Christmas wasn't too far away so she was eager to see what he said.

"Mom, hey. I hope everything's going well at home. Tell Charlotte that I got her message the other day. She was right. I caught the score of the UNCW game last week. Dad must be getting through to the team. Four consecutive wins is pretty impressive. What about you? Any knew songs? I'm sure you'll be singing Christmas carols soon. You always do that. And about Christmas. If it's okay with you and Dad, I think we're gonna head down to Savannah for Christmas and then come to Tree Hill later that night..."

Haley's heart sank as she read Jamie's email out loud. He was going to be spending his first Christmas alone, away from home.

The telephone rang and knocked Haley away from her sadness and the rest of what Jamie had said. "Hello?"

"Mom, hey, it's me." Charlotte's soft voice echoed in Haley's ear and she continued on, "Some of the girls were gonna go see the late night movie and I was wondering if..."

Before Haley let Charlotte finish, Haley cut her off, "Charlotte, it's a school night. You've got to get up early."

"I know. But I've already done all my homework for tomorrow and my first two periods won't be strenuous anyway." Always studious Charlotte, she _had_ already done her homework and first period was her keyboarding elective and then second period was English. And Charlotte Scott could do English in her sleep.

"Honey, I know you've done all your work but it's still a school night."

Charlotte sighed through the phone, "But mom, I'll be home by midnight. I promise."

"Maybe next time."

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte was aggravated. "Fine. I'll be home soon."

"Okay." The receiver clicked on the other side and Haley knew that Charlotte had hung up. Leaning back against the pillows, Haley thought about her two kids. Jamie was about to start his own little life with a girl he was crazy about and Charlotte was just getting into those teenage years. It was crazy how quickly everything happened.

Nathan had kept his word about that quick shower and when he walked out of the bathroom with his wet hair and fresh clothes, he laid down next to Haley. He closed his eyes momentarily and then looked to Haley. "What is it?"

Taking a long deep breath, Haley's could feel her eyes showing the emotion she was feeling. "Jamie's not gonna be here for Christmas and I think Charlotte hates me."

"What?" Nathan scooted closer to Haley's side and shook his head. He could tell that she was taking in the news that their son would be spending Christmas somewhere else for the first time in twenty three years hard. "Well what did Jamie say."

"Just that if it was okay with us, he and Liza would go to Savannah but be back here late Christmas night."

"That's not so bad." Nathan shook his head again and lovingly looked to Haley. "And why does Charlotte hate you?"

Letting out a deeper sigh, Haley shrugged, "She wanted to go out with the girls after pizza but I told her no."

"She's not gonna hate you for that, Hales." He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, "You're being a good mom."

The things he said and the ways he looked at her made everything wash away. It was amazing at the simplicity of the concept but Nathan Scott held that power over her. He did twenty five years ago, he did now, he always would.

Haley rolled closer to him and they had another one of those moment where it was just blue and brown. There was so much said between the silence but Haley did speak up. "So what's your day look like tomorrow?"

Nathan sat up and stretched, "That reminds me. I've got to go look over the tape of our rival game next week. I was gonna go draw up some plays, maybe and inbounds or two."

"Alright." Haley leaned back in the pillows and watched Nathan get up to leave. She'd get on her pajamas, wash her face, turn on some guilty pleasure on TV and wait for him to come back to bed before going to sleep.

As Haley tended to her face and other things Nathan made his way downstairs to the study and while he retired to his playbook, Charlotte walked through the front door. She was in a bit of pouty mood, and as she slowly made her way up to the stairs she called through her parents door, "I'm home."

Haley had been in the bathroom so her response was muffled but Charlotte figured she got the gist. As the girl walked into her bedroom she dropped her backpack on the floor and studied the clock. It wasn't even ten yet. Maybe she could figure out a way to get to that movie after all?

**OTHOTH**

Unbeknownst to Charlotte, the phone had rung again and this time it was her uncle Lucas calling to talk to Haley. Haley was laid up in bed having a late night chat with her best friend, but as Charlotte walked by her parents door, she assumed her mom was talking with her dad. They'd already said their goodnights and now Charlotte was being a little adventurous. The coast was clear.

Dressed and ready, Charlotte checked her watch and saw that it was just past eleven. Sawyer said she'd quietly pull up the driveway, or halfway up, and take Charlotte to the post game party. There was no movie and it wasn't with the girls. This outing had more to do with a boy.

Creeping down the stairs, Charlotte tiptoed through the living room and was in the kitchen when she realized somebody had noticed.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Charlotte turned around to face her dad and stuttered, "I, I..." She looked at the fridge and shrugged, "I was really thirsty. I came down to get a glass of water."

Nathan was amused, "Dressed like that?"

Looking down at her clothes, she realized the skinny jeans and green blouse weren't exactly screaming pajamas. "I..." Charlotte looked at her father and knew there was nothing she could say. It was pretty simple. She'd been caught.

Stepping by the window, Nathan looked through the blinds and could faintly see Sawyer's convertible suspiciously parked halfway down the driveway, lights off. He turned back to his daughter and held out his hand. "Let me see your phone."

"Dad, look, I'm..."

"Charlotte." Nathan shook his head and reached out further. The teenager took a deep breath and handed her father her phone.

Nathan scrolled through the contacts and pressed send when he found who he was looking for. He moved back over to the blinds and waited for his niece to pick up.

"Hey, what's with the wait? Please tell me you're not bailing on us. This party is gonna be rockin'."

Unable to hide his smile, Nathan spoke into the phone. "Yeah, sorry Sawyer. Charlotte's gonna miss the party."

"Uncle Nathan!" Sawyer looked into her phone as if that would help and then looked toward her cousin's house. There was a tall silhouette standing by the window and Sawyer knew Charlotte was busted.

"Uh...uh..."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Go home Sawyer."

"Yeah. Right. Can do. Okay."

Mortified, Charlotte watched her father press the end button and nervously started to fumble with the bracelet securely fashioned around her wrist.

Sliding the phone down the counter, Nathan leaned against the cabinets and crossed his arms, "So?"

What could Charlotte say? There was nothing too say.

"I'm guessing that phone call earlier wasn't about going to see a late night movie?"

Looking down to the floor, Charlotte swallowed hard and shook her head, "No, sir."

"And you must be out of your mind to think you could just leave like that?" Nathan furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Really Charlotte, what good was going to come of this? Not only lying beforehand, but sneaking out?"

The way her father sounded made Charlotte's eyes begin to tear up. Disappointing her dad was never something she wanted to do. "I'm sorry...I..." She used her thumb to smudge away the tear rolling down her cheek. "Dad, I just...I just wanted to go hang out with my friends."

"I know you did, Char. But there is a time and place." Nathan looked at the clock on the over and shook his head. "Eleven fifteen on a Thursday night is not one of them."

"I know, I'm sorry. It was stupid."

Haley had come down the stairs and arched her brow when she saw Charlotte dressed up in the kitchen. It hadn't hit her until she saw Nathan's crossed arms and that stern look that let her know Charlotte had other plans. When she got closer enough, she tilted her head, "Do I want to ask?"

Startled by her mother's voice, Charlotte turned around. The fact that her mom was now down there made the situation even worse. Her eyes began to well and this was the exact opposite of the night she was expecting.

"I guess you really wanted to go to that movie?" Haley sat down on a stool at the counter and looked at her daughter. "Charlotte, I didn't want you to go because it's a school night. If it was Friday or Saturday then it wouldn't have been a problem."

Nathan glanced to his daughter and shrugged, "You want to tell your mom about that _movie _you needed to see."

Letting out a soft sign, Charlotte turned to her mom, "It wasn't a movie." She looked down and fiddled her fingers together, "There's this party..."

"Charlotte!" Haley shook her head, "So you lied to me?"

"Yes, but everyone else did it too."

"That's not an excuse, Charlotte."

Nathan agreed with his wife and walked closer to his daughter, "Where are your keys? And hand me your phone too."

Placing her hand over her pocket, Charlotte winced, "But Dad, I have to drive to school in the morning."

Shrugging, Nathan shook his head, "I can take you."

Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, Charlotte pulled out her keys and gave them to her father. "And I guess I'm on cleaning duty for a while?" Charlotte knew the drill. She'd seen her older brother get in trouble before.

"Yep, for a month."

"Mom!" Charlotte turned quickly towards her mother with wide brown eyes.

Haley nodded, "I think that's fair. You lied to me about where you wanted to go and then tried to sneak out."

Her mom was right. Maybe a month's worth of sweeping and dusting was generous.

Nathan pulled out a glass, scooped some ice, and filled it with water. He stepped over to Charlotte and handed her the drink. "Here's that water you came down here for." Nathan watched as Charlotte regretfully took the glass and he nodded, "I'd head upstairs now." Both Nathan and Haley watched as their teenage daughter walked up the stairs.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd be dealing with this for another year." Haley rested her arms on the counter and looked to her husband.

Letting out a small laugh, Nathan walked over and sat down next to Haley, "And I busted Sawyer too."

"What?" Haley turned to him with a raised brow.

Nodding, Nathan laughed again, "Yep. She was coming to pick her up. I used Charlotte's phone to call her and Sawyer thought I was her until I interrupted."

"Oh, no. That's too funny."

Nathan nodded, "I guess I'll call Lucas or Peyton tomorrow."

Haley laughed again, "I was on the phone with him a little while ago. I don't think he had any idea." They both got quiet for a second and Haley looked back to him. "Sorry you had to do that. Catch her sneaking out."

Admittedly, it wasn't his favorite moment but he knew the day would come. "She can't be five forever."

Leaning into his side, Haley agreed and they both looked at the pictures scattered on the refrigerator. They were random moments dating back from when Jamie was young. Life had been simple then. The kids didn't talk back, and they didn't sneak out. Time had changed a few things but as Nathan and Haley sat at the counter looking at their past, they knew one thing would always stay the same.

It would be her next to him and him next to her. Whatever life had planned, the two of them would always remain constant. Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, or even brown to blue. Nothing in their life could disrupt that unbreakable bond. They were in it together and always would be, because always meant forever.

**OTHOTH**

**If any of you were wondering, number 14, is Will. He's a boyfriend of Charlotte's that is brought up in a previous chapter. Some of you may remember him in Chapter 16. But that's who I was referring to when talking about #14, just as an FYI. So I know that was on the short side but guys, I can't do a 6-8000 word chapter with everything I've got going right now. I'll find a way to get back to normal sometime. Thank you all for your patience. I know waiting for chapters sucks so I apologize. Next chapter, whenever that rolls around, will be a missing moment from season 5. Guesses, suggestion, thoughts... Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Loved it? Hated it? Indifferent? Did some of you miss Jamie?**

**And for those of you who read It Could Happen to You: Uh, no. Obviously I can't find time to write my priority stories as is. That will continue to be on hiatus for a while. Sorry guys.**

**My reviewers deserve more than I can give. Thank you is the best I can do right now: Diana, Always and Forever, Kutebloo, Hadley, tp404, Hailey (both times), BDaivs, Mish, Hannah, Whitney, Katie, and Maddie. Thank you all. For those of you I wanted to further comment on...**

**KC: I'm a sucker for cute-young-college-dad Nathan as well. If I liked/had better ideas for more college chapters I'd write those more often. I'm glad you liked my take on high Haley.**

**Bwyn: Well I hope you found a new stress reliever while the story had it's little break. I need to find one of those stress relievers, lol. I've always thought Taylor was a fun inclusion (most of the time) so throwing her in the mix is always a nice way for me to mix things up a bit. Sometimes it's nice to have a change in pace...and Taylor certainly changes up the pace. They don't all her Hurricane Taylor without merit, lol Thanks for the review.**

**MagicalNaley23: Sorry I didn't make Haley high longer. I just didn't want to dwell on it. I'm glad you like the protective father in Nathan.**

**Blurrystars: I loved all the lines you pulled and commented on. Nathan putting the Goldfish up on the higher shelf was, no doubt, a way to catch a glimpse of 23. Nathan does have his dorky side. Being around Haley for so long, you'd like a little bit of her has rubbed off on him. It would be beyond amazing in they name the new baby Charlotte, but I think you're right. Lydia is probably on their probable name list. I'm not really a fan (sounds too old lady-ish) but if they did Charlotte Lydia then I think I would have a field day with that, lol.**

**Lauren: Eventually I will get around to do a storm/hurricane. Hopefully sooner than later. Thanks for the review!**

**Leah: I'll be doing a fight between NH about a parenting issue sometime the the future. I had planned on including one in this chapter but I didn't include it.**

**Review Please!**


	73. Falling Down to Get Back Up

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 73: Falling Down to Get Back Up**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Anything. Related. To. OTH. Period.**

**A/N: Holy cow! There's nothing more for me to say except a big fat thank you for getting me past 2000 reviews. That's CRAZY AWESOME! My reviewers are the absolute reason I keep doing this. Your request and suggestions keep me going along with your kind words! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This chapter isn't exactly cute or fun, but a moment missed from season 5 that I would have liked to see. Joy would have nailed it, no doubt. Hope you guys like this chapter.**

**OTHOTH **

Eying the clock on the dash, Haley knew that the sitter was probably waiting. The young mom was on her way home to relieve the baby sitter after celebrating the launch of Nathan's new shoe. The first model had been made and pretty soon they would be hitting shoe stores everywhere. It may have been hideously green but it's what Nathan picked. For whatever reason, he always loved that color.

As the car pulled into the garage, Haley quickly unbuckled and walked inside. Her heels click clacked against the hardwood and it was the only noise in the home. Walking toward the living room, Haley saw the babysitter sitting on the couch watching some old re-run.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Haley put her purse down and looked at the college girl.

Laura turned to Haley and smiled. She hadn't heard her come in. Turning off the T.V, Laura got up and nodded, "Hi. Great. Everything went great. He ate most of his dinner and we read a book before bed."

"Did he give you any trouble with that?" Haley wasn't one hundred percent sure how Jamie was gonna deal with bedtime with Laura. It wasn't that he was a problem child, he just liked his parents tucking him in.

Laura shook her head, "Going to bed? No. After we read he started telling me about Mr. Scott's shoe and how awesome it was. I think all his talking wore him out. He was so cute."

Haley couldn't help but inwardly agree. Jamie Scott was more than cute. She reached in her purse and pulled out her checkbook. After scribbling the amount and signing her name, Haley handed the UNCW student her pay and smiled. "Thank you so much for doing this."

"Sure. I had a good time. Thank you." Laura tucked the check in her pocket and started to make her way to the front door. "If you need me again, I'll be happy to do it."

"Great. Thanks I'll keep that in mind." Haley watched Laura leave and then anxiously walked toward the stairs. There was a certain little boy she needed to see.

Creeping in the dark room, Haley tiptoed over to her son's bed and could hear him peacefully breathing. She gently ran her hand over the hair above his ear and leaned down to place a sweet kiss on his temple. "Night, baby."

Haley watched him for a moment and then quietly started for the door.

"Mama?"

Turning, Haley widened her eyes. "Hi." She walked over to him and sat down on the bed. "Did I wake you up?"

Jamie blinked through the darkness and shifted in his bed. "Is Daddy home?"

Haley ran her hand along his side and shook her head, "No, not yet."

"I bet it's really neat. The shoe. Daddy has his _own_ shoe." The little boy's blue eyes glistened with the reflection of the moon and Haley took a deep breath.

Jamie really did have an adoration for his father even Haley couldn't measure. With a smile, Haley nodded, "It is pretty cool, and he'll tell you all about it in the morning. But right now you need to go to sleep, mister." She let out a small laugh and she pushed her fingers through her boy's hair.

Jamie sunk back in his pillows and pulled the covers up. "Oh, okay."

Kissing Jamie's forehead, Haley smiled, "I love you, Jamie."

"Love you, too."

Haley could feel her heart expanding as the words resonated in her head. It was something that would never get old. Hearing him say that rated up there with Nathan's 'I love you's' and when he called her 'Haley James'.

The twenty something year old mom walked out of her son's room and figured she would go downstairs, clean up a little, and then get ready for bed.

And that's exactly what she did. Laura had left the kitchen relatively clean which was nice, and after leaving on the porch light and the one by the stairs, Haley made her way to the bedroom ready to call it a night.

Once she was in her pajamas she slid under the cool crisp sheets and looked over to the empty spot next to her. She hated sleeping alone. It was never something she willingly wanted to do. But she was gonna have to get used to it. Nathan was gonna play for the Sonics. Seattle. An NBA team. A professional basketball team. He'd made it. He'd gotten his dream and she'd watched it all unfold. It was a beautiful thing and Haley had been at his side the whole time.

Thinking of years passed and what could be, Haley could feel her eyelids begin to hang heavy. She glanced to the clock and wondered how much longer he would be. Twenty minutes, thirty minutes, an hour? There was no telling.

There wasn't a whole lot she could do to fight it because pretty soon a soft pattern of steady breaths echoed from her mouth and Haley was fast asleep. But those peaceful dreams and that good nights rest were going to come to a screeching halt.A ringing halt, actually.

The sound of the telephone woke Haley up and before she reached for the phone she reached for his spot. Nathan was supposed to be next to her but he wasn't. Not looking at the clock, Haley didn't know if she'd been asleep for five minutes or five hours.

As her vision came too she picked up the phone and held it against her ear, "He..hello?"

"Haley, listen, it's me." Lucas' voice was shaky, and instantly Haley's heart started to race. More like a steady pound that was getting ready for an imminent break. What was he about to say? "Look, Nathan's been in an accident. You need to come to the hospital."

This was it. This was one of those phone calls no wife, no mother, no loved one ever wanted to receive. She wasn't even out of her sleeping mode but the tears that were forming in her eyes were more than enough to wake her up. The single thought of losing him really got those tears flowing. "What...what happened." A tear slid down her cheek and she knew that whatever it was, it was bad. Haley figured it had to have been a car accident. She'd told him not to take the car, she'd _told_ him.

"There was this fight... It was bad. They're taking him to get tests and stuff right now. He'll probably..." Lucas couldn't even finish his thought. What if things were worse than he imagined? He knew that Nathan couldn't feel his legs but what if there was more? What if he needed surgery? And if that was the case, not everybody woke up after anesthesia. This phone call had to be the most emotionally charged conversation he'd ever had. And not in a good way.

She was numb. The fact that Lucas sounded so distressed and was talking the way he did had her in a panic. But it was happening. It wasn't a joke. It wasn't a dream. Something was terribly wrong. "Okay. Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." Lucas told Haley the wing of the hospital they were in and they said their goodbyes.

The young mother who'd woken up to find herself in a real life nightmare remembered that there was a little boy across the hall. She couldn't just wake him up and pull him out bed. Hospitals were no place for children. What did she do now? Luke was at the hospital, Laura...well Laura probably wasn't equip to come over in the middle of the night, but she was running out of options. Brooke was in New York, Peyton was in L.A., and she couldn't just call anybody to watch her son.

Haley looked at the phone in her hand and started dialing without thinking. He'd always said he'd have Jamie's back. The phone clicked and Haley's heart was beating so loud that it matched the ringing in her ears.

"Who the hell is callin' me so damn early? This better be good."

"Skills?"

Haley's broken voice echoed through the phone and Skills sat up in bed. "Haley?"

The emotion was building in her tone. It was always harder to talk about a terrible situation than it was to think about it. "I need you to do me a favor. Luke...Lucas just called me and said Nathan was in an accident. Is there any way you..."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Skills didn't need to be asked. He'd do anything for that boy, for Nathan or Haley. They were practically family.

"Thank you." Haley took a deep sigh of relief. She heard Skills mumble a goodbye and she tossed the phone on her bed gathering her thoughts. Flashes of Nathan started invading her mind and she couldn't help but cry. He had to be okay. He needed to be okay.

Scurrying over to the closet, she turned on a light, threw on some clothes and splashed some cool water on her face hopping it would take the pain away. It didn't, but it was better than nothing. Once she was dressed and ready to face nurses and doctors she peeked in Jamie's room and the tears began to form faster than they could fall. Puddles of salty tears clouded her vision and she thought Lucas's call. It needed to be a bad dream. If what Lucas had been alluding too, Nathan might not be okay. And if Nathan wasn't okay, Jamie wasn't going to be okay. Haley wasn't wasn't going to be okay.

Taking a deep breath, Haley made her way downstairs and started to pace the kitchen. Her stomach hurt, her heart was surely going through palpitations, and it was getting hard to breathe. Why was this happening? She didn't even know the specifics, but she knew it was going to be bad.

The front door opened and Skills walked toward Haley. He could see the tear stains running down her cheeks and he shook his head, "What happened?"

"I don't know..." There was a catch in her throat. "I don't even know." Haley could hear the emotion in her own voice. "I just..."

Skills gave her a supportive hug and looked hard into those brown eyes, "I'll stay as long as you need me. Go get to the hospital." Skills tilted his head toward the door, "Jamie's fine. We'll be alright here."

As Haley wiped away another tear she looked at one of her oldest friends, "When he wakes up just tell him that we both had to be somewhere. I'll tell him about everything once I know more."

"Okay." Skills watched Haley walk toward the door and the sadness in her face was enough to make his own heart ache for her. Haley James had always been the strong one. She was always brave and courageous but this was something bigger than bravery or courage combined.

**OTHOTH**

Lucas was waiting outside Nathan's room with his back against the wall and he was rubbing his brow. The idea that Nathan and paralyzed could be in the same sentenced was eating him up. This kind of thing didn't happen to people who'd just gotten everything they'd ever worked for. Now it had all been ripped away in a split second. It wasn't fair.

"Sir? Sir, we're gonna need you to fill some forms out. Do you know your brother's information?" A nurse had walked up to him with a clipboard in her hands.

Taking the forms, he looked over the questions and realized that he wasn't gonna be able to answer them all. "His wife is on her way. She'll be able to get these back to you."

"Okay. Take your time. When he get's back from the MRI I'll come back to see if you're done."

Lucas watched the nurse walk away and he looked down at the first question. Full name. He could do that. Nathan Royal Scott. The next questions were things suited for Haley to answer so he dropped the clipboard to his side and closed his eyes. Lucas felt helpless. He was the one who was fine, but he couldn't even help with the paperwork.

"Luke?" Haley had rounded the corner and she was walking at a brisk pace. They met with open arms and Lucas held on to her for what seemed like forever. "Where is he? Is this his room?" Haley looked at the vacant hospital room just across the hall and then back to her best friend.

He nodded, "Yeah., but he's getting an MRI right now."

A million things were running through her mind. What kind of fight ends up with someone needing an MRI. "Is he okay? I mean, what actually happened?

Shaking his head, Lucas shrugged, "He and this guy started to argue and I turned away for a second and the next thing I knew he was flying out of a window."

Covering her mouth with her hand, Haley's eyes went wide. "Oh my God."

"It was his back. He landed on a bunch of glass and when I got over to him he..." Lucas looked toward the ground shaking his head.

"What?" Haley could tell that Lucas didn't want to tell her the rest. "Lucas! What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Lucas's blue eyes met Haley's browns. "He couldn't feel his legs."

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Her athletic, able body husband who'd just been drafted to the NBA, who loved to run around with their four year old; he was paralyzed? "Is he paralyzed?"

"I don't know? The doctors haven't really told me anything. As soon as we got here they got him cleaned up but there was a bunch of them working on him. They were saying something about relieving the pressure so...I, I don't know."

Haley took a step backwards and felt the hard wall behind her. This wasn't happening. There was a catch in her breath and she knew that she couldn't hold it in any more. Covering her face with her hands, Haley tried to hide her pain.

The muffled cries weren't enough to sidetrack Lucas though. He stepped closer to Haley and pulled her into another hug. "Hey, listen..." He rested his cheek against the side of her head and squeezed her tight, "He's gonna be okay. Things are gonna be okay?"

"How, how do you know that? Haley stepped away from his embrace and shook her head. "My husband might be paralyzed, Lucas. And there could be more. I, I don't even...I can't even think right now."

With his heart breaking, Lucas wrapped Haley in his arms once more. "Shh..." He could feel her breathing slow down and the wet spot spreading on his shirt. "Can I do something? Do I need to do anything for you. Who's watching Jamie?"

Haley simply shook her head, "I called Skills, he's watching him."

"Okay, well let me go get you some coffee or water, or something." Lucas didn't want to just stand around waiting.

She nodded and felt him squeeze her arm for reassurance as he walked to the closest vending machine. Haley leaned back against the wall, wiped her tear streaked face and took multiple deep breaths. Maybe things weren't so bad? Maybe Nathan was going to be fine?

A team of nurses wheeling a bed stepped out of the elevators and Haley's feet started walking toward him before she knew what she was doing. Nathan's eyes were closed and she rushed to his side.

"Ma'am?"

Haley looked to one of the nurses and reached for his hand. "I'm his wife."

As soon as he felt her hand slip around his Nathan opened his eyes. "Hales?"

"Hi." She breathlessly let that out and she felt a tear glide down her cheek. They didn't say much else while they made their way to his room and when the team of nurses got his bed in place, Haley pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

Where did she start? Which question did she ask first? There were too many to choose from. "How are you?"

"Not so good." There was a crack in his voice and he looked away.

Haley's memory was flown through time to a night where they'd spoken those exact words. They'd been in high school and it was after the performance enhancers debacle. He looked as fragile now as he did then. Worse, even. Haley found his hand and closed both of hers around it. "Nathan, you're gonna be okay?"

"I can't feel my legs, Haley." He looked to her and then down the sheets to his two lumps of leg. He shook his head, "I can't feel them."

How was she supposed to respond? What did she say to make him feel better? She said the only thing she knew. "It's gonna be alright." Haley didn't know what the situation was but she knew that. It may not be alright now, and it may not be alright next week or the next, but it would be alright eventually.

He shook his head and looked away. The dark black sky was matching his mood. This was the end of everything he knew. He couldn't walk, he basketball career was over, his legs were there but they were useless.

A doctor walked into the room and approached the young couple. "I'm Dr. Kelly, nice to meet you." The familiar old man smiled at Haley and shook her hand. "We've got the results of your MRI, Nathan."

Nathan wasn't even looking at the doctor. He was thinking about everything that was about to change. What was his son going to think if he couldn't walk? Some hero he'd be.

"Right now it looks like you got uncontrolled swelling in your thoracic and lumbar region. The shard we pulled out of your back hit a few nerves but we'll likely be able to repair those in surgery, and after rest and rehabilitation I see no reason for you not to be able to walk again."

"Really? So this is only temporary?" Haley sounded so hopeful.

Nodding, the doctor checked Nathan's chart. "Right now we're gonna wait to see if anything changes over the next few hours and then we'll decide on the surgical procedure. If the swelling goes down and the pressure is off of the nerves we won't have to do an invasive surgery."

"What..what does that mean?" Haley had more questions than she knew what to do with.

"It means your husband's back is in limbo right now. There is pressure built up that pushing on his T-12 and L-1,a nd L-2 vertebrae, and if that goes down naturally we'll see how his mobility is. If things get better then we can drain any of the excess fluid, and subscribe steroids to relieve the swelling."

Nathan wasn't even listening. He knew what it all meant. It was going to be a waiting game.

"And if the swelling doesn't go down? What happens then?" Haley needed to know the other possibilities.

The doctor flipped a piece of paper over and drew a make shift diagram. "In that case we'll take him to surgery and check on the damaged vertebrae. In some cases rods or supports may need to put in place." He drew a sketch of the back and dotted where an incision would be made and explained which vertebra controlled which mobile function.

"But the paralysis will still be temporary?"

"Yes, Nathan's injury is operable and from what the MRI told us, nothing was severed and the nerves are still intact. His case shows incredible hope for a complete recovery. It will take time, months, but he's gonna walk again."

Haley gave Nathan's hand a little squeeze and looked to him with a smile. He was still looking out the window and she turned to the doctor, "Thank you."

"I'll be back in a little while to see how the swelling is and we'll have a decision about surgery within a few hours." The man walked out of the room leaving the husband and wife to sit with his words.

"Did you hear that? He said it's only temporary. This is all going to be okay?" Haley smiled and kissed the top side of his hand.

Nathan swallowed hard. It wasn't going to be that easy and he knew it. He kept thinking about his legs and how it felt to walk, to run, to jump. Looking down at his limp extremities he realized it would be a while before he got to do that again.

Noticing Nathan's demeanor, Haley leaned close to him with a warm smile. "Honey. It's gonna be fine. I know you don't feel it right now, but it will." Haley looked at him with those reassuring brown eyes and nodded, "I know it will."

At least she had good spirits about it. Nathan was more or less in the beginning stages of a darkness he'd fall into over the next few months. She would try to help. Haley would do everything in her power to keep him optimistic and motivated but at the moment, Nathan only wanted to be alone. Or maybe it wasn't that he wanted to be alone so much as he felt alone. She was there. Haley was right there but instead of her light and encouragement, he only saw his dreams and everything he worked for fade into a dark abyss. This injury was going to be a major hump in the road and it wasn't going to be easy.

**OTHOTH**

Eleven days after the initial accident Nathan was being released from the hospital. Unfortunately, the swelling never went down on it's own but about eight days ago they'd performed laparoscopic back surgery to try and repair the damaged nerves. He responded incredibly well to initial tests and his prognosis was the same. Temporary nerve damage with temporary paralysis. Rehabilitation was going to give him his legs back. It was just going to take time.

A muscle memory specialist had just finished talking with Nathan about his home routine and the scheduled days for his out patient appointments when Haley walked up.

"Luke's out by the car and Jamie's in the back with balloons."

Nathan smiled at the thought of his son but as he felt his chair start to roll toward the door, he got that sinking feeling he'd had last week. The fact that he couldn't get up and walk out of the hospital was killing him. He never realized how much of a freedom, of a luxury it was to be able to use your legs.

"Daddy! I got you balloons." Jamie stuck his head out out the the car window with a wide smile.

Putting on a smile, Nathan looked at his son, "Thanks, buddy."

"Okay so how are we doing this?" Lucas walked up and arched his brow. "Front seat or back seat?"

Haley looked at the car and back to Lucas. "I think the front will be easier. Don't you, Nathan?"

He nodded and felt the wheels of his chair start to roll again. Lucas opened up the passenger door and Haley clicked the wheelchair in place.

"If you want to grab on to the handle as I get in you up that might help steady your balance." Lucas pointed to the handle inside the Range Rover and started to get Nathan out.

Using every ounce of arm strength, Nathan tried to brace some of his weight on his own while his brother helped him get in the car. Haley collapsed the wheelchair and then got into the driver's seat. Nathan buckled his seat beat and heard Luke get in behind him. The drive home was filled with Jamie's chatter about the decision to get blue balloons or green balloons but it was more or less white noise.

Whey they got home, Lucas helped Nathan back into his chair and he wheeled him to the back of the house because it was going to be easier to get in. "I bet you'll be in the pool a lot. Swimming is a really good form of rehab, right?"

Nathan looked at the pool and shrugged, "Yeah, I think so."

Lucas pulled Nathan up to the door and Haley opened it. Jamie squeezed by her legs and smiled, "We've got you a spot on the couch and ESPN is already on."

Nathan nodded, "Thanks Jame." He rolled inside and with Haley's help he got to the couch.

"Do you want anything?"

"No." He shook his head and gently leaned into the couch.

Lucas looked over to Jamie and clapped his hands, "Alright J-Luke. Why don't we head to my place and play video games while your mom and dad get situated here." Lucas could see that even video games couldn't take Jamie away from his father. "And did I mention we've got pizza and ice cream."

The little boy's eyes widened and he knew that was too much of a good thing to pass up. Jamie walked over to his father and climbed up on the couch. "I'm glad your home, Daddy." Wrapping his little arms around Nathan, Jamie leaned close to his father smiled up to him.

Nathan felt a pain his heart when he looked into his little boy's eyes. How could he be so blind as to what he'd become. Nathan wanted that hope. That ability to see the good but right now it wasn't there.

"Alright bud, you be good for Uncle Lucas, okay?" Haley looked down at her little boy and nodded.

"I will."

Lucas let out a laugh has he watched Jamie run for the front door. He looked at Haley and nodded seriously, "Call me if you need anything."

Haley walked him to the door and gave him a giant hug before letting him go. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

He didn't want to be thanked. None of what he was doing was out of necessity, it was because he wanted to. "Sure, and I mean though too, Hales. Call me if anything comes up."

"I will. Bye." Haley watched Lucas and Jamie go to his car and she walked back toward her husband.

Shifting on the couch, Nathan started to sit up, "Hey, do you think I can take a shower?" He felt like he smelled terribly of the hospital and wanted to get that off of him as quickly as he could.

"Yeah. I bought one of those chairs that sits in the shower and everything's all set up in the guest bedroom down the hall."

He wasn't exactly thrilled that he'd be somewhere other than his own bedroom but it was the best and most logical choice. He couldn't exactly climb the stairs. Nathan was able to wheel himself down the hall and Haley walked to the bathroom.

Turning on the water, Haley made sure the temperature was fine before she walked out to the bedroom. Nathan had a towel wrapped around his waist and was waiting for Haley to tell him it was ready.

"I've got the extra towels on the floor if you need them, and you're sure you can do this by yourself?"

Nathan nodded. All he had to do was use the bars to move himself out of his chair and into the shower. He had more than enough upper body strength to do that. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'll call for you if I have a problem."

Haley walked past him and rubbed his shoulder before she went to the kitchen.

Rolling himself into the bathroom Nathan unwrapped the towel around his waist and dropped it on the floor thinking about the best way to go about getting in the shower. He managed to get himself situated without a problem and he sat underneath the calming spray as it splashed against his body. The doctors told him that he would walk again but when he tried to move his left foot there was nothing. It was going to be a long hard battle.

"Nathan? I'm putting some clothes on the bed."

He stuck his head outside the shower door, "Alright, thanks." Nathan reached for the shampoo and squirted a decent amount of the liquid soap in his hand and ran the stuff over his skin. It smelled like Haley. It wasn't fruity or anything fancy but it was familiar, and there was something about familiar that he loved.

The water seemed to take away his disposition, and after a while Nathan was starting to feel like things weren't going to be so bad. Haley was bending over backwards to help in anyway she could and Lucas was up for the brother of the year award. Both of them were being so strong and he realized that he might need to return the gesture.

Cutting off the water, Nathan hoisted himself out of the shower and back into his chair. He towel dried his hair and wiped down his body before he rolled back into the guest bedroom. Using the bedpost, he was able to situate himself on the bed and started to get dressed. The shirt went up and over his head without a problem but when he reached for his underwear and sweats there was a dilema. He'd been able to slip his feet through the leg holes of his boxer briefs and somehow tug them up his legs but that was about it. He was pretty sure that he'd almost ripped them from pulling so hard.

"Haley?" Nathan leaned back on the bed and shut his eyes. Why was it so exhausting to simply pull up underwear?

"Yeah, what is it?" She stood in doorway and saw that he was laid out on the bed with his shirt and boxer briefs. Haley knew that he must have needed help with his pants. Taking the soft bottoms in her hands she leaned down and slipped them over his feet.

"I could barely get my underwear up." Nathan shook his head with embarrassment.

Haley got both of his feet through the holes and started to slide the soft material up his legs. "You should have yelled for me. I could have helped." He didn't say anything back so she gave him a playful smile, "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

He looked at her with a furrowed brow. This wasn't something go joke about. He was a grown man who was going to need to be changed like a baby. It was emasculating.

She caught on to his silence and frowned, "Sorry..." Haley pulled the pants up his thighs and got them over his waist. "...I just. I know this is hard, so really, if you need something you can ask me. I might not be able to lift you up the stairs or in and out of that chair all day but I'm here for you. Whatever you need."

He nodded and laid back down on the bed. "Right now I just need sleep. I'm already exhausted from just putting on clothes."

Haley smiled and nodded, "I think I can handle that." She walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed on. "Come here." Nathan looked at her and he pushed himself up the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "We're gonna be okay." He dug her cheek deeper into his shoulder and took a deep breath. "I love you, Nathan. We're gonna get through this."

"I love you, too." He did. He loved her so much. That was a given, but just as soon as he thought he was over that negativity it reared it's ugly head. She was trying, she was trying hard to be supportive and while she was doing a great job, it probably wasn't going to be enough. Nathan has just lost a natural function he'd been able to do since he was a toddler. The doctors said he could and would get it back, but that journey was just beginning. He stubbornness was going to get in the way and getting his footing was going to be a hard fought battle where he'd spiral further and further into self doubt and selfishness. He wouldn't be proud of himself and but the next few months were looking pretty grim.

But like they always did, Nathan and Haley would prevail. They get past this hurdle and start preparing for their next one. It was a never ending cycle and while it wasn't easy, it would bring them closer and strengthen a relationship that was meant to withstand the winds of time and change.

They'd be alright, and that was what mattered.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay so there's a little blip of things that could have happened in the aftermath of Nathan's accident. Normally I spend a pretty good time researching everything I needed to know but I kind of hit the skim button when it came to that. Sorry, but I figured you'd want a chapter update more than medically correct lingo. And I know this wasn't cute, and Nathan was in the beginnings stages of his assy-ness but I felt like it was something that needed to be shown. How did you guys like it. Was it was you had imagined that night to be like?**

**What do you guys want next chapter to be? Ideas, suggestions, request, you know I'll take them all.**

**Tis' the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la, it's OTH time! Like my little jingle? No. Yeah, I'm not a musician, but who's pumped that Nathan and Haley are back on our screen! I loved the scenes between the two of them. Just curious, what did y'all think?  
**

**My reviewers are magnificent and I can't thank you enough. Hailey, Annemarie, Catherine, Kelly, Mary Garland, Lauren, Hadley, ann, Always and Forever, McCall, OTH782, Hannah, Caroline, Jackie, Madeline, Carrie, Brittany, KTC482, OTHGIRL278, Amy, and anon...thank you so much for the reviews. I appreciate them all.**

**Joan: There is more father/daughter stuff to come! And I'm so happy you liked Peyton in the last chapter.**

**BWyn: Well I have to say that I'm envious that school's almost over for you. What I wouldn't give... I'm a big fan of Nathan and Charlotte as well so expect to see more father/daughter stuff in the future. And you're right. Nathan probably did pick up that phone trick from Keith.**

**tasha: Well, I've been swamped with school but things are looking up. Thanks for the luck on my microwave assignment. I'll be getting into the depths of the research the weekend. Fun, I know. I'm so glad you liked the chapter.**

**MagicalNaley23: No problem about adding in that bit about Will last chapter. I realized that after I oringinally published the chapter I needed to add that bit in there. And I'm glad you remembered him. He'll be showing up Charlotte's story soon. And I probably won't be doing an extension of last chapter but I'm sure the fact that Nathan caught Sawyer will be mentioned or brought up in her story, so you can look forward to that. **

**Chapter 72: Well, honestly none of what happened to Charlotte last chapter ever happened to me. I actually did not pull from my own "experience" but I know things like that happen and I'm glad you liked the chapter. I agree with you. I think Jamie and Charlotte definitely stem from their parents. I think it's nice to show that they are extensions from them with their own little personalities because I feel like it helps readers identify with the character.**

**Leah: There will be a parenting issue in a chapter to come. It was actually supposed to be brought up last chapter in a flashback but I ran out of free time to write. It's coming though.**

**mazzy: Things are going well. I hope all is well with you too. I'm glad you liked that Nathan wasn't babying Charlotte. Like he said in the premier on Tuesday, Nathan knows how to bring down the hammer, lol.**

**kutebloo: I've do have more ideas for when the kids are the ages from last chapter so you'll have to stick around to see what I've got planned. One of them will likely come sooner than later.**

**BDavis: Ha, there will be more teenage Charlotte to come. It seems a lot of people like that time frame. Good to know. Thank you for the congratulations on passing 2000 reviews. I still can't believe it.!**

**Leah: (I'm assuming this is a different Leah than the one who previously reviewed). I LOVE your suggestion. LOVE it. LOVE it. It's going on my list right now! Expect it to pop up sometime soon!**

**Haley: I'll try and come up with a health scare for N or H when the kids are young. This new chapter touched on what you wanted but I'm guessing you want something I come up with? I'll think about what I can do.  
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**blurrystars: Haha, you subconsioucly wanted that last chapter? Nice, glad I can read minds. Thanks for the congratulaions on passing big 2-0-0-0. It's crazy.**

**cronaldoloverrr: So did this chapter count as Haley taking care of Nathan? There was also a chapter called Don't Scratch that Itch about the N and the kids getting the chicken pox so that might count towards what you're looking for. Check it out if you haven't  
**

**-Review Please-**


	74. Toothless

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 74: Toothless**

**Disclaimer: Same 'ole, same 'ole. This hasn't changed and won't. I still don't own anything related to OTH.**

**A/N: I'm baaaaack! Awesome, right? It feels pretty good to be writing these characters after my break. That hiatus was much needed though, and I appreciate everyone's patience as I got my bearings on school and life. My profile updates were pretty regular so for those of you who read them (I would encourage it, that way you won't think I'm a quitter) you guys know that I wasn't just mulling around wasting time. But I'm good to go now and I'm ready to get back on track! I know a while ago I had tossed up the ideas about the new chapter either being about jealous/insecure Nathan or a family trip to NYC...and well, I've thrown those back into the hat and decided for a fresh start. I hope you guys like what I did!**

**OTHOTH**

It was early Saturday morning and Nathan was half awake, half asleep when he felt the bed shift with the added weight. It was weird though. He knew it couldn't be Haley moving around because he could feel her still body next to his. One of her legs was resting against his and she wasn't moving one bit.

"Daddy! Daddy, look!"

Nope, it wasn't Haley at all. Nathan cracked open his eyes and smiled when he saw those chocolate brown orbs that matched his wife's. Charlotte looked just like her mom.

Clearing his throat and cracking open his eyes, Nathan smiled, "Morning, Char."

Smiling, Charlotte pointed to her right front tooth and wiggled it, "Look! Look! Did you see it? Can you see it?" The six year old stuck her head closer to her father making sure he could get a good look.

Nathan laughed and nodded, "Looks like someone's gonna loose her first tooth pretty soon." He started to sit up in bed and looked over at Haley who'd woken up with all the excitement.

Charlotte climbed further up on the bed and looked at her mom, "Mama, look!" She wiggled her tooth with a beaming smile.

A sentimental smile swept across Haley's face as her brow furrowed, "Aw." The mother of two was looking at her six year old realizing she was growing up just as fast as Jamie had. It was a 'blink and you miss it' kind of thing. Yesterday it had felt like Charlotte was saying her first word and now she was in first grade loosing her first tooth. Milestones.

The little girl couldn't contain her excitement as she giggled but then her eyes went wide with worry, "Is it gonna hurt?"

Nathan found himself smiling at Charlotte's adorable worry. It was something she most certainly got from Haley. "It'll be fine. It shouldn't hurt."

"And then you know what? The Tooth Fairy will come see you after that's tooth's gone." Haley looked at Charlotte with warm eyes. "It'll be exciting to see what you'll get!"

Those big brown eyes of Charlotte's lit up and she smiled, "Sawyer said that she got money!"

Nodding, Nathan smiled, "And you might too if that tooth comes out." He leaned up and extended his hand, "Come here. Let me see that that thing." Nathan reached for his daughter's mouth but Charlotte clamped her hands over her lips.

"No. Don't pull it!" Charlotte shook her head scared of what might happen if her dad got his hands on that tooth.

"Nathan." Haley laughed and swatted at Nathan's hand. "It'll come out. Let's give it a little while and see what happens."

Charlotte nodded agreeing with her mom. She pushed on her loose tooth and then looked to her parents. "Are my per-ma-nem-anent teeth gonna be big like yours, Mama, or small like yours, Daddy?"

Haley could help but smile at Charlotte's cute little girl pronunciation but arched her brow and bit her lip. "Well..."

"It won't matter. You're gonna look perfect with whatever teeth you get." Nathan nodded to Charlotte and then looked to Haley with a smirk, "Even if you get quarter sized teeth like your mom over here."

"Hey!" Haley instantly covered her mouth and shook her head, "I know I've got big teeth but they're not that big!"

Nathan arched his brow with that 'oh, really look.' "They're kind of big, Hales."

Jamie walked into his parents room and Haley took the opportunity to set the record straight. "Smile, Jamie."

The thirteen year old turned to his mom with a confused look, "What?"

"Smile. Let us see your teeth."

"Uh..." Jamie looked at his parents and little sister strangely before showing off his nice set of white chompers.

"Look..." Haley nodded while she pointed to her son's teeth. "Jamie's got great teeth. They turned out just fine."

Jamie walked closer to his parents' bed and sat down, "What's all this about? I was just coming in here to ask if we were going to the Rivercourt today."

"Look!" Charlotte scooted over closer to her brother and pointed at her tooth. "It's loose!"

Smiling, Jamie reached for it, "I'll get it..."

Shrieking, Charlotte crawled back over toward her father, "No, Jamie. Don't!"

Nathan felt Charlotte lean into his body he and wrapped an arm around her. "We're gonna leave it alone for a few days and see what happens. It might come out by itself."

"Or..." Jamie shifted his position on the bed with a grin, "...or we could tie some string or floss to the tooth and the other end to Gatsby's collar. Throw a ball and _bam_, it's out."

Haley laughed at the thought of their chocolate lab playing a helping hand in Charlotte's tooth loss, but they probably wouldn't have to go to an extreme like that.

"Yeah, we can go to the Rivercourt." Nathan looked at his son and nodded.

"Me too?" Charlotte turned up to look at her father.

Nathan nodded, "You too."

Haley smiled as she saw both her kids light up. Nathan was in his seventh season with the Bobcats, and as many times as they'd watched him bounce that ball on those polished wooden floors, it was nothing compared to playing a little Horse or Around the World on that black top. She rolled over and gave Nathan an imitation of his smirk, "And what about me? Can I come too?"

"If you let me help you with your shot." Nathan flashed Haley a grin thinking about her horrible basketball skills but how much fun it was to give her that extra guidance.

"I'll go throw on some clothes! Can we go soon?" Jamie got up off the bed and started walking toward his room.

Haley laughed at her son's enthusiasm and then glanced to the clock, "Why don't you let me make some breakfast and we can go in about an hour?"

"Alright." The teenager walked out of his parents' bedroom and Charlotte got up off the bed after her brother.

Nathan rolled over to face Haley a little bit more directly. He rested his head in his hand and smiled, "Her first tooth, huh?"

"Yeah." Leaning back into the pillows, Haley closed her eyes and shook her head, "I can't believe it."

He couldn't either. Charlotte was supposed to be that pint sized little girl who'd stay small forever. But time was a constant reminder to both Nathan and Haley that their daughter was growing up fast.

Haley took a deep breath and stared into Nathan's blue eyes. "You'll be on Tooth Fairy duty if she looses that tooth while I'm up in DC."

Nathan nodded because he knew that at the beginning on the upcoming week Haley and Jamie were both leaving for a school field trip. Haley was one of the many chaperones and that meant Tooth Fairy Nathan might need to make an appearance. "I think I can handle that." He watched her nod and Nathan spoke up again, "And that stuff about your teeth being big..." He shook his head, "I was just kidding."

Laughing, Haley widened her eyes, "No you weren't. I do have big teeth."

"Well I like 'em." Nathan smiled out of the corner of his mouth and leaned down to kiss her.

With their mouths pressed together Haley found herself smiling mid kiss. After fifteen years, Nathan could say something as simple as liking her teeth and her heart would race and that blush of hers would creep across her cheeks. Fifteen years, and she still felt like a lovesick teenager.

Haley brought her hand up to cup his cheek and her thumb whisked by that freckle on Nathan's cheek. "I love you."

Smiling, Nathan kissed her on the corner of the mouth, "I love you too."

While brown was concentrating on blue they took a moment to take in everything. Nothing too significant, but the little lines, the big teeth, that freckle; they were the marks of a life and love and neither of them would have changed anything.

**OTHOTH**

Monday morning rolled around and while Charlotte was supposed to be helping look for Jamie's iPod, she'd gotten a little sidetracked and instead, she was in the bathroom. Her concentration was centered on the mirror as she watched herself tug on her tooth.

Jamie stuck his head in the bathroom and furrowed his brow, "Charlotte! You're supposed to be helping."

Hopping of the step stool, Charlotte shrugged, "I was."

"Mom and I are leaving soon and I have to find my iPod before we go to the airport."

Charlotte walked past her brother and toward his bedroom.

"Found it!" Haley just about ran into her kids as she walked out of Jamie's bedroom. She looked to both of them and handed Jamie his iPod.

"Where was it? I looked everywhere!" Jamie looked down at his music player and shook his head.

Haley smiled because Jamie hadn't looked everywhere. But the failed attempt at locating his missing device wasn't all his fault. Nathan was never that great at looking for things. After their first night together Nathan had asked Haley if she'd seen that old gray t-shirt, before their birth control fight he'd taken forever to find the band-aids, and then a few years ago when he'd lost his ring, Nathan had enlisted both of their kids to help him find it. It seemed like Jamie's not so keen eyes had come from his father. Color and all.

With a little bit of a laugh, Haley looked back to her son's room, "It was plugged into the wall."

"What?" Jamie scrunched his brow, "I thought I looked..."

"It's not downstairs, maybe it's in one of our cars?" Nathan walked up the stairs and saw his family all standing in the hallway.

Charlotte smiled at her dad, "We got it."

Haley nodded at Charlotte and then checked her watch"You ready, Jame? We should probably get to the airport. I need to be there early to get my roll and everything else."

"Yeah. I'll just get my backpack."

Jamie walked into his room and Haley turned to Nathan then Charlotte, "So you two will be good here?"

Nathan nodded and rested his hand on top of Charlotte's head, "I'll get her to school in twenty minutes. Tuesday it'll just be the two of us. Wednesday I'll drop her off at Luke's while I go to Charlotte for my game, and then I'll be back Thursday afternoon to pick her up from school. Friday evening you and Jamie will be home, and Saturday we can all go to Charlotte when I play the Magic. I've got everything figured out. I think we can handle everything." Nathan glanced from Haley to Charlotte, "Right, Char?"

"Mmm-huh."

Haley couldn't help but smile at her husband and daughter. The simple idea of them taking over the house for a week was cute, but knowing how prepared Nathan was, was even better.

"Hey?" Nathan looked down to Charlotte with a raised brow, "Did you get your reading log out of your room? I think you're supposed to turn it in today?"

"I'll go get it!" Charlotte ran off toward her room and disappeared behind the door.

"I love you, you know that?" Haley took a step closer to Nathan smiling. It wasn't just the fact that she loved him, but this whole fathering thing put him on a whole new level. She'd been in such a frenzy the last few days about the Washington trip that Nathan had more than willingly stepped up his game. And not that one that included a bouncing ball. The one that meant he'd help out in the kitchen, the one that meant reading with Charlotte the last few nights, and the one that helped Jamie with his homework. Admittedly that hadn't gone so well. A couple questions into the algebraic equations and Nathan had gotten Haley to help. But that didn't matter. At least he'd been trying.

Nathan wrapped his arms around his wife's small frame, "Well I love you too." He leaned down and kissed her sweetly, "Have fun on the field trip."

She nodded and smiled, "We will." Haley moved her hands up to his neck and locked her fingers together, "I hope you beat the Hawks, Wednesday. If the game's on in DC, you know I'll be watching." She laughed, "And actually, I think most of the boys on the trip will be watching the Bobcats. You know how Jamie gets. He'll have everyone cheering and watching that game." Nathan smiled while Haley continued, "And if Charlotte looses that tooth..." Haley lowered her voice, "...don't forget about..."

"The Tooth Fairy. I know, I'm on it." Nathan nodded and leaned down to kiss her again, "I'll miss you."

Haley hated this part. Goodbyes. You'd think she'd be used to it after watching Nathan come and go to Charlotte the last seven years but nothing ever made saying goodbye easy. "I'm gonna miss you too." She rose up on her tiptoes and firmly kissed her husband.

"Ugh! Mom, Dad!" Jamie grimaced as he walked out of his bedroom toting his backpack. It was too early in the morning to watch his parents' PDA.

Nathan looked to his son with a laugh while Haley rolled her eyes. She started walking toward their bedroom, "I'm gonna make sure I got everything."

Nodding in Haley's direction, Nathan then turned to his son and they both walked down the stairs together. "You excited about Washington?"

"Yeah. I think it'll be cool."

"Sometimes the museum's up there have some really cool exhibits."

Jamie laughed, "Charlotte told me we should try and go at night to see if anything comes to life."

"Ha. Well, that's a six year old for you." Nathan could imagine Charlotte saying that to Jamie perfectly.

The two blue eyed Scotts made it down to the kitchen and Nathan looked at Jamie seriously. "I want you be good for your Mom, and the teachers, and other chaperones."

"I will."

"Maybe if every thing goes well, I can get another ticket to the game on Saturday and you can bring a friend."

Jamie smiled and nodded, "I'll definitely be good."

The clicking noise that echoed down the stairs let both the guys know that Haley was on her way down.

"Ready, Mom?"

Haley nodded but looked around, "Where's Charlotte? Is she not down here yet?"

Nathan shook his head but all three of them heard loud thuds from the stairs. Charlotte was in a phase where she liked to hop down each step. Emerging from the stairs, Charlotte held onto her backpack straps and smiled. Both Nathan and Haley looked at her and loved that her backpack was ten sizes too big. If she ever filled it up, Charlotte would be sure to topple over.

"Are you leaving now?" Charlotte slowly walked toward her family as her backpack hit the backs of her knees.

Haley set her purse on the counter and bent down, "Mmm-huh, come here." Haley wrapped her daughter in a warm embrace, "Be good for Dad and Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton while I'm gone, okay?" Haley moved back a little to study Charlotte's mouth, "And let me get a good look at that smile. It might look a little different when I come back."

Nodding, Charlotte smiled wide, "Yep, I might loose my tooth soon!"

Haley nodded and kissed Charlotte on her temple, "Bye, baby. I love you."

"Love you too, Mama. Bye." Charlotte looked to her mother and then smiled at her brother. She held out her fist and Jamie knocked knuckles with her.

"Bye, Charlotte."

Charlotte furrowed her brow, "Wait, you didn't do the thing." Charlotte held her fist out again and this time after Jamie hit it he expanded his fingers and made an exploding noise. Charlotte's smile widened, "Bye, Jamie."

Jamie turned to his dad and gave him a side hug, "Beat the Hawks, Dad."

Nathan laughed nodding, "We'll crush 'em."

"Yeah probably. If we don't get the game I'll be watching SportsCenter for the highlight reel."

"I'll keep that in mind." Nathan smiled, "Have fun up there. I love you."

"I love you too." Jamie moved away from his father and toward the door. He picked up his suitcase and his mom's as well.

"Thanks, Jamie." Haley watched her son take the luggage to the car and then took a deep breath. She looked to Nathan with kind eyes, "So I'll call you when we land."

"Okay."

"I love you, Nathan."

Leaning down, Nathan kissed her quickly, "Love you, too."

Haley slowly nodded as she took in his words. That simple sentence meant everything to her. She glanced at the clock and realized they were pushing time. "Alright, I gotta go. I'll be home soon."

"Bye, Mama." Charlotte had already said it once, but she felt like saying it again.

Nathan and Charlotte stood together watching Haley and Jamie walk out the front door. The tall man looked down to his daughter and raised his brow, "It's just you and me, huh?"

Leaning into her father's side, Charlotte nodded. "Yep."

**OTHOTH**

Whey they landed in Washington, Haley and the other parents and teachers started counting heads once the group made it off the plane. The actual flight was just over three hours but Haley felt like she'd been traveling all day. Between security, actual air time, and keeping an eye on rambunctious seventh graders, the day seemed to move slower than most.

The school group was waiting on their shuttle service and Haley thought it would be a good time to call Nathan. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.

Nathan was on his way to pick up Charlotte from school when his phone rang. Haley's name and picture flashed up on his screen and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey, baby."

"Hi."

"How's it going."

Haley let out an exhausting laugh, "Um, good."

He caught on to her tone right away. "I can tell."

"I mean it's not that bad. It's just been a long day. But what are you up to?"

"I'm about to get Charlotte. I think we're gonna run by the store to pick up dinner stuff. Any recommendations for what I should do?"

Haley smiled, "She does love your cheeseburgers."

"Yeah, that'll be easy. I can do that."

Mr. Henderson walked toward the group of chaperones with an envelope and a smile. Haley knew that she was about to get some sort of something important. "Hey, I gotta run. I think we're about to go to the hotel. I'll call you tonight, kay. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." Nathan pulled up to Tree Hill Elementary and parked behind the last car in line. A black convertible pulled up behind him, the driver had golden-ish curls, and her music was louder than it needed to be. Nathan had to laugh. Peyton hadn't changed one bit. She was going to be ninety driving that old car blaring music that was more in style than anything on the radio ever would be. He stuck his hand out the window to give Peyton a wave, and soon after that the bell rang.

Charlotte walked out of the school and saw her father's car. She'd waved to Peyton when they made eye and then she opened up the back door. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey. How was school?"

"Fun. I told all my friends about my tooth and it almost came out today."

"Really?" Nathan put the car into drive and slowly pulled out of the school parking lot. "You think if I make my famous cheeseburgers it might come out tonight?"

"Ooh, maybe!" Charlotte's eyes got wide. "Extra cheese?"

Nathan laughed, "Sure, extra cheese." It was funny, really. Both Jamie and Charlotte had inherited their mother's love of cheese. Macaroni especially, but that was to be left to Haley. That was something Nathan just couldn't pull off.

As the duo drove closer toward the grocery store, Nathan asked more about school and Charlotte gave him a synopsis about what her day entailed. Nothing too fancy but Nathan loved the conversation nonetheless.

When they'd pulled into the parking lot, Nathan clicked his seatbelt and turned around. "Meat, buns, fries, or do you want chips?"

"Fries! Mmm, can we get the sweet potato kind?"

Nathan nodded. He had no idea how or why Charlotte like those better than regular fries but she did. "Meat, buns, _sweet potato_ fries...anything else?"

"Mama makes something green. We always have something green on our plates."

"Right, um, peas, green beans?"

"Green beans!"

Nathan nodded and verbally repeated the new list. "Meat, buns, sweet potato fries, green beans. Sound good?"

Charlotte had to think about it, "What about the cheese? Extra cheese, remember!"

Laughing, Nathan nodded, "There's some at the house. American, cheddar, and Swiss too. So we're good on cheese. Got our mental list?"

"Meat, buns, sweet potato fries, and green beans. Got it!"

On thing was for certain. Charlotte had Haley's brain without a doubt. There's no way at six that Nathan would have remembered a grocery list. Even if it was only four things. "Alright, let's head inside."

Charlotte and Nathan got out of the car and while they walked through the parking lot Nathan felt Charlotte's hand slip into his. He hoped that never stopped. He never wanted to see the day when she didn't need him like that.

As they walked in the store, they both decided against getting a cart. They didn't need it. Between the two of them they could carry their four items.

They got the meat, buns, fries, and green beans and while they walked to the checkout line, Charlotte picked up the latest copy of Sports Illustrated. Jamie had a habit of flippy through the pages whenever he was at the store so she decided to skim through the pages. She might recognize some of the NBA players.

A fit of giggles erupted from the little girl as she held out the magazine. "Daddy. You look silly."

Nathan turned to look and he started to feel a bit embarrassed. It wasn't anything in particular but he never was a fan of seeing himself in magazines. But it was a simple picture. The black background was a nice contrast to his white Bobcat's jersey, and he was holding a half empty glass with a white mustache.

Charlotte read the tag line out loud, "Got milk?" She laughed and looked up to her dad, "You have white stuff on your lip. It looks like your shaving cream."

"Actually, it's sour cream. They painted it on with a brush and re-applied it every couple of shots."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Charlotte looked closely at the picture, "So that's not real milk?"

"Nope." Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"Would you like to buy the magazine, sir?" The cashier looked at Nathan with an arched brow.

Before he answered, Charlotte piped in. "That's my daddy." She pointed at the page they'd been looking at. "And he says that's fake milk."

The woman behind the register smiled, "Really?" She knew that it was fake but played along for Charlotte's sake.

"Mmm-huh. It's really sour cream."

"Wow!" The cashier rang up the items, took Nathan's money, then gave him his change.

"Have a good night, Mr. Scott. Good luck in the game this week."

Apparently the lady was a Bobcats fan. But what was so nice about the little interaction was that the local grocery store clerk hadn't been phased by Nathan's NBA status. There were no goo-goo eyes, or flash bulbs. Just a smile and well wish for his upcoming game. "Thank you."

Nathan and Charlotte walked back out to the parking lot and neither of them knew that pretty soon they'd be getting a visitor. At least Charlotte would. She wouldn't have wings, and she wouldn't be a she, but the Tooth Fairy was gonna be rolling into town soon.

**OTHOTH**

When dinnertime rolled around Charlotte had been adamant that she help out. Nathan didn't want her too close to the grill in case she bumped into it, but he was finding things for her to do. She'd dumped the canned green beans into the pot, helped put the fries on the cookie sheet, and even pulled out the ketchup.

"I bet the burgers are ready for some cheese you want to help me with that?"

Charlotte nodded and got some cheese from the fridge. Two pieces for both of them and an extra to eat while she was outside. "Here you go." She handed her father the cheese for the burger and started to unwrap her pieces. She studied the orange square in her and and then took a bite.

Nathan put the cheese on and turned to Charlotte. His face fell when he saw her grimacing. "What is it?"

"Ah." Charlotte opened her mouth and pulled out her tooth. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" She stuck out her tongue and shook her head, "Eh!"

"You lost your tooth!"

Charlotte had her mouth open because she didn't know what to do. She could taste a little bit of blood and she didn't like that at all. Her face contorted into a face that translated to Nathan that she obviously didn't like what was going on.

"Come here. Let's get that cleaned up."

The girl followed her father into the kitchen and Nathan lifted her up so she could sit on the counter. He got a paper towel wet and handed it to her, "Use this." He watched her put the towel up to her mouth and then got a cup of water. Adding a bit of table salt, Nathan shook up the glass and walked back over to Charlotte. "How's it doing?"

Charlotte lifted the paper towel and open her mouth.

There was certainly a gap there but even with a gappy grin, Charlotte was too cute. "Where's your tooth?"

Holding up her hand, she showed him her tiny tooth.

"Let's keep that so the tooth fairy can come tonight." Nathan watched Charlotte put it on the counter and he handed her the glass of water. "This is gonna taste bad but it'll stop the bleeding. Swirl it around and then spit into the sink."

Charlotte took the cup and did as she was told. "Yuck! That tasted like the ocean."

"It was salt water, Charlotte." Nathan laughed while nodding, "I bet it did taste like the ocean."

"It's gross."

"Better though, right?"

Running her tongue along her new gap, Charlotte felt the emptiness and realized her gum had stopped bleeding. She nodded, "Better."

Nathan smiled and then remember he still had burgers on the grill, "Sit right here. I'll be right back." He quickly walked outside and then back with their burgers, "They are a little bit over-done, but..." Nathan put down the plate and walked back over to Charlotte. "Let me see that smile again."

Charlotte opened up her mouth and proudly displayed her gap.

Nathan pulled out his phone, "Let me get a picture so I can send it to Mom." He took a picture of her smile and then one of Charlotte holding her tooth.

Nathan would be sure to send the picture to Haley after dinner but for now he and Charlotte were concentrated on how her missing tooth would impact eating.

For the most part, it wasn't so bad. Only on a few occasions did Charlotte make a funny face, and that was normally only when a fry fit perfectly in that new gap of hers.

When dinner was over Nathan cleaned up the kitchen while Charlotte went upstairs. He put away the dishes and cleaned off the counter. Charlotte's tooth was almost thrown away but Nathan spotted it before it made it to the trashcan. He walked upstairs and stood in her doorway, "I've got something you might want."

She looked up and raised her brow, "What?"

"Well, in order for the Tooth Fairy to come you might need this?"

Charlotte's hand flew to her mouth and she realized she didn't have that tooth that had come out. "My tooth!"

"Yep. Here." Nathan walked over to her and handed her the small white tooth. "Put it under your pillow."

"Right here?"

"Yeah, that's perfect." He nodded and then looked toward her backpack, "Do you have reading to do?"

Shaking her head, Charlotte answered. "Not tonight."

Nathan knew it was relatively early but Charlotte must have been worn out from her day because she was rubbing her eyes. She'd had a bath, eaten, she didn't have any homework, so bed was next on the agenda. "You getting tired?"

A big yawn overcame Charlotte and that was evidence enough.

"Alright, if you need anything..."

"I love you, Daddy." Charlotte spoke/yawned and rolled on her side closing her eyes.

Nathan felt his heart swell at her words. He pulled the covers up and leaned down to place a sweet kiss on her forehead, "Night, Char. I love you, too." Getting up, Nathan walked toward the door and hit the light switch. He cracked her door so it wasn't too dark and then made his way to the bedroom.

Before he forgot, Nathan texted the pictures of Charlotte to Haley and he changed into some pajamas. He wasn't tired yet but he knew he could knock out a handful of pages in his new book before he did end up sleeping.

And that's what he did. He was almost through thirty pages when his phone started to ring.

It was Haley an he couldn't hide the smile, "Hey."

"She looks so cute with the gap. How'd it happen?"

Nathan let out a laugh, "She bit into a piece of cheese."

"Cheese!"

"Yeah. We were outside putting cheese on the burgers and next thing I know, I look over to her and she's got this look... Like she's nervous she did something wrong mixed with a bad taste in her mouth."

"Aw, how'd she do?"

"Good. She was a little freaked at first but after she swished with salt water it got better."

Haley smiled, "I wish I'd been there."

Nathan didn't want Haley to think she'd missed some huge event, "It wasn't all that exciting. Pretty much the same as when Jamie lost his first tooth."

She started to laugh, "Oh wow. That was almost a disaster."

"You mean us playing Tooth Fairy?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember?"

Nathan remembered alright. It was one of those nights he'd probably never forget.

_The clock next to the bed had 11:03pm on it and Haley looked to Nathan. "You ready?"_

_Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He picked up the dollar bill that he'd gotten and they both got up out of the bed._

_Haley felt like a kid on Christmas. Something about playing Tooth Fairy to her son was incredibly exciting. She walked toward Nathan and bumped into his side, "We have to be quiet. I don't want him to wake up."_

_Silently nodding, Nathan got the message. He walked out of their room first. The hallway was pitch black and Nathan felt Haley grab onto his shirt for guidance. They successfully made it to Jamie's room and Nathan quietly opened the door. Their son's room was even darker than the hallway and Nathan turned around to Haley. "I can't see anything."_

_Haley looked past her husband and winced at the darkness. "Maybe our eyes will adjust in a minute."_

_Well, they'd waited a minute and nothing had changed. Nathan looked to Haley and shrugged, "I'll just go in there by myself and try not to wake him up."_

_She nodded and watched Nathan slowly step into the room. He'd made it to the bed fine, or from what she could tell, and he even slipped the money under Jamie's pillow without a problem. But that's where his fortune stopped. Nathan took one too many steps to his left and all the sudden a loud siren echoed through the room. It about scared Nathan to death, so he trampled over the toy truck and tripped._

_Haley's mouth flung open and she knew they were about to get caught._

_Nathan hustled out of the room and tried not to laugh when he made it to the hallway. He leaned against the wall and started to silently laugh._

"_Nathan!" Haley whispered in a low tone and widened her eyes, "Way to go."_

_He was whispering too, "What? I didn't see it!"_

_Jamie had woken up with the racket and was caught off guard by his toy truck. He started to think that the Boogey Man was in his room. "Mama!"_

_Haley heard her name and she bugged her eyes._

"_Mama!"_

_Nathan looked toward their son's room, "Well go see what he wants."_

"_I don't want to make it obvious that I'm right out here. It would take me a minute to get up and out of our room."_

_Nathan nodded and they both heard Jamie yell again._

_Haley quickly walked inside the room and flicked on the lights, "What is it, baby?" She sat down on his bed and used one of her hands to smooth down his bed head._

"_Somebody's was in here." The blue eyed boy looked around his room and shook his head, "It was scary."_

"_Everything's okay, Jame. Nobody's in here. Did your truck start going off?" The little boy nodded and Haley reassured him. "The batteries might be low. Sometimes toys do that if they're running out of juice."_

"_Will you look around?"_

"_Sure."_

_Nathan though it would be helpful if he entered into the picture. He made it to the doorway and rubbed his head so it looked like he'd just woken up. "What's going on, Jamie?"_

_Jamie looked at his father and pulled up the covers, "I got scared."_

"_You got scared?" Nathan walked closer to his son's bed and sat down. "The Jamie Scott I know isn't scared of anything."_

_The little boy nodded, "Uh-huh."_

"_Nah. You're the toughest guy I know."_

_Haley opened the closet and looked around and turned back to her son, "Nothing's in here, Jamie. I bet it was just low batteries on that truck."_

_Nathan picked up the toy, "I bet if we take it out of here it won't go off again and scare you."_

"_How about that?" Haley walked back over to her son and sat down on the bed. "Will that be better?"_

_Jamie nodded and shuffled under his covers to get comfortable. "Will you stay a little while?"_

"_Sure, baby." Haley nodded and started to lightly rub on her son's back._

_Nathan watched the interaction between Haley and Jamie, and he knew that there was nothing more in the world he'd love more. Those two. Haley. Jamie. They meant everything to him and it was amazing to see how great Haley was as a mom. He'd never had doubts but for being so young, she was so prepared for anything and everything to do with motherhood. "Night, bud."_

_Jamie said goodnight to his father and then the room went dark again. Haley was still rubbing on Jamie's back and she knew it wouldn't be long before he was out._

_And it wasn't. Nathan has been back in their room for about five minutes when she walked in. She saw the toy truck sitting in the corner and she laughed after she shut the door. "Wow."_

_Nathan turned over with a smile, "What? How was I supposed to know that thing was on the floor? I didn't mean for him to get scared."_

"_I know. I know." Haley climbed into bed and scooted closer to Nathan. Her she rested her head on his chest for a moment and then used one of her hands to try and reach behind his back._

_He turned to her and shook his head, "What? What are you doing?"_

"_Looking for wings? Tooth Fairy's have wings, right?" She was laughing as she'd said that. _

"_Oh, you're funny." Nathan arched his brow and started to roll over._

"_Nathan!" Haley started to laugh and had to muffle her voice so she wasn't so loud. "What...what are you doing?"_

_He leaned down and kissed her just below her ear and trailed a path across her jaw and landed on her lips, "I think you know exactly what I'm doing." Haley felt a blush swarm her cheeks and Nathan's leaned down again. His lips crashed onto hers and she was feeling all his weight as he pressed against her. Her hands started to bunch up his shirt and Nathan started to laugh._

"_What?"_

_He looked down to her with a smile, "How many times you think the Tooth Fairy has gone shirtless on the job?"_

_She shook her head and leaned up to kiss him, "I don't know? But I doubt most Tooth Fairies look like __you."_

_Nathan smiled, leaning down to kiss her wanting nothing between them but the night._

_Haley pulled on Nathan's neck but before her lips met his that toy truck started going off. "Oh my God!" The sudden noise had scared the bejeezus out of Haley, and she tensed up and flung her hands over her face. The sheer shock was almost as bad as seeing a clown.  
_

_It had scared Nathan too. "Jeez. No wonder Jamie got so freaked out." He rolled off of Haley and shook his head, "Damn thing."_

Nathan was knocked from his trance when Haley spoke.

"This time try not to step on any toys that might start going off."

He nodded, "Yeah, I checked. Charlotte's room was clean. I shouldn't have any trouble."

"Call me in the morning and let me know how it goes."

"I'm sure she'll want to call you and tell you all about what the Tooth Fairy brought her. You know how excited she gets."

Haley laughed, "Yeah."

Nathan looked at the clock and looked at the money on the bedside table, "Actually, I should probably go ahead and do that."

"Alright, well I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Bye." Nathan pressed end and got up out of the bed. He reached for the money and quietly walked to Charlotte's room.

It was quiet and still and the only noise was Charlotte's slow breathing. Nathan tucked the money underneath the pillow and grabbed the tiny tooth. In his hand, it seemed even smaller than before. He looked down at Charlotte and watched her for a second. She was beautiful. The boys were in for a world of hurt when she got older. They were all going to be falling for her.

Nathan looked down at the tooth and squeezed it in his hands before he walked away. When he got to the doorway he turned around and glanced at his little girl. Everything about her came back to Haley, and if that wasn't the best gift he could have asked for, he didn't know what was.

Walking back to his room, Nathan walked past a picture of the three people in the world he'd do anything for. Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte were everything. They were the rain, a game of Horse, a tooth; everything. And Nathan Scott would be whatever he needed to be for them. Husband, father...even the Tooth Fairy.

**OTHOTH**

**Fluffy family...fluff. Yeah, I know. But I couldn't help it. I randomly thought about one of the kids loosing their first tooth so I thought it might make a cute chapter. What did you guys think? Yay or nay?  
**

**IMPORTANT! I **_**keep**_** getting multiple reviews and PMs asking if I've ever considered doing a miscarriage chapter... Guys, I have. It's chapter 21: When a Heart Breaks. I know that it probably seems like forever ago but it's in here. I've definitely more than considered that scenario. I did have a thought though. Since that chapter was pretty short and not as detailed or long as some of you may have wanted it...what if I did a little bit of a revision? I wouldn't change the plot but I probably would have more character interaction: more NH, Jamie, additional LH, BH, PH, NL-whoever. Would you guys like that? Since so many of you are interested in a miscarriage storyline now I could re-write and upload the new chapter as a revised ch. 21 (no, it wouldn't be chap 75). Maybe I could add 3000 words to it? What do you guys think? Leave it as it is, or revise and expand? Hit that review button and let me know. And let me know what you'd want to see that I didn't have in the first version if you're vote is yes. And votes count people. REALLY.**

**My reviewers! Thank you! Bethanyfan23, Joan, Diana, Lindsey, Annemarie, Heather, Satcher, Katelyn, Jessica, Grace, Krystena, MagicalNaley23, Jennifer, Kathyrn, Sally, Helen, Hannah, Amanda, SARAH, LB7882, Melissa, Leah, Madeline, Kristin, Taylor, Scottie, Tensley, Jordan, Anna, Caroline, Michele, Haley, Amanda, Nancy...I appreciate the feedback!  
**

**EvangelineMaya: I'm so glad you've been reading the story and enjoying it. I'm so thrilled you like Charlotte!**

**KC: I thought emasculating was a good way to describe how Nathan may have felt after the accident, too. Showing that he also probably felt embarrassed or ashamed was something I wanted to go into a little more. I feel like the show missed out on some great material there.**

**Mazzy: Yeah, I think Haley not have their bedroom downstairs after the accident was a bit strange. But we missed 4 months in time so maybe she did have it set up that way during the initial time home, and when things got bad maybe she realized it was better if they slept alone? I don't. It's bugged me too, though, lol.**

**Anon: Nah, you don't fail "hardcore" at reviewing...nobody has to do it, but it certainly helps out my writing confidence, and often inspires me to write faster and do reader requests! Ha, and yes, I'm the same way. I think we were robbed when it came to the accident aftermath. Joy would have rocked that and it's a shame we never got to see it. I'm glad you liked my take on it though! And I think you reviewed twice (or at least the way the two Anon's wrote were incredibly similar) but BHAHAHAHA, bringing up a scenario where Nathan burns a turkey. Hmm, something tells me you're a FanForum person, LOL. Out of fear that I'd be ripped a new one (again) I think I'll opt out of that scenario. I'll leave Thanksgiving up to the show. **

**Always and Forever: There was lots of father/daughter time in the new chapter. Was that along the lines of what you were hoping to see? I hope so. I appreciate the compliment, but I hightly doubt I'd bring anything new to the writer's room for OTH. I'm sure they've got plenty of people who can handle that. I'd be out of my league, I'm sure.**

**Hadley: I plan on having a parenting issue come up soon. I'm not sure number chapter it will be, but sometime in the future.**

**Bwyn: This new chapter was pretty fluffy so I think it would be something you liked. Or I hope so. About OTH, wow the season premier seems so long ago. I really like the premier and so far, everything's been good...Naley wise. I wasn't crazy about ep 2 but...I guess I can't like everything, lol. I'm a spoiler junkies so I knew a head of time about what was coming up for NH and I can tell you right now I'm not happy Nathan's leaving the NBA. I would understand if he' been having problems with his back but this was too much too soon. Ugh...now he's gonna be an agent...ugh, no. Nathan Scott and agent (for me at least) do not go together. He needs to coach or something. Sorry, rant over. Oh and no. I have not done a chapter when NH decide to have another baby/Charlotte. And I probably won't. I don't know. It just doesn't have a lot of appeal to me right now but that might change.**

**Hailey: Yes, I've done a chapter set during the aftermath of Jamie's kidnapping. It's called Watching You Sleep. And when you say a chapter set when NH get back together after his accident...didn't we get that in the scene when they are in their living room and he says "I know we're not the couple we used to be, but we'll get there?**

**Kelly: The aftermath of Lydia's death would probably be a good chapter to touch on but if you notice, Lydia and Jimmy don't die (I mean they will eventually) in the story. We know for sure that they are at least around till Charlotte's 16. **

**Darby: What kind of emotional Nathan would you want to see? And like I replied to another reader...didn't we get a piece of the NH make up after his accident when he told her that they'd get back to being the couple they used to be when they are in the living room? I feel like that was the moment (form what we saw) where they really made up and she was letting him back in. Your other suggestions are already on my list to do.**

**Blurrystars: Nathan's "Not so good" was probably one of my favorite lines of last chapter. You know how I'm all about throwbacks, lol.**

**BDavis: Oh don't apologize for reviewing late. I'm the one who should be handing out apologies in bulk. The hiatus was something I'm sure people didn't exactly like, ha. **

**Diana: Thank you so much for your supportive words. I appreciate it so much!**

**Megan: I did not quit. In the future please check my profile updates. I post them pretty much on a day to day basis so people will know what to expect out of me. I appologize for the wait but college and my classes do come first. Sorry.**

**Review Please!**

**Have a request/suggestion? Let me know!  
**


	75. Hurts to Watch

**Little Moments  
**

**Chapter 75: Hurts to Watch  
**

**Disclaimer: All characters and places related to OTH belong to Mark and co. My creativity is mine, same with original characters.**

**A/N: A little bit of a continuation from my disclaimer: Guys, please, please, please be respectful of my stories and ideas. It's incredibly disheartening to come across stories that are nearly the exact same as LM (plot scenarios, chapter titles, etc. -_and I'm not talking basics, I'm talking something that is unique to LM_). I always try to be respectful of other writers on here. I've often strayed from certain little moments because I know people have already written about them. So with that said, if someone wants to use my ideas for another couple/fandom, that's great, awesome, but give me a little credit. Just a little. I've put in too much effort into these 75 chapters to see them go as other people's ideas. Food for thought.**

**About the miscarriage revamp: I'll be adding to the chapter later this week or this weekend. It won't be a new chapter just an updated version. Keep checking my profile updates for more info.  
**

**Back to the story. I had a hard time deciding if I should do a Halloween chap. I should've polled you guys but I forgot. Considering last episode was Halloween themed I figured I could forgo a holiday chapter. I've done one in here before (way back, chapter 5) but if you guys really want to see another I'll consider it. But this one takes place when the kids are older and I've done it with a flashback so both instances were touched on. I didn't think it would be fair to only include one child's scenario over the other. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  
**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan came down stairs and could smell the familiar scent of sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes were around the house that normally meant dinner had something to do with Charlotte. Considering that this dinner was dedicated to celebrating her last night in Tree Hill with friends and family, it was safe to say, yes, the sweet potatoes were on hand purely for Charlotte Scott.

Going off to college was supposed to be the most exciting time for any young adult. There were an endless amount of opportunities and it was going to be the beginning of the rest of her life. And that was great and wonderful, but for parents, watching any child fly the coop was an emotional roller coaster. Nathan and Haley had already been on that ride once and this time was going to be equally as terrifying. It wasn't so much that they were scared to let their daughter into the big bad world but letting her go was going to be the hardest part.

"You need help peeling those?" Nathan walked by Haley and pointed at the starchy food.

Looking at her husband, Haley took a deep breath and nodded, "Sure."

Together, Nathan and Haley peeled enough sweet potatoes to make plenty of homemade fries to feed twelve. Their peeling was methodical and quiet. Nathan knew that the silence between the two of them had a lot do with the fact that their youngest was leaving for college in a few days. He put his peeled potatoes on the cutting board and looked at his wife.

"It's gonna be okay, Hales."

Haley wasn't so sure. "I'm gonna be a mess, Nathan. I might cry for days." It was the honest truth. In reality, it might be more like weeks instead of days.

He let out a small laugh and shook his head. Leaning toward her, Nathan wrapped one of his arms around her frame and pulled her close. "Maybe it won't be so bad?"

Shaking her head against his body, Haley looked up to him with a worried look, "How did they grow up so fast?" Sighing a heavy sign, she shrugged, "Jamie's married and lives in South Carolina. Charlotte's leaving for Rhode Island in a couple days and..." Trying to hold back any tears that were on their way, Haley took a deep breath. "It's been twenty five years since it's been just the two of us."

Nathan knew it wasn't meant to sound like she was worried about the quality of company he would give her, but he still laughed, "I'll have to step up my game, I know."

"No..." Haley laughed and shook her head, "It's not that."

"I know."

"It's just...I've been a mom more than half my life."

Nathan furrowed his brow and looked down to her, "You're still gonna be a mom, Haley."

"It's gonna be different though. I know it will." Haley walked over toward the trash can to dump the potato skins in the garbage.

Knowing there wasn't a whole lot he could say that could change her opinion on the matter, Nathan leaned on the counter and crossed his arms with a smirk, "We can always have more."

Haley just rolled her eyes and laughed. It wasn't _that_ absurd for a forty two year old woman to have a child these days but that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't that she couldn't or didn't want another one of Nathan's babies. It was the simple fact that they'd already been through the diapers and bottles phase. They'd been perfectly happy with two.

Nathan knew that wasn't a solution to the problem. In all honesty he didn't know what to say though. He'd seen her go through this with Jamie but Charlotte still had some growing up to do. And now, now both of their children were going to be gone. It was obviously hard for Haley to cope with.

Maybe if he changed the subject that could help?

"When is everybody getting here?" It would give him a time frame for when he should start grilling the filets.

"Jamie and Liza should be here soon and everyone else is coming around six."

The front door opened and Haley assumed it was her son and daughter-in-law. Both parents waited for a voice of recognition but they didn't get it until the person walked into the kitchen.

"So, Will's not coming to dinner..."

Nathan saw his seventeen, almost eighteen, year old walk into the kitchen. But in his mind he was picturing her as the three year old who'd sit atop his shoulders, the five year old who'd hide his basketball shoes, and the toddler who'd smile up to him with those beautiful brown eyes. The constriction he was starting to feel in his chest let him know that Haley wasn't the only one who was going to have a rough go of it. Nathan had failed to realize how everything was going to affect him. It really hadn't occurred to him, but right now it was like he'd just been hit smack in the face with the reality that his little girl was leaving. Why now? That was a mystery, but the heavy ache in his chest was a warning sign of things to come.

Blinking through his trance, Nathan caught back on to the conversation. Apparently Charlotte and her longtime on-again, off-again boyfriend were done. Permanently. Their list of mouths to feed fell from twelve to eleven.

"Well are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Haley hated that Charlotte was going through this right now.

Shaking her head, Charlotte shrugged, "It was bound to happen. We both saw it coming." She smiled at the sweet potatoes on the counter and headed up upstairs, "I think I'm gonna go get ready."

Nathan watched as Charlotte walked up the stairs and turned to his wife, "She's taking it well."

Nodding, Haley agreed, "Yeah." The mother of two walked back to the cutting board, "I guess some things are easier to let go of than others."

From her tone and expression, Nathan was pretty sure he caught the underlying theme. It was breaking his heart that Haley seemed so down about Charlotte's upcoming departure. "Hey..." He walked toward her and put his hands on her shoulders, "It's all going to be okay."

Her brown eyes looked up to his blue eyes and she nodded. Haley knew in the depths of her heart that Nathan was right. How in the world he was being so strong and seemingly un-phased by it all was unknown to her, but she loved him for his strength. Little did she know that they'd both have to lean on each other to get through it.

"Mom? Dad? We're here."

The front door opened and the parents knew that their son and daughter-in-law were there.

Haley wiped her hands on the dish towel by the sink and smiled when her twenty four year old approached her. Nathan greeted Liza with a hug and Haley embraced her son.

"How you holding up?" Jamie moved away from their hug and met his mother with same eyes his father had. He'd remembered how incredibly taxing his move to Chapel Hill had been on her. He could only imagine what his mom was going through now.

Laughing a little, Haley nodded, "I'm fine."

Nathan couldn't help but smile at his wife's statement. She always did go around telling everybody she was fine. Some things just didn't change.

That was a lie and Jamie knew it but he also knew he shouldn't press the subject. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs."

Jamie nodded and wanted to go have a chat with his little sister. Before he did, he turned to his father. "Hey, Dad." Extending his hand, Jamie smiled.

Grasping his hand with his son's, Nathan nodded, "Hey, Jame. You gonna help me with the steaks later?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever you need." Jamie flashed his father a grin and tilted his head toward the stairs, "I'm gonna go see Charlotte."

"Is there anything I can help you with, Haley?" Liza looked to the older woman with a warm smile.

While Haley and Liza talked about dinner preparations, Jamie made his way upstairs and to his little sister's room. The door was closed so he knocked.

"Come in."

Jamie looked around Charlotte's room and he leaned against the door frame, "So you just had to pick Brown, huh? UNC wasn't good enough?"

Charlotte turned around with a wide smile, "Jamie, hey." The girl got up and hugged her brother hello.

"Hey, Char." Jamie met his sister and then sat down on the foot of the bed. "Think you're ready for it?"

The girl sat down on her desk chair and spun around. "I'm so excited."

Jamie's college experience hadn't ended too long ago, and he was excited for his sister. There was no telling what kinds rewarding things she would get to do. Maybe she'd meet a guy? Jamie had met Liza in college. Maybe that would be in Charlotte's cards as well. But as Jamie thought about it, he knew that there were plenty of things Charlotte needed to avoid as well. "You'll be smart up there, right?"

Charlotte gave her brother a funny little smirk, "Smart? Jamie, I wasn't top five percent of my class for nothing."

"I'm not talking book smarts, Charlotte." He laughed and shook his head, "I'm talking street smarts. Making good decisions. There's gonna be a lot up there that you're not used to. Tree Hill and Providence are going to seem like they're miles apart."

"Seven hundred eight six miles to be exact."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Not distan..."

"I know." Charlotte laughed and got up off her chair, "You don't have to worry about me, Jamie. I'm gonna be fine. I'm not going to be throwing myself at the guys, I'm not gonna be partying _every_ night. I can hold my own."

Nodding his head, Jamie was confident that Charlotte was right but he couldn't help but say something. "You can always call me. Or, mom, or dad. Liza...anybody."

Charlotte looked at her brother, got up, sat down next to him and smiled. "I will." They sat on the foot of her bed for a minute and then Charlotte turned to Jamie with a deep breath, "Is it really bad? Saying goodbye?"

Jamie narrowed his eyes but shook his head, "I don't know. I think it's different for everyone. But it's not goodbye."

"Well it kind of is." The young college bound girl nodded with a laugh.

"Nah, it might feel like that at first, but you'll make new friends, and classes will take up _all_ of your time." Jamie laughed as he emphasized the time part.

"Jeeze, thanks. You're really making me excited now." Charlotte's tone was sarcastic and sharp.

Jamie smiled and shook his head, "Believe me, it'll be the time of your life. I'm betting you'll never want to come home."

"Ha." Charlotte laughed and arched her brow, "Maybe."

Checking his watch, Jamie stood up. "I'm gonna go help Dad..." He started to walk to the door and turned around. He'd planned to say something else but Charlotte was already up and in her bathroom. The water turned on and Jamie took that as his cue to head back downstairs.

Jamie saw that Liza was putting out some place mats and as much as he loved to look at the younger Mrs. Scott, it was the older Mr. and Mrs. he found his eyes resting on. Side by side, his parents were smiling and laughing as they were washing off what dishes they'd just used. In that moment Jamie Scott knew that his parents were going to be just fine. The initial sting of Charlotte leaving was going to be painful but watching them together, Jamie knew that he didn't have anything to worry about. His mom and dad had each other. That could get them through anything.

**OTHOTH**

Dinner was in full swing and the conversation was as lively as ever. The majority of the stories going around were cute and embarrassing mentions of Charlotte's childhood.

Brooke told everybody about Charlotte working at Clothes over Bro's for the first time. Apparently she'd had a _little_ bit of a mishap with the register.

Peyton retold the hilarious tale about the time Sawyer tried to help Charlotte get a loose tooth out. It had involved a wrench and plenty of tears. The image and recollection of Sawyer chasing her younger cousin around with one of her father's wrenches had everybody laughing. If Sawyer had been there she would have told everyone that she knew was she was doing.

"Doesn't beat the cheese, though, does it, Char?"

Charlotte looked to her father and shook her head laughing. Her memory was a little hazy but she knew for a fact that her first tooth had come out after biting into a simple piece of cheese.

Haley found herself smiling but the retelling of all these Charlotte stories was starting to make her stomach hurt. Now Charlotte's stories would take place in some cold Northern state, and the characters would be college friends who'd fill the void left by her family back in Tree Hill

"Anybody need something from the kitchen?" Haley started to get up and looked to the group. Nobody said anything so she wandered to the kitchen and glanced out the window. The water just upon the dock was smooth and clam and exactly how Haley wanted to feel.

"Last time I checked, Charlotte was this big," Lucas walked toward Haley with that squinty eyed look he'd mastered so well and his hand held below his knee.

"Yeah. Sawyer too."

Lucas set his cup down on the counter and laughed, "I think you and Nate are lucky though. Sawyer wouldn't even let me and Peyton come up to Boston to get her all moved in. She wasn't going to be caught dead on campus with her parents."

That mustered up a laugh from Haley and she nodded. As she looked to her oldest and best friend, Haley shrugged, "What am I gonna do, Luke?"

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not ready to let her go. Not now. It was bad enough letting Jamie go to Chapel Hill all those years ago but now... Charlotte's my baby."

Lucas wasn't in the position to tell Haley what the appropriate way to react was, but he had to think of something to say. "Do you remember when you called me on your way back home from moving Jamie in?"

"Yeah."

"What was the answer then?"

Haley thought back and her memory was flung to seven years earlier when her son was on the verge of beginning his collegiate career...

_Nathan pulled a few boxes from the trunk and walked into Everett Hall. The old brick building was shaded by a large oak tree on the left side and Nathan was enjoying the partial shade in the burning August heat. When he was inside, Nathan walked to the stairs and made his way to the second floor. As he walked through the crowed hall of parents and boxes, Nathan stopped at room number 210 and went inside. _

_Haley was putting sheets on Jamie's bed and she smiled when she saw her husband._ "_Can you imagine what we would've done in space this small at college?"_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head, "I don't think babies were allowed in dorms, Hales."_

"_Well no, but look at this place." Haley glanced around the 13x19 room._

"_Yeah, it's pretty small."_

_Haley nodded as she fitted the mattress with its bottom sheet, "Can you imagine Brooke in a room like this?"_

"_Her roommate would have had...absolutely no say in how it looked."_

_Laughing again, Haley nodded. "I know."_

"_Heads up." Jamie walked through the door and set the box he was holding on the ground. "Mom you don't have to do that. I can make up my own bed."_

"_No, it's fine. I'd just get in the way if I was bringing up boxes..." She reached for the top sheet and spread it out over the bed, "...and it might be nice to have a well made bed the first night."_

_That was true. Jamie nodded and then looked to his father. "You wanna help me get the mini fridge?"_

"_Yeah. I saw a dolly down in the lobby. We can probably use that to help."_

_Jamie walked out of the room and Nathan followed. Haley made quick work of the sheets and got Jamie's comforter down without much time wasted. She placed his pillows at the head of the bed and then wondered what she should do next. The curtain? Yes, the curtain. Haley pulled one of the desk chairs over by the window and she stood as tall as she could. It was still short, but she was able to set up the curtain rod and hang the simple shade._

"_A little help?" Jamie turned over his shoulder and looked toward his mom._

"_Oh, sorry. Hold on." Haley got down off the chair and hurried to the door to open it wider. Some box or something had been in the way._

"_Where do you want it, Jame?"_

_Looking around the small room, Jamie pointed to a spot and shrugged, "I guess here. Sam and I can move it if we need to."_

_Haley watched the boys move the mini-fridge to its spot and she checked her watch, "When's Sam getting here? I'd like to meet him before we go."_

"_I'm not sure. They stagger the check-in times and I think he told me he had the twelve o'clock ticket."_

"_Oh." It was only nine fifteen and Haley figured the likelihood of meeting Jamie's roommate was going to have to wait. Housing and Residence life wanted parents in and out as soon as possible. Waiting around another few hours might get them in hot water with staff._

"_And he's from Windsor, right?"_

"_Yeah. I'm sure you can meet him at parents' weekend." Jamie plugged in the appliance and looked to his dad, "There were just a few more boxes, think we can get 'em in one trip?"_

_Nathan nodded and the father, son duo made their way back outside. Haley looked around the room and took a deep breath. Jamie probably wanted to put things in their right place but she could get it started for him. The first box of things she opened made her breath catch in her throat._

_It was a simple picture. Graduation. Nathan, Haley, and Jamie. Jamie was draped in a Ravens' blue robe and his cap was tilted. Haley was on his right and Nathan on his left. The picture struck such a chord in Haley and she didn't know why. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd seen it. But there was something about seeing him in that frame with herself and her husband that made her lip start to quiver._

_Haley's thumb traced over her son's image and she took a deep breath. Placing the picture on the desk closest to Jamie's bed, Haley reached into the box again._

_This time it was a group shot. Everyone Jamie loved, everyone Haley loved was in the picture. Thanksgiving of last year and it had been a memory to last for all ages. Everybody was outside in the backyard and they'd just finished their family game of football. Sawyer's jeans were muddy, Peyton had a leaf in her hair, Brooke had her arms around Charlotte, Lucas was standing next to Julian, Nathan was behind Haley, and Keith and Davis were tugging on the football. And everyone was laughing. It was everything, and it was family._

_A single tear splatted against the frame and Haley wiped her eye. She'd been doing so good. There had only been a few pangs of sadness but now it was coming in waves and she was like a lost vessel at sea. Things were about to get rough._

"_We got it all." Jamie smiled as he walked into the room._

_Nathan was following just behind his son and he set down his box. "So is this it?" He looked around the room and didn't know if they needed to do anything else._

"_Yeah. I'm all moved in. I've just got to unpack." Jamie looked at the boxes and knew he was in for a long day. "I uh...I guess we're good then."_

_Realizing that goodbye's were coming faster than a speeding avalanche, Nathan took a deep breath and looked to Haley. He caught sight of her bleary eyes and knew that she must have already grasped on to the fact that they were about to leave their son._

"_'Well look..." Nathan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet._

"_Dad, I don't..." He didn't need the money. He had plenty on him and in his account. His parents had already taken him to breakfast so there was no reason for his dad to give him an extra few bucks._

_Shaking his son off, Nathan handed Jamie a twenty dollar bill. "Get a pizza tonight. You and Sam will want something easy after you unpack."_

_Jamie took the money and nodded. A strange feeling fell over the boy and he could feel his chest get heavy. "Thanks."_

_Nathan nodded and gave his son a hug. "Have fun, Jamie. I love you."_

_Watching the interaction between father and son was enough to bring the tears at an increasing rate. Haley took a deep breath and walked closer to Jamie._

_The boy turned to look as his mom and noticed the tear stains, "Mom?" He let out a soft laugh and shook his head._

"_I know I'm sorry." Haley shrugged and wrapped her arms around her first born. "I love you, Jamie."_

"_I love you too, Mom." Jamie hugged Haley tighter and then she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek._

"_Stay safe, have fun, and study hard." Haley halfway laughed as she nodded toward her son._

_Jamie nodded, "I will."_

_Taking a deep breath, Haley backed away from Jamie and looked at the boy standing in a dorm full of boxes and she could have sworn he was five years old again. Five years old and wearing that black Ravens warm-up suit. Five years old with sandy blonde hair. But he wasn't. It was a blink and you miss it type deal and he wasn't five anymore. He was eighteen and ready to start the rest of his life._

"_I'll call you later. Have a safe trip home. Tell Charlotte I love her."_

_Nathan nodded and Haley grabbed her purse. They lingered in the door frame for a little too long but Jamie smiled, "I love you guys."_

_Wrapping a secure hand around his wife's back, Nathan nodded. Haley could literally feel the separate pieces of her heart breaking with each foot toward the exit and she looked at her son once more._

"_Bye, baby." _

_It had been nearly under her breath but Jamie had caught enough to smile his mom's way. Most kids would have hated the fact that their mom referred to them as baby but in this instance he didn't care. His parents vanished behind his door and Jamie was left to pick up where they'd left off. He wasn't nervous or scared. If anything, he knew that the life his parents had given him was more than enough to get him ready for college. In fact, Nathan Scott and Haley James were probably the best parents a boy could ask for._

_While Jamie stayed in his room and unpacked, his parents were making their way to the car. Haley had broken away from Nathan and walked as quickly to the Range Rover as she could._

"_Haley..."_

_She didn't even so much as turn around. Instead she opened up the passenger door and got in as quiet as a mouse. Nathan made his way to the driver's side and he got in. He could see the clear tears rolling off her cheek and he reached out for her._

"_Haley."_

_Her breath caught and she shook her head, "I'll be fine. Let's just go."_

_Worried and disappointed that he couldn't make her feel better, Nathan started the car and pulled off the curb. She didn't want to look out the mirror but she couldn't help it, and that only amped up the emotion ten times more. Haley leaned against the window and started to cry a little harder. The sound of her cries made Nathan's chest tighten and he turned to look at her. She looked broken. Like she'd just lost her most valuable possession. Nathan was going to take matters in his own hands. Literally._

_Reaching over the console, Nathan took Haley's hand in his and locked their fingers together._

_At first that was worse. Her sobs grew in magnitude but after a little while they subsided. Tears still fell from the corner of her eyes but that was something at this point she couldn't control._

_They'd been on the road just a little while and Nathan knew they needed to stop. He pulled off of fifty four to Farrington. "We need to get some gas. You want me to get you something?" Nathan eyed the Texico and changed lanes accordingly._

_Haley sat up a little bit straighter and used the back of her hand to wipe under her eyes, "I'm okay. Thanks, though."_

_Pulling into the gas station, Nathan got out of the car and started the pump. Haley watched as Nathan set the lock and walked inside the store. She pulled out her phone and called a number she knew she could count on._

"_Hey, Hales."_

_Lucas's voice brought a smile to Haley's face, "Hi."_

"_How's it going? UNC is pretty great, right?"_

"_Oh Luke, I'm a mess." Haley started to feel her tears fall again and she shook her head, "I was doing so good. But now...now I think I'm going to cry my contacts out."_

_Lucas didn't want to laugh but he did, "You just have to remember that Jamie's not a kid anymore."_

"_Ugh, I just feel like I'm doing something wrong. Like I'm leaving him." Nathan pushed through the doors of the store and had a brown paper bag in his hands. Haley saw him and closed her eyes, "And Nathan, I don't know how he does it."_

"_It'll take some getting used to."_

_Haley used her finger to catch her falling tear and she closed her eyes. "I don't know, Luke." She saw Nathan put up the nozzle and she took a deep breath. "I'll call you when we get close to home and I can talk to Charlotte then."_

"_Alright."_

"_Bye."_

"_Bye."_

_Nathan didn't walk to his side of the car, instead he walked up to her window. He motioned for her to roll it down and he looked at his wife with kind blue eyes. "I know you said you didn't want anything but I raided the store." He glanced down to the full bag of junk and smiled._

"_I'm sorry I'm such a wreck." Haley sighed and looked past Nathan as she shook her head._

"_Haley, you don't have to apologize." He handed her the bag and leaned on the door. His forearms were resting on the lip of the window and he leaded toward her. "Do you know how great it makes me feel to know that I've got a son going to UNC? That **we've** got a son going to UNC?" He didn't wait for her answer, "And you know what I kept thinking to myself?" He looked at her long and hard, "It's because of you."_

"_Nathan..."_

_He shook his head and leaned through the window and kissed her. "It is. And I know it's scary thinking about him growing up, but it's a testament to your good will. Jamie's a great kid, and he's a great kid because his mom taught him everything he knows..."_

_Haley furrowed her brow and tilted her head, "Not everything."_

"_A lot of it." He laughed and nodded. "And if you wanna cry, cry." Nathan raised his hand toward her cheek and smeared a tear away. "I love you."_

_Leaning her head in his hand, Haley closed her eyes. "I love you too."_

Lucas looked to Haley and was wondering if she'd come up with her answer. "What was the answer then?"

"Nathan." Haley glanced up to her friend and took a deep breath. "It was Nathan."

"Yeah, and he'll be there for you when Charlotte goes off. What it is you two say? Always and, always and..."

Haley mouthed forever and started to smile. Lucas had a point. Nathan was her rock. He was the shoulder she could lean on, cry on; he was everything. Always meant forever and that covered everything. Life, love, kids, all of it. There was no crevasse, or nook, or little spot that would go without. Haley had Nathan on her side for always and ever; heartbreak and joy, it wasn't going to change and they would master any storm side by side.

**OTHOTH**

Things were starting to feel very familiar. The car was packed up, Charlotte was checking all the rooms in the house to make sure she wasn't leaving anything absolutely necessary, and Haley got in the passenger seat while Nathan got into the driver's seat.

It was a thirteen and a half hour drive to Rhode Island, and a rental car and U-Haul had been the choice option for the family. Charlotte didn't need her car and Nathan and Haley planned to fly back home when they got Charlotte settled. It was going to be a long two day trip but something told both parents that the drive up to Brown University was going to be one of the best trips they'd ever made.

"I think I'm good. I checked everywhere and you can always mail me something if I really need it." Charlotte got into the back of the Yukon and clicked her seat belt in place.

Nathan pulled out of the driveway and the family of three were on their way. The first six hours went by pretty quickly. Charlotte had talked to her roommate, Leslie, a few times on the phone, Haley had asked about Charlotte's classes, and Nathan was lost at the thought of another biology class. The halfway point was drawing close and when they made it to Washington, Nathan couldn't help but boast about his former college days. Maryland wasn't too far down the road and he was pretty sure that the alumni would love to have, stand out basketball player, Nathan Scott's daughter as an incoming freshman.

Charlotte smiled but wasn't budging from Brown. She'd fallen for the school on a college trip last year and it was going to take more than a funny smile and raised eyebrows from her father to get her to change her mind. Subconsciously, Nathan knew Charlotte wasn't about to switch schools but it wouldn't hurt to try and get to go closer to home. Better to suggest it late, than never at all.

Spending the night in a hotel in Washington had been better than a good idea. It beat driving straight through and gave both mother and father a little bit of time to reflect on reality. Charlotte was about to start college.

Night faded to day and there was no turning back. It was the real deal. From Washington it would take about seven and a half hours to get to Providence and it was going to either be the fastest drive any of them had ever made or the slowest. For Charlotte the road seemed never ending. The road to her college campus seemed like a conveyor belt moving in the wrong direction. Nathan and Haley however, they both wanted time to stand still.

"Oh, my God. We're here." Charlotte pressed her face close to the window and she studied the buildings that lined George Street. Littlefield Hall was just past the College Green.

Parking attendants pointed and waved like flight attendants to the spot Nathan needed to park, and Charlotte eagerly busted out of the door.

"Wait, honey..." Haley hurried over to Charlotte and they met with her RA to get her room key.

Nathan opened up the U-Haul and started to wonder what they should pull out first. Maybe he should wait for Haley and Charlotte. They were the ones who knew how everything was supposed to be set up.

Charlotte came out of her dormitory and bounced over to her father, "One hundred and four. I'm on the first floor!" She grabbed a box and headed straight back into the building.

Haley walked back over to her husband and shook her head in disbelief, "I've never seen her so excited in my life."

"I know." Nahtan nodded and raised his brow, "What do I need to start bringing in first?"

Haley picked up a box that said 'bed stuff' and smiled, "Anything, really." Nathan nodded and they made their way to their daughter's room and Charlotte was looking around like a giddy school girl, a giddy college girl.

"Is that bed stuff? Jamie said that you did his bed when he moved in? Are you gonna do mine?" Charlotte was spitting out words at a rate almost incomprehensible.

Laughing, Haley nodded, "Which bed are you taking?"

Charlotte pointed to the one by the window and then briskly waked to the door. She grabbed a hold of her father's arm, "Come on, Dad. Let's get more stuff."

There was no way to measure Charlotte's excitement and Haley couldn't help but smile. Her daughter was obviously more ready for college than anybody anticipated. Haley opened up the box and started to pull out sheets and blankets and all sorts of other things. Jamie had been simple but Charlotte was a girl. She ended up with two mattress pads, and it was going to take more than a quick minute to get her bed done. By the time she did, Charlotte and Nathan had brought in stacks of boxes, hanging clothes, and the microwave.

Haley started to unpack more things while the father daughter team made their way back outside.

Nathan was walking step for step with Charlotte and he looked down to her. There it was again. Instead of seeing a young adult, she was right back to three. Looking back to him with those doe brown eyes.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Nathan looked to his daughter with a raised brow.

Charlotte pulled out a crate full of shoes and she sighed, "Is Mom gonna be okay with both of us out of the house. I mean me and Jamie?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, she'll be fine."

The girl watched her father pick up a box and she met him with familiar eyes, "What about you?"

If it hadn't already, Nathan's heart surely just broke into more pieces he cared to clean up. He put the box back in the car and turned to her, "I'll be alright. You don't have to worry about me, Char."

But she did. It wasn't on purpose or intentional but Charlotte couldn't help but wonder what leaving would mean for her parents. They were going to be alone in that big old house, just the two of them. They didn't even so much as have a dog anymore. "I just want you and mom to be okay."

Looking at Charlotte, Nathan nodded, "We will be." Nathan scooped the box he'd had back up and nodded, "We will."Charlotte smiled up to her father and they walked step for step back into the dorm.

Haley had finished with the bedding and Charlotte's eyes widened when she saw the outcome. "It looks so good."

"It does, doesn't it? I think we picked out a good color scheme." Haley nodded to herself and she turned to Nathan. "Is there much more?"

"Her bike is in the U-Haul but there's not too much else."

"I think we can get the rest in one more trip." Charlotte looked around the room and shrugged, "You don't have to start pulling the other stuff out if you don't want. I'll get started with it when I come back."

"No, I don't mind." Haley shrugged and watched as her husband and daughter left the room. Studying the boxes, Haley wondered which was best to start with first. Going with the closest one, she opened and it all came flooding back. Of course she had to pick the boxes with the pictures in it first.

The top one was Charlotte and a group of her high school friends. Haley recognized them all and found it oddly hysterical that Sawyer was squinting. It was a trait she had so importantly inherited from her father. Thumbing through the rest of the pictures, Haley noticed that the top handful were all of her friends back home. But the last few, those were the ones that the mother could place.

The first family picture made Haley's heart start to beat in a slow painful pace. It was old. Really old. Charlotte had been about three and it was just her and Nathan. She couldn't remember the exact time or place it was taken but Charlotte was sitting on her father's shoulders and their backs were to the camera. From any on lookers point of view, the little girl was on top of the world.

And right on cue, the tears started to fall. But it wasn't so much that she was letting her little girl grow up, it was how Nathan was going to handle it. Charlotte was his everything. Haley knew that. They both loved their children equally but Nathan had a soft spot for Charlotte. Wiping her eyes and breathing deeply a few times, Haley knew that she was going to have to compose herself. She was going to have to be that rock for Nathan in a little bit, not a blabbering mess.

"This is the last of it." Charlotte walked into the room and set her box down.

Nathan was slowly walking through the hall and he had to catch his breath. Not because he was out of shape, but because this was it. He was about to say goodbye to his little girl and that wasn't exactly going to be easy. He took a deep breath and made his way inside the dorm room.

Haley held up the picture to Charlotte and the girl walked toward her mom. "I've always loved that picture." Charlotte studied the image in her hand and laughed at her tiny size on her father's shoulders. She rummaged through the box and picked up a picture of her and her mother. "Remember this?"

Haley looked at the other picture and it was happening again. Her eyes were starting to fill with tears and she tried to blink them away. "Jamie's rehearsal dinner. You gave your speech and I cried..." Haley laughed and wiped her tears, "Like I'm crying now."

Charlotte looked to her mother and furrowed her brow, "Oh Mom, if you start crying, I'm gonna start."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm fine. It just happens." Haley shook her head and hugged her daughter. "I love you."

Charlotte closed her eyes and leaned into her mother's embrace. A tear slid down her cheek and she nodded, "Love you, too."

Haley pulled away and nodded, "I want you to call me everyday."

Charlotte wiped away a tear and laughed, "I will." She nodded for emphasis, "I promise."

Nathan had been watching the whole interaction and the lump in his throat was probably visible. Charlotte turned to him and she smiled. He walked closer to her and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Dad..." Charlotte's breath hitched before she could finish.

Nathan pulled away so he could look her in the eye. "I'm proud of you, Charlotte. I'm so proud of you."

Charlotte closed her eyes and nodded. Nathan put his hand on the side of her head and kissed of her forehead. "I love you, Char.'

"I love you too, Dad." She nodded and opened up her eyes to a blurry picture of her father. "I'll miss you." The girl looked at her mom, "Both of you."

Wiping away another tear, Haley nodded. Neither of them wanted to leave, but Nathan and Haley knew that they needed to get on their way. There was probably another eager family ready to take their spot along the curb.

Regretfully, Nathan walked away from Charlotte and towards the door. "Call us if you need anything."

"I will." Sniffing, Charlotte nodded. "And thank you." She looked around the room and shrugged, "Thank you for this. All of it."

Haley smiled at her daughter's words. "You're welcome." They didn't need thanks but knowing that Charlotte was appreciative meant the world.

"Bye, honey."

Charlotte watched her mom start to walk away and her father spoke up.

"Bye, Charlotte."

"Bye."

Nathan smiled and turned to walk away. This time he was walking step for step with Haley. He looked down to those familiar brown eyes and he took a deep breath. He was pretty certain that his eyes had a glossy sheen against them but he didn't care. Haley looked up to her husband and slipped her hand around his. Nathan glanced down and smiled. It was the simplest of actions but it meant everything. Haley knew all the right things to do.

They made it to the car and Nathan took a deep breath again, staring blankly out the windshield. Haley's door shut and he looked over to her, "That was a lot harder than I thought." He turned to look back out the window and felt his glossy eyes slip a tear from its corner. Catching it with his finger, Nathan was pretty sure he'd gotten to it before Haley saw.

He didn't. Haley saw that emotion coming from her husband and she gently placed her hand over his forearm, "Nathan?"

Turning to his wife, blue met brown.

"I love you, you know that?"

Nathan took a deep breath and nodded.

Haley ran her hand up his arm to his neck and leaned close, "Come here."

She kissed him and suddenly things didn't seem so bad.

Looking over to her, Nathan smiled out of the corner of his mouth, "I love you too."

**OTHOTH**

**Okay so next chapter I'm thinking I'm going to have just Nathan and Haley. Maybe they take a trip for two somewhere, maybe it'll be set in a time frame before the kids, maybe Jamie and Charlotte will be strategically placed with babysitters, lol. I don't know yet. What do you guys want to see?**

**My reviewers are great! Thank you guys so much for the input on the miscarriage re-vamp. I appreciate all the feedback! TP404, Kutebloo, Hadley, Anna, Mary Grace, Melissa, Krystena, Heather, Caroline, Always and Forever, Kelly, Melissa, and Satcher- Thank you!**

**Blurrystars: Ha, were you staring at Joy's teeth last ep? They are kind of big compared to James's. Not gonna lie, I think my favorite description from last chapter was the part about Charlotte having a backpack ten sizes too big. Cute, indeed. LOL.**

**Mazzy: Hmm? Nathan didn't actually put wings on last chapter if that's what you thought. I'm glad you liked it though.**

**Maddie: I think I will be adding more to the miscarriage chapter as you suggested. Keep in NH centered and expand on what I left out. That's not a guarntee, just a probability.**

**Kelly: No problem about replying to your suggestion. I know that the story is really long and sometimes it's hard to remember what exactly has happened with certain characters. Maybe I will use Lydia's death late, though?**

**Tensely: I don't actually know which chapters I'm going to do next but I do know that at least one fight in on the list of things to do.**

**Michele: I'm hoping to get more Naley interaction (alone) next chapter when I do it with just them.**

**Emma: Yeah, I don't want to get into another funk either, lol. I'll try to stay away from that stuff.**

**BDavis: Alright Narlotte fan. How was the Nathan/Charlotte in this chapter. Did you like Jamie and Charlotte, too? Hopefully you did!**

**MagicalNaley23: Oh I'm a sucker for Nathan and Charlotte, too. Can't you tell, lol? I'm so thrilled you liked the addition of Jamie's flashback. I try not to pick favorites with the kids and include both instances regarding each child. **

**Anon: Your reviews make me laugh. In a good way. I'm right here with you. If baby Scott II is a boy...I'll be more than disappointed. Really. That would suck. Maybe we can be pleasantly surprised by the Nathan/baby girl relationship though. I doubt we'd see much of it if we do see them with a girl, but maybe (just maybe) the writers surprise us with N/baby girl goodness?**

**BWyn: Yeah, looking back on the miscarriage chapter, there is so much more I could do with it. But hey, I consider myself a new writer at that point. That was a long time ago, lol. That's why I think it might be good to do a revamp. High school/college chapters: Ugh, honestly I really hate doing those, but I know that readers request and want to see them. Every time I try and do one the review count seems to plummet so I guess I just suck at that time frame, lol. But we'll see. Never say never. I know there are a bunch of people out there who want to see more missing college/ high school moments.**

**Please Review!  
**


	76. One on One

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 76: One on One  
**

**Disclaimer: No. Nathan and Haley, Jamie or the other loved characters are not mine. Fist bump (super powers, activate!) for my creativity, right?**

**AN: All together: "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Little Moments. Happy Birthday to you!" Ha, that was corny and dumb but I couldn't help it. It's be a year guys. One full year since I first published this and I'd just like to say thank you. I never thought I'd get this far. It is no doubt a testament to my reviewers. You guys deserve all the credit! Thank you so much! So as I stated in my last author's note I wanted this chapter to center around just Nathan and Haley. And the most obvious and logical scenario to pair up with this milestone was to capture Naley's 1st anniversary. Problem. OTH's time line is so out of whack that I'm not really even sure what NH were even doing at the time of their first anniversary. Was Haley still on tour? What episodes would it have taken place between? I have no clue, and it was stressing me out trying to figure the time line, lol. So...instead of their first anniversary I've done another. I hope you guys like it!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had gotten home from Charlotte about twenty minutes ago and he was just getting out of the shower. Damp hair and with a towel around his waist, Nathan walked into the bedroom and couldn't help but eye the dress that was laid out on the bed. He'd picked it up from a small boutique before yesterday's game and he was certain that Haley was going to look stunning in it. His girl was gorgeous.

As he dried off, Nathan pulled on some casual clothes and started packing an overnight bag. It was never hard packing for himself. He never needed anything too important. Clean shirts, clean shorts, clean socks, clean underwear; that's all it really took. But he wasn't packing for one. He was packing for two.

There was one bag designated for fold-able casual clothes and another hanging bag that would include their more formal wear. Nathan eyed the little black dress on the bed and took a deep calming breath as he put it in the bag. There was a simple green sash that was going to accentuate Haley's curves and he couldn't wait to see her in it.

Nathan got his suit packed, their casual clothes, extra socks for Haley's cold feet at night, and the rest of whatever they'd need. The clock on the bedside table flashed ten minutes till five and he was sure Haley would be home any minute.

They'd never spent this night apart in all nine years of their marriage so it wasn't a surprise that Nathan was home, but more about what their plans were. Two years ago Haley had driven down to Charleston and they'd eaten Chinese in a creaky old house, lit by candles that hummed a soft yellow hue as sweet as her smile. It had been simple and it had been everything. This year Nathan was taking the lead. This was his doing, his plan, his gift.

Fiddling with his thumbs, Nathan did a quick double check of the contents in the bags and was pretty sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He was sure to pick up the dopp kit and put a few of Haley's things in there. The lotion he'd placed beside his razor and aftershave smelled like his wife, and he knew that she loved to lather up before bed. It was something he'd come to love.

"Nathan?" Haley walked through the front door and looked around the first floor of their home with curious eyes. She had absolutely no idea what he had planned. After no response, Haley walked up the stairs and her heart sank when she saw the bags on the bed. "Are you leaving, already?"

Nathan came out of the bathroom with a smile and a shake of his head, "No."

"But what's with..."

"_We're_ going somewhere."

Haley could feel her lips curling into a smile, "Now? Tonight?"

Nathan held out their toothbrushes and nodded, "Yep."

"You said we weren't going to do anything big. I thought we were gonna stay home." Haley wasn't disappointed that he'd made plans but it left her feeling like she'd flopped on her non-gift. He'd said they were keeping it low key this time around.

Walking toward his wife, Nathan smiled and he saw the spark in her eyes, "I thought it would be nice to get away. Just you and me." Placing his hand on her stomach, Nathan shrugged, "Well...the three of u..."

Her lips met his and he was silenced before he could finish. It was moments like that where Haley couldn't catch her breath or keep her head from spinning. She was so utterly in love with Nathan Scott that she was dizzy by the simplest of could feel his hand slowly glide from side to side on her four month belly and it was a feeling she'd never want to forget.

"I'm glad you're home." Sliding her hands up her husband's arms, Haley rested them on his shoulders.

Nathan leaned down and nodded, "Me too." He gave her a slow kiss and their eyes locked. "We should probably get on the road. I wouldn't want you to miss dinner." A smirk started to creep out of the side of his mouth, "I know how much you like to eat right now."

"Hey." Haley playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head, "It's not my fault."

"No, it's _mine_." Nathan looked down at her stomach and smiled wide. "And you can eat as much as you want so our girl can beat off the boys when she's older."

Laughing, Haley walked away and sighed. Nathan and his baby girl talk. He was always so sure about that; that they'd have a little girl. It would still be a month or so wait until they found out. "Where are we going, anyway?"

The blue eyed man shrugged, "Just somewhere."

Haley rested her hands on her hips and turned to her husband, "Do I even want to guess what you've got packed in those bags?"

"Stuff." He walked toward the bed and slung the bags over his shoulder, "It'll take a little while to get there so we should get going."

Surprised that Nathan seemed to have everything planned out, she narrowed her eyes, "Does Lucas know about this? Or Peyton, or Brooke?"

Nathan laughed, "You really think Brooke might know? She would have already blabbed about it if she knew."

"Good point." Haley nodded and turned off the lights in the bedroom as she walked toward the door, "So I'm just going to have to wait?"

"I guess so."

Haley studied Nathan's face, wondering if maybe she'd get a clue from his expression. Was it somewhere they'd gone before? Was he taking her somewhere new? A hotel? A cabin? Were there going to be a lot of people there or was it going to be a more intimate setting?

There were certainly more questions Haley had but they would have to wait to be answered. One thing was for sure though, their little get away was planned for the two of them. Whatever it was, was going to be intimate and sweet. They were celebrating nine years together. He'd been on the road traveling from city to city playing the game he loved, and Haley had been back home dealing with their son and helping Peyton with Red Bedroom Records. They were due for some one on one time. One on two considering baby Scott number two was tagging along.

**OTHOTH**

As Haley looked out toward the setting sun she could feel her heart rate pick up speed. An hour and a half into their drive and she still had no idea where they were going. North. That's about all she could gather from the handy little compass on the dash.

The setting sun splashed purples and pinks onto the blue sky and the orange sun started to fade beneath the horizon. It was a clear night and Haley was curious if she'd be watching the stars later. At this point she had no idea how much longer they'd be in the car.

"It won't be much longer."

"Huh?" Haley turned to Nathan with a furrowed brow.

"You were just wondering about how much longer we'd be driving." He looked to his wife and nodded, "Twenty minutes."

Haley's mouth fell open just a little, "How did you know that?"

His smile widened. Did she really think she needed to say anything for him to figure out what was going on in that mind of hers? He may have not been a math man or excelled in English class but there was something he'd always be good at. He could read Haley James like a book. A book he might actually enjoy, nonetheless.

"Eight years, Hales. It's hard not to know after all this time." He was sincere and his piercing blue eyes connected with her brown ones.

Smiling, Haley reached across the console and placed her hand on his shoulder. She didn't need to say anything. He knew that was some way of conveying an 'I love you'.

The next twenty or so minutes were filled with small talk and Haley trying to figure out where they were going. She'd been horribly off in her guesses but Nathan loved that she was so excited about guessing. Hopefully the night would end up living up to her expectations.

The sign for New Bern was just ahead and Haley saw Nathan turn on his blinker. They merged onto the exit ramp and she turned to her husband, "New Bern?"

Nodding, Nathan checked the oncoming traffic and pulled onto the main street. "I found out about this little Bed and Breakfast up here. The Aerie. It's supposed to be one of the best."

As soon as she heard the words bed and breakfast Haley knew that this little trip was going to go well. There was something incredibly romantic about the idea of a quaint southern bed and breakfast. Not to mention New Bern happened to be the setting for one of her favorite novels turned movie.

The car turned onto Pollock Street and Haley saw the large two story home. "It's beautiful."

Nathan was happy to hear that she at least liked the way it looked and he couldn't help but agree. The big white columns and large bay windows added to it's architectural elegance. After Nathan parked, the couple got out of the car and headed inside. They were met with soft tones and the owners.

"Mr. and Mrs. Scott, it's so great to have you here." Margie Hampton smiled and looked to her husband. He was a little starstruck by the professional basketball player who'd just walked into his inn. Turning back to the guest, the older woman smiled, "Dinner will be ready in about forty to forty five minutes. Please feel free to take your time getting situated."

Margie's husband Mike snapped out of his daze and pulled out the key to their room. "The Magnolia Suite is a beaut. You two will have a great view of the courtyard."

Nathan's hands were pretty full with their bags so Haley graciously took the room key. "Thank you."

"We'll see you two back down here in a little while. Make yourselves at home." Margie eyed the couple and was taken back by their normalcy. It was one thing to have any dashing young couple stay there but these people were famous Carolinians. It was an absolute honor to have them staying at the Aerie. "It's just up the stairs to your right."

"Great, thank you." Haley smiled at the older couple and made her way to the stairs. She loved how the place smelled and how the steps creaked with each step, the way the old furniture fit right in, and that Nathan was behind her.

When they got into their room, Haley took in the sight and sat down on the bed, "Wow. This place is incredible, Nathan."

"I'm glad you like it."

Running her hands over the soft comforter, Haley smiled, "And how did you manage to get us dinner here, too? I thought this was a bed and _breakfast_?"

Nathan shrugged with a smirk, "I called in a favor. It's hard to say no to a man who uses his pregnant wife as a bargaining chip."

"Nathan!" Haley's eyes went wide and she shook her head.

"Nah, I'm kidding. They were really excited about us coming here." Haley smiled because she really knew that it was more so about Nathan being there. He was in the middle of his first season with the Bobcats. He put their bags on the bed and started to unzip the one with their hanging clothes. "I uh, I got you something."

Looking up to him with warm eyes, she furrowed her brow, "Nathan. You said we weren't..."

"I know." He nodded, "But I saw it and wanted to get it for you." He opened up the bag and let Haley see the new black dress.

Her eyes ran up and down the material and she couldn't help but notice the green sash. He did have a thing for green. "I love it." She held the sides of her dress and turned to Nathan, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He watched as she held it against her frame and he knew that it more of a gift for himself than for her.

"I should probably change, huh?" Haley looked at the clock and then to Nathan. She walked off toward the bathroom and left Nathan to change on his own.

He slipped on his tailored pants and dress shirt. His tie hung around his shoulders and he moved it under the collar to start methodically pulling it into a knot. As he looked in the mirror Nathan couldn't help but smile. Haley had a thing with ties so he was certain that he'd feel a tug or two before the night was over. His jacket was still in the hanging bag and he put his arm through the sleeves and pulled the flaps firmly. Sitting down on the bed, Nathan was tying his shoes when the bathroom door opened.

Haley walked toward the bed and she smiled at Nathan. He was looking mighty fine in that suit.

"You...look beautiful." Nathan stood up and smoothed out his jacket.

Nodding, Haley's eyes roamed across her husband's chest and legs. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Haley moved her hands away from her stomach and Nathan got a great look at her bump. It wasn't overt or protruding but he knew it was there. Haley felt a warm blush surge to her cheeks when she realized he was staring at her stomach.

"Thank you for bringing me here." Haley walked closer to Nathan with a sweet smile.

"I thought it might be a nice change of scenery."

Haley nodded while she rose up on her tiptoes, "Yeah." She kissed him and her hands draped around his neck. If they didn't have dinner plans she might want to stay in the room all night. That didn't seem like a bad idea. That didn't seem like a bad idea at all.

Nathan's fingers were lightly running over the bare skin of her back and they caused a ripple effect with Haley's nerves. The way he touched her still had her skin crawling with desire.

"I...we shouldn't get too carried away. Dinner is gonna be ready soon."

"Mmm..." Nathan leaned closer toward Haley and kissed a trail of butterfly kisses along her neck.

Closing her eyes, Haley was rethinking her last sentence. "Or..."

Before she could finish Nathan pulled away. Haley did need to eat. It wasn't her own nutrition he was concerned with. "We've got the rest of the night to finish this." He kissed her one more time and opened the bedroom door.

The rest of the night? That was true but Haley was wanting to keep their momentum up. Dinner was probably going to be great but it wouldn't even compare to a night with Nathan. But he was right. They had the rest of the night. In actuality, the rest of their lives.

**OTHOTH**

The dining room was dimly lit with an array of candles and they were the only two in there. Margie and Mike had done a wonderful job creating an intimate setting for two.

Haley was expecting to order but Nathan has already requested the entrees for the night. It wasn't the same old prime rib and macaroni but something a little more different. This was big number eight after all. They could switch it up.

"I can't believe you went through all this trouble to get everything done like this."

Nathan took a sip of his water, "It wasn't much."

That had to be an understatement. Haley eyed Nathan from across their table, "So what's for dinner?"

"Pancakes."

Haley started to smile, "Breakfast for dinner?"

"Everyone I've talked to said it's their go to meal, and I know that you've been on a breakfast kick these last few weeks."

It was incredibly sweet that Nathan was taking her cravings into consideration. Haley watched as Margie walked out of the kitchen with two glasses of orange juice.

"How would you two like your eggs?"

"No eggs." Nathan looked to the woman and shook his head. Haley might have been craving breakfast foods as of late but eggs were not one of them. For whatever reason, they made her nauseous.

"How about some grits, then?"

Haley lit up at the sound of grits, "Do you think you can make them cheese grits?"

Nathan let out a small laugh because Haley and cheese were about as close and she and him were.

"Yes ma'am. Cheddar? American?"

"Cheddar, please."

Taking mental notes, Margie nodded. "I'll be just a few more minutes."

The couple watched the woman walk away and Haley took a deep breath with a laugh, "Do you remember when I tried to make grits when we were first married?"

Nathan grimaced and nodded, "Most of them ended up burnt to the bottom of the pot and the rest were clumpy and..."

"Gross." Haley laughed as she finished his sentence, "Yeah, not one of my finest culinary days."

"But I love your waffles."

"My famous _frozen_ waffles. Yep, that' something I can take a lot of credit for."

In all honesty, Haley didn't give herself nearly enough credit for what she _did _do. Nathan was more often than not amazed at what his wife did on a day to day basis. She was a wife, a mother, a friend, an excellent cook, and the list goes on and on. "I like your smoothies, too. They cure whatever is bothering me."

Haley's mind was thrown to one of their high school days when she'd made her husband a pick-me-up after a tough basketball game. "You remember that tournament you played in, in high school? The one where Lucas was gone and the Ravens played in that old smelly gym?"

"Yeah?"

Haley bit her lip, "I don't think I ever told you but I really smacked that Damien kid."

"What?"

Not even sure why she brought it up, Haley shrugged, "It was after one of your games and he came up to me and got a little too close for comfort."

Nathan's brow furrowed, "When? Where was I? Why..."

Nope. Haley knew why'd she brought it up. Seeing Nathan instantly turn on his protective mode was incredibly sexy. "It was nothing." Haley shook her head, "You must have been in the locker room or something but I really shoved him hard when he started sniffing my hair."

Nathan's face was starting to change colors. Any minute steam might come out of his ears. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was fine. It was fine. He didn't mess with me after that."

It may have happened years ago but the fact that some prick had been smelling his wife's hair was rubbing him the wrong way. Nathan was positive that if he'd seen any of it take place Damien Assface would have ended up with Ravens' blue bruises all over his body.

Haley could tell that Nathan was getting a little hot headed by the short story so she placed her hand over his, "He didn't matter. I think he only wished he could have been as talented as you. Who wouldn't have? You were the leading scorer...and you had the girl." Haley squeezed his hand and brown met blue. "Always and forever."

And with that Nathan could feel himself start to calm down. It was her words, it was her touch, it was Haley in general. She'd been the only person who'd been able to really understand him, who really had a hold on him, and that wasn't changing anytime soon.

**OTHOTH**

After dinner Haley was so full that fresh air was the only cure for her breakfast hangover. The cold February air made goose bumps run along her arms and Nathan stepped outside.

"Hales, it's freezing out here." He looked at her with a shake of his head. He didn't want her getting sick. Not now, not with the baby, not ever.

Good thing Margie had been thinking ahead. She'd given Nathan two mugs of steamy goodness and he walked toward her with her cup of liquid heat. "Here."

Haley furrowed her brow because at first she thought it might be coffee. Pregnancies and coffee were not compliments.

"It's hot chocolate. I think it's okay for you to have some."

Haley brought her mug toward her lips and smelled the sweet scent of chocolate. "Thanks." She sauntered over toward the porch swing and sat down.

Nathan wasn't about to let his pregnant wife sit out in the cold with only a dress. He placed his mug down and took off his jacket. He draped it over Haley and nodded, "That should be better."

For a little while the two of them sat there next to each other enjoying one another's company. Haley had leaned into Nathan's side and her head was resting on his shoulder. She could have stayed like that forever.

Something was about to ruin their nice little moment.

A creepy crawly something-or-another, bug, scurried across the wood floors and Haley couldn't help but shriek. "Oh my God!" She flinched into Nathan and unfortunate for him, her half empty hot chocolate landed perfectly on his white shirt.

Wide eyed and wincing, Haley turned to see the damage and put her hand over her mouth, "I'm so sorry."

Nathan hadn't said a word but looked down to his big brown stain and tried to comprehend how it had happened. At first it was nice. The warm liquid was his own personal heating pad but then after a few seconds the liquid got cold and sticky.

"I really didn't mean to do that."

Nathan got up off the swing and laughed, "I know. It's okay. I'm fine."

Haley couldn't help but laugh at Nathan's big brown stain. "Come one. Let's go get you cleaned up."

The couple made their way upstairs and Haley walked straight toward the bathroom. She made it to the over-sized bronze bathtub and turned on the water.

Nathan was unbuttoning his shirt and then remembered he needed to take off his tie. He'd been a little disappointed that Haley hadn't even gotten a chance to pull on it yet. His tie was on the floor and Nathan started to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Haley knew that Nathan probably would have preferred a shower but their old bed and breakfast room was suited with a tub. "It's..." Before she could say ready, Haley walked to the door and saw her shirtless husband undressing. She walked right back into the bathroom and realized she might have a way to make it up to him.

As he walked in the bathroom Nathan started to laugh, "I'm pretty sure I smell like chocolate now..." He stopped when he realized his bath was being used by someone else.

Haley glanced at the dress she'd discarded on the floor, "You don't hate me, do you?"

Hate her? No. No way in hell. Hating Haley James wasn't a possibility. He loved her more than he could ever say.

"I love you." Nathan shook his head as he walked toward her and bent down. "You're perfect."

Haley smiled and tilted her head as Nathan leaned closer. "Happy anniversary, Nathan Scott."

"Happy anniversary, Haley." He dropped his towel as he stood up and gave her a playful smile when he started to get into the tub.

A lump started to form in Haley's throat but it was a good one. One that was full of emotion and passion and desire. She loved that man with each passing second and Haley's hand's landed on her sprawling belly. This little getaway had been incredibly romantic and just what they'd needed but nothing beat the gifts he'd already given her. One was fast asleep at his aunt Brooke's house and the other would make her entrance in five months.

For nine years they'd been able to master their relationship. It hadn't been perfect and nothing was ever easy. They fought, they laughed, they cried, but more importantly they loved. For nine years they'd been each others world. That would always remain. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**Okay, that was shorter than normal but I'm going back to my roots. Shorter chapters with shorter time between updates. Sound good? I think so. I think the time frame for this chapter came directly out of my dissatisfaction with the show and how they are handling the baby stuff right now. I mean they've all but forgotten that Haley's pregnant in the show. I mean Nathan and Haley have talked about the baby like once..way back in the first ep. But anyways...that's why I did this time frame.  
**

**The miscarriage chapter will be next. I thought I would just update the original chapter 21 but then I thought it would be hard for you guys to know when the actual update was if you don't check my profile updates. So yeah, that'll be next.**

**My reviewers are hands down the best reviewers ever. Thank you so much for the feedback! You all have no idea how great it makes me feel every time I get one. Thank you!**

**MagicalNaley23: I'm so glad you liked last chapter! When Haley said "Bye, baby", that was one of my favorite lines for her. In my head that was a really significant moment. I think most dads have to put on a brave face when they send their daughters off to school so yes, Nathan had to be extra strong considering his relationship with his daughter. As for the making beds scene...my mom actually did that and I figured I'd throw it in there. A little bit of personal experience rolled into the story. Yeah, I was thinking a lot of people (or the ones that read Charlotte's spin off) were going to want Sawyer in the chapter but I decided against it. I'm sure she would have been really hysterical at dinner though. I miss Lucas and Haley on the show as well and I figured it would be a good time to bring them into LM again. And I totally agree, Sawyer not wanting her parents help move her in is very much like Sawyer. I'm pretty sure I'm going to reference her move to college in her spin off when I get that up and going. About your chapter suggestions: Charlotte's first steps is going to be a scenario it's just a matter of when I'm going to do it. I'm not sure if I'll add in her first word but I might. The next time I have a time frame for the right age, I mention Charlotte hiding Nathan's shoes. The only problem with a sibling quarrel is that their age difference is so large that I'm not sure what or when they'd fight. A fifteen year old Jamie isn't going to get all mad at his eight year old little sister for something dumb. I would hope he's too mature for that. We'll see though. Maybe I can figure something out. I doubt I'll do a camping trip because I know that another author on this site has a story dedicated to a camping trip the Scotts take. I don't want to step on her toes. The Jamie and Charlotte bullying scenario is a good bone but I wouldn't want it to turn into a chapter soley centered around the kids. I appreciate the feedback!**

**BWyn: It's so great to know you like the way I write Nathan. Sometimes he can be hard but it's great to know you enjoy my version of him. I'm all about throwbacks so anytime I can throwback to the show or the story I will, lol. I'm glad you noticed that and enjoyed it. I appreciate the fact that you think I'm loyal to hte show as well. I try. It's hard to keep up with everything all the time but I try my best to make LM as consistent with the show as possible. Obviously I can't do that all the time and especially post season 6 moments but I do try and write the story and characters...in character. And your mom's right, I guess I should take the imitation as flattery, but I think I'm with you. I see is more as juvenile and immature. Thanks for the review!**

**Mazzy: This new chapter was somewhat along the lines of what you suggested. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing last chapter.**

**Diana: I glad you liked the emotion in last chapter. This one wasn't gonna get anyone teary eyed (I don't think) but I hope you like the NH alone time.**

**Joan: It was great to read that when the kids theoretically leave for college on the show you thought it would happen just as I wrote it. That was such a nice little comment to read. I'm sure I've said no before but I'll reiterate: No, I'm not Mark Schwahn, lol, or related to him. I have to agree with you about really enjoying the mother/son dynamic from last chapter. Something about Jamie and Haley really resonated with me as I wrote them. I'm so happy you liked their stuff together. I hope I didn't let you down with the chapter. And thank you for your kind words about the 'copiers'. You have no idea how encouraging it was to read that last little paragraph.**

**Anon: No Nathan/Charlotte love in this chapter (well...he did seem concerned with the baby but...) but I hope you liked it. And I have to nod with your mention of double awesome. Haley being Mama Hales and not some prop to other characters is definitely something that implies double awesomeness. Like I told another reviewer, imitation is flattery...but, um, annoying too.**

**Hadley: I know that the last chapter was emotional but I take it as a huge compliment that you may have teared up. Knowing that you thought everything felt real was great to read in your review. Yes, I am busy but I know I've got loyal readers who always enjoy an update. I like writing and reading reviews as much as readers like to read, I'm sure. Hopefully the next chapter won't be too far away.**

**BDavis: Yay! I'm glad you liked the Narlotte last chapter...and the Jamlotte. Eh, 75 chapters and it's been a struggle to find new and creative ways to do little moments but I'm trying. Hopefully I can continue for a long, long time. About your idea: I might (emphasis on might) do a chapter where they think they are pregnant again but I'm not sure. I appreciate the well wishes with school. I'm so ready for this semester to be over it's not even funny, lol. I hope all is well with you!**

**2old4oth: Thank you for the LM birthday wish! And I know I said this in a review for one of the spin offs, but I love your 'username', ha. That's great.**

**Blurrystars: I really enjoyed last episode as well. I was laughing out loud a bunch of times. I'm so happy you liked the last chapter. I was having flashes of me leaving for college as I wrote/read it as well. It's such a poignant moments for parents that I thought it would work well as a chapter. I'm also glad you liked that mention about Charlotte losing her first tooth via cheese. **

**Jennie: Thank you for wishing LM a happy bday. And about the miscarriage re-vamp. I think I was confusing people with what I had planned (how I was updating) so I'm just going to go a head and make it chapter 77. I hope that clears things up!**

**Review please!**


	77. Hearts in Pain

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 77: Hearts in Pain  
**

**Disclaimer: Mark and co own any and all things related to OTH.**

**A/N: Alright guys, this chapter is the re-vamp chapter. I know most (if not all) of you have probably already read chapter 21,When a Heart Breaks, but this will expand and deepen the existing chapter. Hopefully you guys will like what I changed and added. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

The orange Autumn leaves hung lazily on the outside trees and the silent breeze echoed softly through the air. Nathan had just dropped Jamie off at school. As he walked inside, Nathan put yesterday's mail on the counter and headed toward the fridge. Just as he was about to grab a bottled water the phone rang. Not thinking anything of it he answered expecting it to be Lucas, or Skills, or maybe a teller-marketer. But it wasn't any of those.

"Hello?" Nathan causally answered and tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder twisting the cap off his water bottle.

A woman replied, "Hi, Mr. Scott? Nathan Scott?"

"Yes." Nathan had no idea who this person was, but this woman apparently knew his name.

"Hi, this is Sharon from Dr. Walker's office and we have your wife's test results."

Nathan put his water down. This was it. This was a defining moment. Was he going to be a father again, or would they have to try again? "Oh." That was all he could manage to say. He paused to collect his thoughts... While he took in the severity of the moment, he couldn't help but think about the news he'd gotten last week from Haley...

_Haley was in the bathroom waiting on pink lines and she was positive that time had been stopped. Somebody was playing a cruel trick. The second hand of her watch ticked away painfully slow._

"_Come on. Come on." She looked down and felt a lump form in her throat. It was time. What had seemed like an eternity had come and gone and time was up. All she needed to do was look. It couldn't be that bad. If it was positive then that was great. Perfect. If it was negative, well, she'd just have to climb back into bed with Nathan and they'd try again._

_Taking a deep breath, Haley stepped over to the counter and looked down at the small pregnancy test. There they were. Not one, not one and a half, but two. Two pink lines and she started to feel the smile. She closed her eyes a second taking it all in and then studied her reflection in the mirror. Now she needed to tell her husband. He was still asleep but she was sure that he wouldn't mind waking up to this news._

_Grabbing the test, Haley walked back into the bedroom and her cheeks started to turn a rosy shade of pink when she saw Nathan. He was breathing loud and deep and for a moment she thought about letting him sleep a little longer. Nathan just looked so comfortable all wrapped up in that blue and brown comforter. She knew how much he hated those hotel rooms in Charleston. Nothing compared to the sheets doused in the sweet smell of home. But then she realized, screw sleeping in, they were having another baby!_

_Haley put the test on her bedside table and crawled up on the bed and situated herself close to Nathan. She watched him move a little and she had to take a deep breath. Maybe the baby would have his eyes like Jamie did? The thought of another baby Scott brought a smile to her face and she rested her forehead against him to try and hide her grin._

_Nathan felt Haley lean against him and he took a long deep breath. His eyes weren't even open but he wrapped one of his hands around her frame and pushed his head further into the pillow, "You're up early."_

"_Yeah." Haley nodded and looked up to him. He eyes were still closed and she sighed. "Nathan?"_

"_Huh?" He was still enjoying the darkness behind his lids._

_Obviously he wasn't going to open his eyes unless she physically did it. "I took the test."_

_That did the trick. "What?" Nathan's eyes weren't just open, they were wide and eager, "What did it say?"_

_Haley bit her lip. That test had said all the right things. She smiled up to Nathan and nodded, "I'm pregnant."_

"_You are?" He was smiling hoping she wasn't just saying that._

"_Mmm-huh." Reaching toward toward the table, Haley got the pregnancy test and showed Nathan the positive results._

"_You're pregnant?" Nathan had to ask again just to take it all in._

_Nodding, Haley laughed with a sweet smile, "We're gonna have another baby."_

_His blue eyes that were so full of emotion, excitement, happiness met her soft brown ones and then he traced the lines of her shirt down to her stomach. His hands followed and landed on his wife's warm skin. He took a deep breath. There were no words to explain all of his feelings but Haley didn't need a thousand words or a speech. The fact that his hands were glued to her stomach was more than enough confirmation. They'd wanted this. They both wanted this. Now it was happening._

_Nathan turned his gaze toward Haley and toward her face, "I love you."_

"_I love you, too." Haley felt his lips on her own and it was enough to send her in a lovesick frenzy. They had a five year old and he was going to have a brother or sister now. Their family of three was going to expand into four and that was exactly what they'd wanted._

"_I should make an appointment with the doctor so we can get a blood test to confirm it."_

"_But it'll be positive, right?"_

_The fact that he'd seemed so worried the test might be wrong made Haley's heart surge with a fiery devotion she'd never felt before. That man was more than amazing._

"_I hope so. It should be." Haley nodded and looked to her husband. Those blue eyes were melting her to her very core and she knew that this baby was fine. They were going to be fine. Eight, nine months from now they'd be just fine._

Nathan blinked out of his trance and realized he was in the kitchen with the phone against his ear. That home test had been positive but what about the blood test. That was the kicker, the real deal, it was going to solidify the fact that they were adding to their family.

_"_So, what...what did it say?"

Sharon could tell that the young husband was nervous but she had good news. Very good news. "Congratulations, Haley's pregnant."

Those three words took his breath away and he leaned on the counter. He smiled and nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and spoke softly, "Thank you, thank you very much."

Sharon laughed, "Oh it wasn't me. I just get to relay the good news." Nathan could hear the ruffling of papers and then she began again, "Now Haley needs to come in, in about four weeks to do her first ultrasound, preliminary testing, and all that."

Nathan was taking mental notes. He'd never been good at remembering things but this was something important.

Before Nathan could respond, Sharon continued,"We'll call back to confirm the dates but just let her know."

Nathan nodded, "Okay, I will. Great, thank you."

"Well that's that. Congratulations again and we look forward to seeing you both later."

Nathan took a deep breath. This was real. It was really happening. He said thank you once more then goodbye, and walked out of the kitchen. He made his way to the laundry room and leaned on the door frame.

Going through her normal routine, Haley was doing laundry and she looked stunning. Absolutely glowing.

He was starring at her and she didn't seem to notice. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was sporting the casual look of jeans and a t-shirt, but looked more beautiful that he'd ever seen. It was like his world slowed down and he took it all in. The way she poured the detergent and made sure it was just even to the fill line. The way she pressed those buttons and took the clothes out of the dryer had him enamored. These everyday little things had him captivated and he thanked his lucky stars that he got to call her his wife. She was the best part of him and he knew it.

Haley finally looked toward the door and saw Nathan watching her, "Hey, who was on the phone?" She bent down to separate some of the laundry not knowing the news he had to share.

Nathan walked into the room and stepped close to his wife. She looked up waiting for an answer but he just smiled in return. She stood up from her crouched position curious as to what was going on.

"I love you." Nathan stared hard into his wife's eyes and she was a bit puzzled by his sudden comment. Not that she didn't love him too, she did. More so than he probably even knew, but she was caught off guard by his demeanor.

She ran her hand over her brow and let out a small laugh, "Well I love you too." Tossing a few socks into a basket she looked to Nathan who still had this look on his face she couldn't quite make out. Haley pushed a few things on top of the dryer aside and lifted herself up to sit on it.

Nathan took that as his cue to move even closer and he did.

"Nathan? What's going on?" She racked her brain trying to figure out what in the world was happening. Why was he acting so strange?

"That was Sharon from Doctor Walker's office on the phone." Nathan stepped as close to the dryer as he possibly could with the sweetest smile painted across his face.

His tone had said it all. She already knew what he was going to say. He didn't need to say it, but she wanted to hear it from him. "Am I? Are we...?"

Nathan put his hands on her sides and nodded,"Pregnant." He smiled because what they'd thought, what they'd wanted; it had just been confirmed.

Haley's beautiful dark brown eyes now had a glossy sheen and she smiled. She put her hands on his shoulders and brought her face close to his. He was looking at her with love and happiness, and it made her heart swell. She took a deep breath and looked to Nathan, "I love you." She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and around his neck.

He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "Well I love you too", Nathan smiled with a laugh as he nodded. He couldn't help but say what she'd said just minutes ago.

Haley smiled and kissed him again. That was all they needed. Love. It was what held them together in the good times, the bad times, and everything else in between. But it wasn't just them. They had Jamie and now a new baby on the way, which made everything in the world worth living for, worth loving for.

The two of them stayed embraced in each others arms for what seemed like an eternity and for a moment everything else disappeared. The faint buzz of the washing machine had been blocked out and the flowery smell of detergent had faded away. All they knew, all they had, was this family and the news that they were adding to it was just what they had wanted.

**OTHOTH**

A little over three weeks had passed and Jamie was sitting on the bed watching his dad pack a bag like he'd been doing since he was first called up to Charleston a couple weeks ago. After thinking about the Chief's jersey, the boy turned to his father with a raised brow.

"Why are the Chiefs called _the Chiefs_? Is is because of firemen? Fire chiefs are pretty important. At least that's what Ms. Lauren said when we learned about fire safety the other day. Is that why the Chiefs are called that?"

Nathan could help but smile at his son. How cute was he to think that the Chiefs were named after firemen? "Nah, I don't think so, bud."

"Really? Then what is it for?"

Nathan shrugged, "I think it's named for the Native American Indian chiefs that were warriors in South Carolina."

"Warriors?" The little boy's eyes went wide and he smiled.

"I don't know. Something like that. Ask your mom. She'll know."

Haley walked into the bedroom and arched her brow, "What will I know?"

"The Chiefs? What are they named for?" Jamie looked at his mom and then over to his father. "Daddy said something about Indian warriors."

Nodding, Haley sat down next to her son, "I think he's right, Jame."

Nathan zipped up his bag and Jamie got to his feet and bounced off the bed, "I got it. Lemme take it downstairs."

"Alright." Laughing, Nathan nodded and handed his son the strap to his bag.

Watching their son carry out Nathan's bag was endearing. She stood up and faced her husband, "I wish you didn't have to go."

"I know." He nodded and stepped closer. "And I'm sorry I can't come to the appointment this week..."

"It's okay. I know you have to be in Charleston."

Nathan watched Haley say it and he knew it was true but wished he could skip out on his game and practice. "Will you get me a picture?"

Haley nodded and got up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. "Of course."

Nathan found his hands migrating toward Haley's belly and he smirked, "So when are we gonna tell Jamie?"

Shrugging, Haley looked down to her non-bump stomach, "Maybe when I'm further along? It's still pretty early, and it might be better to tell him when we can show him a picture or he can see...something. I don't know."

"Okay, yeah, that sounds good." Nathan nodded and regretfully pulled his hands away from her stomach with a laugh, "He'd probably have question we're not ready to answer."

Haley nodded, "Yeah, that's a talk I want to delay for a long, long time."

Nathan was on the same page. He wouldn't even begin to know how to explain babies and where they come from. Not now, probably not ever.

Glancing to the clock on the bedside table, Nathan sighed, "I better get going." Haley nodded and they both walked out of the bedroom, downstairs.

"If you play good enough maybe they'll call you up to the big time tomorrow?" Jamie nodded toward his father as his parents came down the stairs.

Nathan laughed but shook his head, "I think I'll have to play more than just a few games, bud."

"Maybe?" Jamie had a certain drive that was not going to waver. He was positive his father was going to play in the NBA someday.

"Yeah, maybe." Nathan reached for his bag and slung it over his should and felt his son wrap his arms around his his waist.

"Bye, Daddy."

Nathan put his hand on top of Jamie's head and his finger's ran over the light brown hair, "Bye, Jamie." After saying goodbye to the boy, Nathan turned to his wife and she hugged him.

Resting her cheek against his chest, Haley breathed in him and looked up, "Call me when you get to the hotel."

"I will."

She backed away and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "We'll be waiting. All of us."

Jamie looked up to his father with a grin, "Yeah, Chester's gonna miss having you home, too."

Nathan laughed because Haley wasn't referring to an us that included Chester. It had included Haley, and Jamie, and a third who was going to be new to the family. New, but familiar and expected. Boy or girl, they didn't know. Not yet, and it would be a while before they, did but at this point it didn't even matter. The news of the baby was more than enough.

So Nathan gave final hugs and Haley a lasting kiss, and then he was off. Charleston was three and a half hours away, he'd bee gone for a four days. He was due home the evening after Haley's appointment and she'd get to tell him all about what the doctors said, how the baby was, how she was, and any other questions he might have. But the lingering question that would remain after the appointment wasn't going to be 'How'd it go?', or 'What did the doctor say?', it was going to be simple and one worded: 'Why?'

**OTHOTH**

The days had rolled by and soon enough Haley was on her way to that all important doctor's appointment. Unfortunately, Nathan was still unable to make it, but he would be home later that night after practice. When Haley stopped the car in front of the building she never would have guessed that this was the doctor's appointment she'd need Nathan the most.

It was the second time Haley had done this. Granted, the last time she was in high school, but now it was five years later. Nathan had been playing for the Charleston Chiefs for about a month when she had found out. She was pregnant again. They were pregnant again.

Haley found herself sitting in an uncomfortably hard chair reading up on the latest version of some parenting magazine and she started to get nervous. Nervous-excited because she realized that things had changed in the world of parenting in the last five years. There were new gizmos and gadgets, books and strollers that had come around since they'd done this the first go around. As she flipped through the pages of the magazine, Haley realized that things were going to be different, but different-good. They wouldn't be juggling a baby and class, and they weren't teenagers this time. Nathan and Haley Scott were young twenty somethings prepared for parenthood part two.

Once they had called her name she anxiously walked to the exam room and waited for Dr. Walker. To her surprise she didn't have to wait long until he walked into the room.

"Good morning Haley. How are you doing today?" Doctor Walker took a look at her chart and nodded to himself a few times. "It seems you are here for the first ultrasound?"

Haley straightened up, "Yep."

"Now is Nathan going to be joining us? I can wait a minute if he's on his way." Doctor Walker was an avid basketball fan and knew about Nathan's busy schedule.

She shook her head, "Um, no. He's in Charleston right now. It's just me."

"Oh well, alright." He sounded a bit disappointed. He loved his job and was happy to perform the ultrasound, but honestly he was excited when he saw that Haley had an appointment. He thought for sure he would get to talk basketball with Nathan.

Dr. Walker turned to the counter and put on a pair of gloves, "I'm just gonna suit up and then squirt some of this stuff on." He grabbed the tube of jelly and Haley lifted up her shirt.

She laid her head back and looked to the monitor.

"This is baby number two, right?" Doctor Walker knew that but was trying to make small talk as he squeezed a glob of the cool blue goop on Haley's belly.

Haley looked to him with warm eyes and nodded. "Uh huh, baby number two."

"Okay, well here we go. Now we won't be able to see too much but we'll hear the heartbeat and we'll be able to get picture if you want."

Of course she'd want a picture. Who wouldn't?

Dr. Walker slowly ran the transducer probe over her stomach and looked to the screen. After a few more swipes across her stomach he shook his head, "Sometimes it takes a minute to get a good angle." He added some more jelly and switched hands thinking that would help.

Haley was getting nervous but knew that sometimes it did take a few tries to pick up an image or signal.

Pausing his hand, Dr. Walker took a glance at the screen and squinted his eyes. He knew what he saw but needed to get a second opinion. He _wanted_ to get a second opinion. He glanced over at Haley who was looking at the screen not realizing what she was looking at.

"Um, I'm going to need to step out for a second. I'll be right back." Dr. Walker placed the probe down and threw his gloves in the trash. When he walked out of the door Haley knew something was wrong.

As she sat there, every possible complication flashed through her mind. But how could that be happening? She was healthy in every way and it wasn't like she hadn't done this before, she had. And aside from the fact that she'd been hit by a car, that pregnancy went rather smoothly.

Dr. Walker opened the door and gave Haley a somber smile. He was putting on a fresh set of gloves when another doctor walked in. He introduced himself as Dr. Monroe and started moving the probe around looking intently at the monitor. Haley said hello but her mind was somewhere else. She knew in her heart of hearts that she was about to receive devastating news. As soon as she saw them pointing at the screen and shaking their heads she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Dr. Monroe exited the exam room and left Dr. Walker with Haley. He set the probe down once again and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Haley, but..."

Haley couldn't even hear the rest of the words coming out of his mouth. Her quivering chin and tear stained cheeks preoccupied any and all of her thoughts as her world had just been turned upside down.

She did manage to hear Dr. Walker tell her that it wasn't anything she did wrong. That it just happens sometimes. He started talking about something called blighted ovum and how it may have happened. He told her that she had been pregnant, the test results were correct, but that there never was any fetal growth.

Haley didn't understand how it happened, or why, just that she was no longer pregnant. It was definitely the hardest moment of her life and the one person she needed to be there couldn't.

She tried to compose herself as Dr. Walker explained what the treatment was but everything he said made her stomach hurt.

"You'll need to come back in a few weeks so we can do a check-up." Dr. Walker reached out for her hand and the older middle aged man tried to comfort the young mom, "This doesn't mean you won't be able to try again in the future."

Even though he was being sincere and was trying to make her feel better, she just needed to leave. Get out of that tiny exam room and get from fresh air. They scheduled her return appointment and when she walked through the lobby lined with happy expectant mothers she wanted nothing more than to break down right there. Some of them had that big belly she was longing for and as she angrily looked toward her flat stomach she shook her head. Why was this happening?

As she got into the car she rested her head on the steering wheel and silently sobbed. Haley took a few deep breaths and knew that she would need to ask Lucas to pick Jamie up from school and watch him tonight. She'd want to have the house to herself for the afternoon and definitely later that night when Nathan got back to town.

How do you tell a father this kind of news? How do you explain to him what went wrong when he wasn't there to hear it from the doctor? Thank goodness they hadn't told Jamie they were gonna have a baby. The idea of having to sit him down and explain to him that he wasn't going to be big brother anytime soon broke her heart. But telling Nathan was going to be the worst.

Haley flipped down the mirror and took a look at her swollen red eyes. She smudged away the tears and wiped away her mascara marks. She looked like a wreck and her sad expression on the outside matched that of the inside. There was no doubt that her heart was breaking as fast as her tears were forming. She'd just found out she'd lost a baby. Their baby. Part of him and part of her.

"It wasn't your fault. That's what he said. He said you didn't do anything." Haley was trying to reiterate what Dr. Walker had said but even his assurance hadn't done much for her esteem. Maybe there was something she could have done? There was always something.

Pulling out her cell phone, Haley dialed her best friend and waited for him to answer.

"Hey, Hales."

"Hi."

The sound in Haley's voice was enough to let Lucas know that something was up. "Wha...what's going on."

Talking about it made things worse. "I just...you think you can pick Jamie up from school today?" Her voice hitched and she wiped a tear away as it fell down her cheek.

"Yeah, sure. We could use the practice." Lucas tried to laugh a little to lighten the mood but Haley sounded just as broken.

"You think he could spend the night? Nathan's coming home and..."

Lucas's heart sank. Didn't Haley say that she had a doctors appointment today? Yep, that was it. She'd told him she was pregnant last week over their lunch break in his coaches office. Something must have happened and that was heartbreaking. He'd known it was pretty early on so there were always possibilities. Brooke and Peyton didn't even know. Now they never would. Lucas had been able to fit the pieces together and realized that his best friend and just lost something more precious than anything in the world.

"Hales?" He waited for a second and nodded as he spoke back up, "It's gonna be okay."

Haley took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she let Lucas's words ring through her head. Maybe it would. Right now it didn't feel like it, but one day, someday, things would be okay. "Thanks, Luke."

"I'll get Jamie's after school. You can come get him tomorrow whenever you need to."

"Thank you." Haley swallowed hard, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright." Lucas knew that she needed a should to lean on, cry on, to help lift her out of this sadness she was facing but he wasn't it. The shoulder she needed was three and a half hours away. "Bye."

"Bye." Haley closed her phone and put it in her purse. She slowly put the key in the ignition and started the car. She was headed home. Haley wanted to go to bed and wake up from this nightmare. She wanted to reach into her pocket and pull out the ultrasound photo that wasn't there. She wanted to tell Nathan that the heartbeat had been loud and strong, but she couldn't. Reality was mean. There was no undo button, or backspace. She couldn't delete the last hour of her life. Instead, she was going to have to accept what had happened and tell her husband they'd lost a child. Nothing about that was going to be fun, or exciting, or a nice welcome home, but that was life and she was just going to have to bare with it.

**OTHOTH**

On his way home from Charleston, Nathan tried to drive as quickly as possible. It was one of the few weekends he had off and didn't want to miss a minute of it.

He missed his house and the way it smelled. He missed his own bed. The one in the Charleston hotel room had nothing on the one at home. He missed his son and asking him about his day. But most of all he missed his wife. Without her none of what he did would be worth it so getting the chance to spend time with his family was exactly what he wanted.

Pulling into the driveway, Nathan parked his Range Rover and hurried toward the door. When he walked inside he smiled.

"Jamie? Haley? I'm home." He shut the door behind him and was curious as to where everyone was.

He didn't hear the bustling of little feet Jamie made every time Nathan came home, and he didn't see Haley waiting for him which struck him as odd. He turned to walk into the kitchen and saw four of their kitchen drawers on the counter. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Haley only organized their kitchen drawers when something was bothering her.

Nathan saw that the drawers were perfectly neat and knew Haley must have already 'fixed' them. He put them back in their right places and looked around. Neither Haley or Jamie had come into the room so he decided to go looking for them.

When he opened up Jamie's door he found the room empty except for Chester. Frowning, he walked to his bedroom expecting to find someone in there. Again, the room was empty. He walked in and saw that it was perfectly neat. It was like no one was home. He glanced toward the bathroom and when he walked toward it he saw that the door to the balcony was slightly open. Wondering if someone was out there he stuck his head though the door.

There she was. Just Haley, standing next to the railing leaning on the wooden beams. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I was looking all over for you." He brought his cheek close to her ear and kissed the side of her head.

Haley hadn't said anything and couldn't. Any and all words she thought about saying were being swallowed up by the tears and emotion. It was a good thing her back was to him because otherwise he'd know right away something was up.

Nathan slowly ran his right hand down her side and across her stomach, resting it just below her belly button. "I'm sorry I missed the appointment, how did it go. Did you get a picture?"

Haley tried to move out of his embrace. She took a deep breath and it hitched before she exhaled. Nathan heard it and knew then that something wasn't right. Haley turned around to face him and when her swollen puffy eyes met his concerned blues his face dropped at the sight.

"Hales, what's wrong?" Nathan arched his brow not knowing the news Haley was about to tell him.

She took another deep breath and tried to speak, "I... When I..." Each word felt like razor blades coming out of her mouth and she closed her eyes and shook her head. Nathan reached out and brushed away a tear. She swallowed hard and spoke up, "Nathan..."

He interrupted her before she could finish. She had worked up the courage to say it and he didn't let her finish. Nathan was really worried. He'd never seen her this emotional or sad about something. "Are you okay? Is it Jamie, or the..?"

This time Haley interrupted him. She didn't want him to say it. Baby. Because there was no baby. Not anymore. In a hushed whisper Haley shook her head, "I lost the baby." As soon as it came out of her mouth she collapsed in Nathan's arms. He felt her shaking and heard her soft sobs.

He didn't know if he'd heard her right but by the way she was reacting he was pretty sure that they'd lost the baby.

"I'm so sorry," Haley whispered and rested her head on his chest.

Nathan rubbed her back soothingly and looked down at her, "Sorry? Haley you didn't do anything? These things happen. I'm the one who's sorry. I can't believe I wasn't there." He was genuinely upset that she had to go through all of that by herself. Sure, playing in Charleston got him one step closer to his dream but he wasn't enjoying the fact that he was missing things a husband or father shouldn't miss. None of it was more important than his family.

The news hit him like a ton of brings and he was still taking it all in. Nathan was trying to be strong. Haley didn't need to see him break down while she was upset too. He knew that the best thing was for him to comfort her, to hold her close, and let her know that no matter what everything was going to be okay.

As they stood outside the cool evening air whirled around them. Nathan could feel Haley shivering and he didn't know if it was due to the temperature outside or the outcome of her emotions. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight, "Why don't we go inside?"

Haley nodded and they walked in their bedroom. She sat down on the foot of the bed and Nathan sat next to her. He saw that she was broken and wanted nothing more than to put her back together. It would happen but it would take some time.

He heard her sigh and put an arm securely along her back, "Haley. I love you." He waited for her to look at him before he continued, "And I know we wanted this. But we can try again." He reached for her hand and took it in his, "We'll get through it. Together." Haley locked eyes with his and leaned into his body.

"I love you." Her soft whisper was barely heard but he somehow caught it.

He placed a sweet kiss on top of her head, "I love you too."

They both laid down on the bed and soon Haley was sound asleep. With the day she'd had and the emotional toll, she was worn out. Nathan watched her sleep and could see the hurt and pain. He whispered that he loved her and kissed the side of her cheek. He slowly got out of bed and grabbed his keys. There was someone he needed to see.

Careful not to be loud as he walked out of the bedroom, Nathan felt his tears well with each step he took away from her. Had this really happened? They'd lost their baby?

It was something Nathan wasn't going to accept. He didn't want to.

Nathan walked outside and got inside his car. Sitting in the driveway, Nathan tried to stay strong but with Haley asleep upstairs he was safe to let it out. Just like she had done earlier, he rested his head against the steering wheel and salty tears rolled down his face. He wasn't the type of guy to cry often but the news that Haley had lost the baby hit him hard. He'd only felt worse the night of the state championship. Haley lying in the middle of the street, motionless, and the uncertainty of her own fate and their child's loomed above him for what seemed like years. He would still on occasion have a re-occurring dream, or nightmare, where they weren't okay, that they didn't survive. Those were the things he feared in life most. The idea of losing one of them killed Nathan and the news that they'd lost the new baby drove a stake right through his heart.

What was worse was that he hadn't been there for her. He remembered what it was like when the doctor was searching for Jamie's heartbeat after the accident, but he was there for that. And he was the one she had leaned into when they heard that thump, thump, thump, but today she didn't have anyone.

But that wasn't necessarily true. She did have people. She had a wonderful husband who wasn't there then, but he was here now, and she had a son who adored her with everything he had. Jamie. Jamie was the someone he needed to see.

Even though Haley hadn't said that Lucas and Peyton were keeping him he drove over there anyways. It was semi-late, around 11:00pm, but Nathan needed to see him. He wanted to take Jamie home.

He didn't call beforehand and when he pulled up to the curb he saw that the porch lights were still on. When he walked up the few steps he knocked on the door and Peyton opened it up. She didn't know the details, but from Nathan's disheveled appearance and the extra broody mood Lucas had been in, she knew something had happened. Lucas still hadn't told her a word about the pregnancy but Peyton was positive that her friends were going through something.

"Hey Nate." Peyton looked a little sleepy but let her soon-to-be brother-in-law inside.

Nathan didn't know that his face showed the signs of his distress and passed tears so he perked up and smiled, "Hey, I was gonna come get Jamie."

Lucas walked out of the bedroom and looked at Nathan. He could tell that Nathan was upset but knew better than to ask. Instead, he waved Nathan over and opened up the guest bedroom door.

Nathan stepped into the room and watched his little boy sleep. He looked so comfortable that he didn't want to move him, but he wanted him home. Haley needed him more than she knew.

He walked over to the bed and scooped the little boy up. Jamie stirred a little when he was lifted out of the bed and started to open his eyes.

But before Jamie opened his eyes Nathan intervened, "Shh, go back to sleep."

The little boy apparently took directions well and shut his eyes. Nathan held Jamie close and thanked Lucas and Peyton for keeping him. He carefully walked outside and buckled Jamie in his booster seat. As Nathan drove home he was sure to be careful and took wide turns not to wake Jamie. When he made it back home he gently picked his son up and went into the house.

Instead of taking Jamie to his own room he kept straight and walked into his and Haley's bedroom. He moved over to his side of the bed and saw that Haley was still fast asleep. He gingerly placed Jamie in the center of the bed and laid down next to him.

Haley moved a little then slowly opened up her eyes. Nathan was looking right at her and then she saw Jamie in between them. She looked at her sleeping boy and ran her hand over his shoulder. He felt his mom's touch and instinctively moved closer to her. Haley's eyes filled with tears and she kissed him softly on the cheek.

Through the darkness she looked to Nathan and smiled appreciatively, "Thank you."

He knew that Jamie was just what Haley needed. It was what they both needed. He was everything to them, and maybe someday there would be another little Scott but what was important was now. Today. And Jamie was their _now_.

Nathan saw Haley wrap her arm and around Jamie and shut her eyes, so he scooted a little bit closer to his family. Today had been a bad day, nothing went as planned. Nothing was perfect, but they were. They, Haley and Jamie, were his world; and while he'd always want a little girl just like Haley, that could wait. Right now his wife and his son were his main concern. As long as his family was safe and healthy things were going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. They could sleep it off and take the next day one step at a time.

But sleeping led to horrible nightmares and images of what would never be, and Haley couldn't stomach the thought. Her eyes opened and she could feel her son's frame pushing against her own. If helped knowing that Jamie was asleep in the bed next to her but it was also breaking heart. There were still tears that needed to be shed. The first one in the latest batch started to glide down her cheek.

Knowing that she might burst into full fledged tears, Haley quietly snuck out of bed and headed downstairs. The lights were out and she felt her broken heart flutter. Nathan was still amazing. He'd made sure the lights were turned off and that the house was in order before he'd gone to bed.

The pale moonlight illuminated her way toward the kitchen and she opened the refrigerator. Nothing looked particularly appeasing.

Settling on an apple, Haley sat down on one of the stools and listened to the quiet darkness. Seven months from now the house was supposed to be full crying, and baby monitor feedback. She was supposed to be up at this ungodly hour for feedings, not a cry fest of her own. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Haley looked at the apple in front of her and shook her head. Maybe she was just a bad apple. Maybe one was what they were going to get? Nathan might not get that little girl after all.

Aimlessly picking at the fruit with her nails Haley hadn't realized how long she'd been down there but she did hear the footsteps that came from the stairs.

"Haley?" Nathan walked closer and stood across the counter from his wife.

Looking down at the bits of peeled apple, Haley shrugged. She looked to him with watery eyes and shook her head, "I don't understand, Nathan. Why did this happen to us?"

"Sometimes life doesn't give you the answers or outcomes you want, Hales." He looked at her and took a deep breath. "I don't know."

Each cheek had tears sliding down them and Haley glanced to Nathan. He was never known for being the sharpest tool in the shed but he certainly knew all the right things to say. "Aren't you mad, though?" Haley used her finger to flick away a tear.

Nathan nodded, "I'm upset for you. I'm upset for me. I'm upset for this family." He'd done it again, he was saying really sweet things and her tears were falling faster and faster. Nathan saw that she was crying harder so he walked around the counter next to his wife. "Come here." He motioned for her to get off the stool and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Why...how..." Haley's voice hitched and she had to slowly breath so her emotions didn't get the best of her. "What are we gonna do?"

Nathan felt his eyes start to water. He waited a moment and looked down toward his broken wife, "Try again." Nathan nodded, "We'll have another baby sometime."

As Haley looked up to Nathan she couldn't help but notice that he had a tear hanging to the corner of his eye. He blinked and it started it's long roll down his cheek. Haley used her thumb to brush it aside and she leaned into her husband. He was right. They would have another baby. They'd have to wait a little bit longer than they'd expected but everything was going to be fine. Why? Because they were going to wait it out together. Nathan Scott had Haley James and that was never going to change. Good times, bad times, sad times and happy; they were facing whatever life threw at them together. No obstacle could break that bond. It was built to last.

**OTHOTH**

**So? Do you guys like what I changed and added? I'd love to know what you though so let me know. Was it better than the first go around or...not so good? And if you guys have a suggestion for next chapter I'm all ears.**

**Reviewers! Thank you all for your kind words! I always appreciate the feedback! Hailey, mazzy, Always and Forever, MagicalNaley23, Hadley, and blurrystars**

**Bwyn: Ha, yeah I guess if I had been thinking about the show I would have totally freaked out when Tyler started to play Missing You but I was so caught up in the actual performance and him singing that everything else kind of escaped my mind, lol. I hated..well, really disliked the last episode considering there was no NH but the week prior to this last one I enjoyed, a lot. I think, lol. I can't really remember but I'm pretty sure I liked it. I'll try and add in some hormonal Haley in a chapter I do when she's pregnant. **

**Ann: It was such a great compliment to read that you wish we got to see what I write on the show. Not gonna lie...that would be amazing, but I'm far from qualified to get anywhere near that writing staff. If I was ever given any chance like that I'm sure I'd mess up...big time.**

**Luvdiz: I couldn't respond to you via PM (your messaging was disabled or something... so here is your reply) I like pregnancy fluff too and I wish that the dang show would actually portray some of it this season. I feel like we are totally missing out.**

**KC: Yeah, I knew that having mac n' cheese/prime rib for dinner might be an overkill but mentioning is always I a nice throwback (at least in my opinion). I'm glad you caught on to those season 3 references. When I was writing this chapter those images happened to come to mind a lot so they made their way into the story.**

**C: It's so great to know that you enjoy my characterization of Nathan. Sometimes it's hard to nail down but I try to be consistent.**

**BDavis: Ha, I doubt my feedback would be anything like getting feedback from Mark Schwahn, lol. I think if I got the chance to talk to him, much less get feedback I'd have some sort of hysterical fit. Especially if he told me some good things about Nathan and Haley, lol. **

**Review Please!**


	78. Playdates and Pouting

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 78: Playdates and Pouting**

**Disclaimer: No, I have no affiliation with One Tree Hill or any of the creators. Many thanks to Mark and co for creating the characters I love to expand upon.**

**A/N: Even through my immense frustrations about ICHTY and whatnot I managed to get this chapter done. Yay, for that... I know, I know. You guys hate me for my prolonged absence, but I really did have more going on than I knew what to do with. Good news: classes are over for the fall semester! Whoop-whoop! Exams start this week but...eh, whatever, I'm over school. No, not really, but I'm so ready for a much needed break...one that hopefully doesn't include bypass and broken hips on my family's part. So anyways, I'm back to my writing ways and this one...family fluff + jealous Nathan! Pam, you're a rockstar with this subject! This chapter is for you. Thanks for the help! Enjoy guys!**

**OTHOTH**

It was mid April and it was the time of year that Nathan loved most. It wasn't the weather, although an increase chance in precipitation was always nice. It wasn't that some all important anniversary or birthday took place. It was simple actually. It was the beginning of the time he got to spend at home.

For the last three years April had been been an annual month designated to homecoming. This was going to be number four. Considering he was either in Charlotte or on the road from September and the seven months following, April was definitely a time he looked forward to. It was the time of year he'd get to spend at home, with his family, and with his friends.

He'd miss the game, and his teammates. He'd miss the packed arena and the rush he got every time he stepped on the court. But none of that could compare to the three people waiting at home. Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte were worth more than the salary, the fame-everything.

Nathan felt his heart start to beat furiously when he pulled into the driveway. He couldn't help but get excited about being home. He had a few bags he'd packed from the loft but they could wait. Nathan got out of the car and headed straight for the front door.

A warm scent filled the house and his nose. As he quietly walked toward the kitchen he could hear Haley humming. It wasn't a song he could pick out but it sounded beautiful. Leaning in the doorway, Nathan watched Haley as she chopped up some cooked chicken. Her back was to him so she had no idea that he was there but he didn't mind the silence.

"Here,you." Haley picked up a little piece of chicken and handed it to three year old Charlotte. "Test it out? It the chicken good?"

Nathan had no doubt that the whatever Haley was preparing was going to be good.

Haley was trying to watch Charlotte's facial expression and threw a piece of chicken into her own mouth as she tested it out. She nodded at herself and smiled at the little girl, "Pretty good, huh?"

"Mmm." Charlotte's big doe eyes widened and she continued to chomp down.

"I bet it's good." Nathan walked toward his two girls with a smirk.

Charlotte started to flap her arms out of excitement when she saw her father. It had been something she did whenever he'd come home after a long time away.

"Daddy!"

Nathan smiled and walked over to the spot on the counter where Charlotte was sitting. "Hey, Char." He picked up her and held her against his side. "What are you doing?" It was a simple question but all three year olds loved to boast about anything they did.

"Cooking. Mama needs help."

Nathan turned to look at Haley and he leaned down to kiss her. "Smells good in here."

Nodding, Haley smiled and looked at her husband and took a deep breath, "I'm glad you're home."

He kissed her one more quick time, "Me too."

"You help, Daddy?" Charlotte looked at her father and then around the kitchen.

With a slight laugh, Nathan nodded, "If you want me to."

"I'm just about done but you can help but put the casseroles together. Rice first, chicken, broccoli and then the cheese and bread crumbs."

"I can handle that." Nathan realized that there were already containers of the other items spread out along the counter. He noticed that there were two casserole dishes and he raised his brow, "Feeding a small army, huh? Is Brooke pulling the pregnancy card and asking for dinners these days?"

Haley laughed and shook her head, "It's for Kelly."

Nathan nodded. He remembered that name. "From the playdate group?"

"Yeah, but now that you mention it. Maybe I should make another for Brooke. I told her I would stop buy after I dropped this off at Kelly's. I'm sure Julian could use some help fighting those raging hormones. You know last week Brooke actually came into Tric and had like a spontaneous laughing and crying attack. Peyton and I couldn't even figure out what to say or do."

Nathan laughed, "Well I remember a certain someone having mood swings."

"But mine weren't that bad." Haley shook her head.

"That's what you think." He laughed again, "Don't you remember what happened when we watched Charlotte's Web?"

Charlotte perked up when she heard her name, "Web?"

Haley looked at her little girl, "Not you silly, it's a book about a pig and a spider."

The little girl's eyes got wide, "Spider?" She leaned into her father with a scared look splashed across her face.

"Oh honey, it's nothing. It's not real." Haley winced as she looked at the girl against her father.

Nathan wrapped his hand around Charlotte's back and shook his head, "No spiders, here, Charlotte."

Looking hard into Nathan's blue eyes, the little girl furrowed her brow, "Promise?"

"Mmm-huh. It's fine." He looked around the floor and around the kitchen. "We're fine."

Anytime Haley was able to see this type of father-daughter interaction made her heart melt. Nathan was such a great father. Picking up the bag of shredded cheese, Haley held it out toward Charlotte. "Wanna help me, now?"

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's sudden change in demeanor, and the three Scotts that were home helped finishing off the casseroles. Haley ended up getting another small dish to make the Baker household one, and after Haley was sure that the casseroles were complete she covered them with aluminum foil.

"Does it matter which one stays here?" Nathan eyed the two larger dishes wondering which one to put in their fridge.

"No." Haley checked her watch, "I should probably go ahead and take the other ones. Jamie should be home soon. Madison's mom is dropping him off."

"Alright, so it's just me and Charlotte for a little while."

Haley didn't want to say no but she had already promised Charlotte she could go.

"Me go wif Mama." Charlotte was pulling on Haley's pant leg.

Turning to Nathan, Haley shrugged, "Sorry. You know how she loves to go see Brooke."

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. I'll wait up for Jamie. I'll see you two when you get back."

Haley picked up the two casseroles and turned to Nathan, "Make sure Jamie finishes his book. I told him we can't start on his chocolate project till he was done."

Nathan's eyes lit up, "Chocolate project?"

Laughing, Haley nodded, "He's reading _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,_ we're making chocolate suckers for his project tonight."

"Nice."

How did Haley not see that one coming. Nathan was probably going to have more fun than Jamie was. She laughed and gave him a stern look, "I'm not gonna have to go hide the ingredients, am I?"

Shaking his head, Nathan smiled, "No."

"You sure?" Haley kinked her brow with a playful smile.

Walking a step closer to her, he nodded while whispering. "I'm sure." Nathan leaned down and kissed Haley. Those were the lips he'd been missing while on the road and away from home, and it was nice to know he would have ample opportunity to kiss her now.

"Bye." Haley smiled with a glimmer in her eye and turned toward the door. "Tell Daddy bye, baby."

The three year old ran over to her father and wrapped her small hands around his legs, "Bye, Daddy."

Resting his hand on the top of her head, Nathan smiled, "Bye, Char. I'll be here when you get back."

The two Scott girls walked out of the kitchen and Nathan took a deep breath. It was good to be home. Everything about that place meant something to him. It wasn't a cold lonely hotel room. Instead, it was warmth and comfort beyond description. It always would be.

Checking the clock on the oven, Nathan knew he wouldn't be alone for long. He'd only have to wait about fifteen minutes for his son to get home.

Jamie had seen his dad's car in the driveway and all but ran into the house. "Hello! Dad?" Jamie slung his backpack on the ground as he made his way toward the living room. The buzz from the television was familiar. SportsCenter was on.

Nathan heard the footsteps coming toward him and he smiled, "Hey, Jame." He held out his hand and Jamie gave him a high five as he walked by to sit down.

"Sorry you guys didn't make the playoffs this year."

Shrugging, Nathan shook his head, "It's alright."

Jamie looked at his father with excitement in his eyes, "Did Mom tell you what we're doing tonight?"

"Yep, but she also told me that you need to finish up that book."

"Oh, Dad come on. I'm almost done with it. Can't I hang out with you? You just got home."

That stung Nathan to his very core. How was he going to be able to say no to that face? Deny his son the opportunity to spend time with him? If Nathan had it his way, he'd take Jamie to the Rivercourt till dinner and they'd play a little ball with Lucas. "Your mom was pretty clear about getting it done, bud."

Jamie used his puppy dog face and smiled, "Please?"

This was not going to be easy. Nathan looked around the house and knew that he needed to make a decision. As his eye caught the DVD collection he nodded, "I'll tell you what..." He got up off the couch and looked through the movies, "Maybe we can find a way to do both." Nathan smiled when he found what he was looking for and held out the movie version of Jamie's book, "Just don't tell your mom."

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had kept a very careful ear out for the door because the last thing he wanted to do was explain to Haley how reading the book and watching the movie were the same. He'd failed miserably trying to sway her opinion on the matter in high school and he had a feeling that she'd still think the same.

The front door clicked and Nathan fumbled with the remote as he quickly turned off the DVD player and put it back to ESPN. He got up off the couch and walked toward the kitchen with Jamie behind him. He leaned down and whispered, "Remember. You finished _reading_."

Haley smiled at the boys when she walked into the kitchen.

"Here go, Jame." Charlotte was pulling on Jamie's backpack slowly dragging it across the hardwood floor. She'd seen it in the hallway by the door and thought he might need it.

"So how'd Brooke like the casserole?"

Haley laughed while nodding, "She loved it. I think Julian appreciated it even more. It meant he didn't have to cook. "

"That's good."

"Yeah." She put her purse on the counter and watched as Charlotte tried with all her might to pull Jamie's backpack across the kitchen. She laughed with a smile and turned to Nathan, "Do you mind putting in the casserole while I get her in a quick bath?"

"That's fine. What temperature?"

Haley scooped up Charlotte and the little girl erupted in laughter. The mother of two looked to her husband, "Three fifty."

Jamie had walked into the kitchen and picked up his backpack.

Haley had seen him do it and asked him a question before going upstairs. "Did you get that chapter finished, Jamie?"

"Mmm-huh. Violet's mom was pretty freaked when she turned into a blueberry."

Haley arched her brow with a smile. She shot a look toward Nathan and laughed at herself. Nathan obviously helped their son _read_ the book. In the _book_ it was Violet's _dad_.

After the over had preheated and Nathan had put the casserole in, he walked upstairs. He could hear Charlotte splashing around in the tub and he laughed. He stuck his head in the bathroom and looked at Haley, "You want me to do anything else?"

Haley had Charlotte' yellow towel wrapped up in her hands and shook her head, "No, I've just got to toss a salad for us but that won't take me long." Haley got Charlotte out of the tub and as soon as the girl's feet hit the floor she started running with a high pitched squeal."Charlotte!"

Nathan backed away from the door and watched as their little one scurried out of the bedroom. Haley laughed and shook her head, "Sometimes I wish she would have gotten my athleticism."

Arching his brow, Nathan smirked, "Why? So you could catch her?"

Haley narrowed her eyes at first but nodded "Exactly. That way she wouldn't drip water all over the house. If she was like me, she wouldn't make it ten feet till she fell over."

"Ten? Don't you mean two?"

Smacking his shoulder as she walked by she shook her head, "Hey!"

"I'm just saying, Hales. Ten feet might be a little lenient."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Oh, whatever." She walked past him and towards Charlotte's room.

Nathan had a smirk spread across his face and he smiled. There were some things that never got old. Teasing Haley about her inadequate sports ability was one of them.

Everyone returned downstairs and Charlotte had settled down from her after-bath high. Neither Nathan nor Haley really knew why Charlotte got so excited after bathtime but she did. It must have been a toddler thing. Jamie always got that way right before his afternoon nap. He'd run all over the house and then crash.

Dinner had been delicious and as soon as the kids were out of their chairs they both were by Haley's side in the kitchen.

"I want to mix the chocolate, Mom."

Charlotte looked up from her small stature, "Me, too."

Nathan was rinsing off the plates and listened to his kids.

"It's my project, Charlotte. I'm gonna do it."

"Me!" The three year old was not backing down.

"No." Jamie looked down at his little sister and shook his head, "Me."

Charlotte's face started to pout and her brown eyes were starting to water.

"You will both get to." Haley got out two bowls and then moved over to the pantry to get the chocolate. "Here...Nathan, take these." She handed him a couple bags of milk chocolate and got out a jar of caramel and the molds they would use.

It didn't take long for the Scott household to seem more like Scott Sweets, a homemade candy store. Jamie and Nathan were working pretty well together in trying to pour the chocolate in the molds and Haley was supervising Charlotte. The little girl wasn't doing much but she sure felt important.

"How long do these things take once they're in the fridge?" Nathan hoped not too long. The homemade treats looked delicious.

"All night."

"Oh." He sounded a bit defeated.

Charlotte held out her chocolate covered hands, "Mama, look!"

"Honey! We just got you in the bath a little while ago."

Nathan was the closest to a rag and he walked toward his daughter laughing, "What are you doing, silly?"

"Chocolate." The little girl smiled and stuck her hand in her mouth. "Mmm."

"Come here, you." Nathan got Charlotte's hand wiped off and picked her up. "I'll go get her cleaned up."

"Thank you." Haley nodded as she watched the two of them walk toward the stairs. When Nathan was out of sight Haley turned to her son with a small smile, "So? How was the movie?"

"Good. I didn't know that it's the same guy who plays Captain Jack Spa..." Jamie stopped talking as soon as he realized that he had just given himself away. "I...I..."

"I know." Haley put the newest set of complete molds in the refrigerator, "Your dad had just gotten home. The last thing you wanted to do was read."

Furrowing his brow, Jamie nodded, "How did you know?"

"I know more than you think." Haley looked around the kitchen and then to her son, "I think we're about done here. All we need to do is clean up." She walked toward one of the counters and reached for a book, "Here. How 'bout you go up and read while I clean this stuff up. Fair trade?"

The ten year old nodded and took the book from his mom. Haley tightened her ponytail and looked at the kitchen. It wouldn't take too long.

It didn't.

She'd grabbed a couple small pieces of chocolate before turning off the lights and headed upstairs.

Haley peeked her head into Jamie's room and smiled when she saw him lying on his bed reading. When she made it her bedroom she smiled even wider. Nathan and Charlotte were both in bed and the little girl was leaning up against her father. Her eyelids were heavy and it would only be a matter of time before she was asleep.

Nathan saw Haley come in and smiled. "Hey."

Charlotte tried to open her eyes a little wider to see who or what her father was talking to or about but she didn't have the energy. It had been like she hit a wall as soon as she and Nathan had laid down fifteen minutes ago.

Haley slid into her spot and held out the paper towel.

Taking a piece of chocolate, Nathan smiled.

Leaning back into the pillows, Haley looked at her husband and daughter. She leaned toward Nathan and whispered, "I give her three minutes and she'll be out."

Nathan look down to Charlotte and then to Haley, "Is that a bet?"

Shrugging, Haley tossed another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

"What do I get if I win?" He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Haley had a smirk that mirrored Nathan's best and she quietly laughed. She knew that Charlotte was only going to last another couple seconds. It had been the same as when Jamie was a baby. Neither of their children could try to fight sleep when snuggled up close to him. Sometimes Haley even had a hard time.

"I win." She pointed at the small body who's chest was rising and falling in sweet slow motions.

The two parents let Charlotte sleep for a minute and then Nathan got up to put her in her room. When he came back Haley was in the bathroom washing her face and he walked in to change.

He watched her splash water on her face and shook his head, "So you know it wasn't a real bet?" He was sure she was going to make him do some dumb, trivial thing. "We never shook on it."

Haley used a towel to pat her face dry and smiled, "That's too bad..." She walked toward Nathan and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Letting the kiss linger a little, or a lot, longer than it normally did. Haley sighed, "I guess it can wait."

"I, ugh. I mean... What...what kind of thing were you thinking of?" Nathan felt a shock of electricity run through his body and he couldn't help but stare at his wife as she walked to the bed.

Haley couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. It had been far to long for her to tease him like that. She wasn't actually going to call it a night, it was probably an impossibility, but that didn't mean she couldn't mess with him.

Nathan casually walked toward the bed wondering what the right thing to say was for her to change her mind. "I...I checked on Jamie. He was still reading and I told him lights out in ten minutes."

"Me too." Haley fake yawned and pulled the covers up, "I'm exhausted."

He was slowly realizing that his chance of having some _alone_ time with his wife tonight was fading fast. He got into bed and smiled, "Did I tell you that Ray said we could go stay at his beach house for a week or two this summer? All of us? Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Julian..."

Haley almost started laughing. He was trying so hard. "Mmm, that's nice." She closed her eyes and smiled into her pillow.

Nathan was at a loss for words. What was the next thing he could say to liven up her spirits?

"You want to come to the park with me and Charlotte tomorrow? I know our playdate group would like to have another dad."

Jumping at the opportunity, Nathan agreed, "Yeah, sure. That'll be fun." Maybe that answer was what Haley was looking for?

There was a long silence between the two of then and Haley felt obligated to put Nathan out of his misery. He'd lasted long enough. She scooted close to him, "I'm glad your home."

Nathan looked at her and saw that she was leaning in for a kiss. When their lips parted, he nodded, "Me too. I missed you."

Without much hesitation and much to Nathan's surprise, Haley kissed him again but this time it wasn't a goodnight peck.

As a smile started to spread on his lips, Nathan rolled over and Haley was smiling underneath him. He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "You did all that on purpose, didn't you?"

Haley's trademark bit lip told him his answer but she replied. "Maybe?" She ran her hands up to his neck and pulled him close. The very sensation of her lips on his was enough to make Haley moan. She'd missed him more than she'd thought.

Nathan had absentmindedly pulled his shirt over his head and had his hand on the hem of Haley's.

"Lock the door." Haley sounded breathless as she pulled away but nodded, "Go lock the door."

She shouldn't have been surprised with Nathan's speed, he was an athlete after all, but she was certain he'd never moved faster. He crawled back on the bed thinking it was good to be home.

**OTHOTH**

The next morning Nathan took Jamie too school ran some mid-morning errands, and when he came back he heard the piano. Following the sound, Nathan walked toward the big black instrument only to find exactly who he thought. Haley was sitting up straight, her fingers danced over the keys, and she was smiling down at the girl next to her. Charlotte's little feet were dangling off the edge of the bench and she was swaying with the melody. It was a picture worth a thousand words.

"You think she'll be as good as you?" Nathan walked toward his girls.

Haley slowed the rhythm and shrugged, "I don't know? What do you think, Charlotte?"

Placing her miniature hands on the ivory colored keys she spontaneous pressed them down.

Haley winced and let out a small laugh, "Well work on it." She smiled at Nathan and then looked back to her daughter. "You know who's coming to the park with us today?"

Charlotte met her mother with matching eyes, "Who?"

Turning to Nathan, Haley smiled, "Daddy."

The little girl got off of the piano bench and hustled over to her father who scooped her up, "Yep. I'll push you on the swings so you think you're flying." Nathan secured Charlotte in his arms and held her out like she was some toddler airplane.

Haley checked the time, "If you wanna head a go, we can. It feels pretty good this time of morning and we'll meet the rest of the group there."

"Sounds good to me. What about you, Char?"

Giggles and laughter were the only thing that came from the three year old's mouth but her parents new that was toddler talk for yes.

The family of three headed to Hugh Mac Rae park and when they parked, Nathan gave Charlotte a ride on his shoulders toward the playground. The always prepared Haley had a blanket in her hands and a book as well. When Haley found the perfect sunny spot she laid out the blanket and sat down with the sounds of her daughter and husband laughing in her head. She didn't even need that book. They'd keep her entertained all day.

After chasing Charlotte around for ten or so minutes, Nathan walked over to Haley with his hands on his knees.

Haley couldn't help but laugh, "I told you. Sometimes I wish she'd gotten my stellar athletic skills."

"No kidding, I think this is more of a workout than practice with the team is."

Laughing, Haley nodded and saw that Shannon, a mom from 'the park group' was walking toward them with her son.

Haley looked at Nathan and tilted her head, "This is Shannon Perkins and her little boy Whit. You've met her before at the Christmas Eve party."

Nathan nodded and stood up when the mom and boy approached.

The woman had blonde hair and the boy was an exact copy. She had her hand on the back of her toddler's back and spoke softly to him as they came up to Nathan and Haley. "Do you remember, Nathan, Whit? He's Charlotte's dad and plays for the Bobcats."

Bending down, Nathan extended his hand to give the little boy a pound, "Hey, man."

Haley could tell the little boy was nervous, he was just that kind of kid, so she pointed to her daughter, "Hey, Whit? Charlotte's over by the slide. Why don't you go see what she's doing?"

The little boy was quick to run toward his friend and his mom laughed, "Sorry about that. He's pretty timid around people he's not used to."

"Oh, it's okay." Nathan nodded and looked off toward the kids.

The next ten minutes were filled with random conversation and then another 'the park group' duos arrived.

Nathan saw that this time it was a dad and a little girl.

Shannon looked over her shoulder and waved. She turned back to Haley and shook her head, "Every time I see him I just want to cry."

"I know. I actually made them a casserole last night. I can't imagine how he copes."

Nathan was trying to clue into the conversation. "So I'm not the only dad!" Nathan smiled and looked at Haley.

"That's Kelly Rollins, Grace's dad." Haley was trying to be subtle and speak with few words but Nathan was putting the pieces together. "You know... the one who lost his wife two months ago? It's just him and Grace now."

"What?" Nathan furrowed his brow. "That's Kelly? I thought..." He had assumed that Kelly was a girl considering the name. Apparently not. Kelly was just over six foot, light brown hair, a medium build with a little girl who had brown ringlets that framed her face. "He's..."

"A widower." Haley had just realized that Nathan was figuring out Kelly wasn't who he expected.

"Hey Kelly, Haley told me she made y'all a casserole. Was it any good?" Shannon looked toward the man as she shielded her eyes from the sun.

The brown haired man walked closer to the group as he watched his daughter run towards her friends. "It was great. Haley, you have no idea how much that helped me out. Thank you."

"Sure. It was no problem." Haley smiled and looked from Kelly to Nathan. She was about to introduce the two but Kelly started first.

"Nathan Scott..." Kelly extended his hand with a smile, "It's nice to meet you. I can't tell you enough how much of a help Haley has been."

At this point Nathan was frozen. One part of his overly jealous self wanted to smack the guy upside the head. Haley didn't cook for anyone but family. But then a more calming side, a rational side, saw the pain in Kelly's eyes and he simply nodded, "Good to meet you, too." Nathan smiled and wondered if he was supposed to express his condolences or what exactly the right thing to say might be.

Haley could feel the awkward tension and looked to Kelly with a smile, "The casserole wasn't too runny, was it? I know sometimes I can put a little too much cream of mushroom."

"No, no. It was great. We'll probably have leftovers tonight."

Nathan was trying his hardest to keep a smile and slowly let his steam out. He couldn't blow his lid now. Not on some poor man who lost his wive a few months back. Even that was low for Nathan. Werily looking at his watching, Nathan winced and turned to Haley, "I forgot that I'm supposed to meet up with Luke in a little bit. I should proba..."

After twelves years of marriage Haley knew what this was. He was making an excuse. "That's fine. I'll see you back at home later."

Realizing that Haley had caught his drift he leaned down. "I'll say bye to Charlotte on my way to the car." He gently kissed her cheek and smiled. Nathan cleared his throat and looked to the other parents. "It was good to see you, Shannon. Nice to meet you, Kelly."

Haley watched as Nathan walked toward the kids and say goodbye to Charlotte. She knew they'd talk about this later.

"I'll see you at home, Charlotte."

Busy with her pretend castle, Charlotte nodded and waved without looking up. Nathan walked over to his car and go in and drove away. He didn't know where he was going or why but somehow he ended up at the Rivercourt.

The old blacktop was cracked with age and Nathan was sure that he'd caused most of those cracks. Mainly because Lucas was too scrawny to leave that big of a mark. He opened up the back door and pulled out a basketball. It was something he never traveled without.

He probably had taken one hundred shots when he heard a car pull into the grassy lot. Nathan didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Daddy, me!" Charlotte held her hands out hoping he would give her the ball.

Nathan knelt down and held out the old thing. "You wanna play?"

"Lift me up!"

Haley was slowly walking toward the familiar space and watched as Nathan helped Charlotte shoot.

"Aww, nice! Two points for Charlotte Scott!" Nathan laughed victoriously after his little girl made the shot.

"Mama, you." Charlotte tossed the ball toward her mother and Haley picked the ball up as it rolled to her feet. "You do it, baby. Show me and Daddy what you can do." She rolled the ball back to the girl and looked at Nathan. They both walked toward the bleachers and Haley took a deep breath, "Are you mad?"

Nathan shook his head. "No, I'm not mad..." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I mean a part of me was pissed that you've been playing best friends with this Mr. Mom this whole time. You're making him dinner...but...I can't be mad. Kelly...I can't imagine what he's gone through. How can I be mad?"

"Nathan, it's okay. I know how are you are."

"And it got me thinking. What if the situation was reversed. Who am I to think less of him for having good friends after losing his wife. What would I do? I just..." Nathan hadn't intended to get upset but it was a conglomeration of jealousy and vulnerability and protectiveness mashed into one."What if something happened to you? What if I lost you?"

Haley's heart broke. "Nathan..." She leaned toward him and raised her hand to his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."

He closed his eyes and nodded. When he opened them back up he was met with those beautiful brown orbs that had had him hooked since high school. Nathan nodded as if it solidified the truth and kissed her soft and sweet. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Both of the parents turned to see their little girl hoping over the cracks on the court and they realized how precious life was. Things could change in the blink of an eyes. Nathan had grown tremendously over the years but this was a true revelation. Nothing in life was more important than them. Haley, Charlotte, Jamie...family. Jealously or insecurity were things that would pop up from time to time and Nathan sure had his bouts, but as the husband and wife looked on at their little gir they knew that nothing else mattered.

**OTHOTH**

**The beginning was extra fluffy, I know. Sorry, but it's the kind of stuff we won't ever get to see so I thought I'd capitalize. The jealous Nathan ended up being a bit more...hmm, upset Nathan..is that the right word. I had intended for him to get a little more jealous but you can't get too mad at someone if they've experience a tragedy. And no, if any of you were thinking you were supposed to remember who Shannon or Whit or Kelly were...no, they were completely new characters but I had to make them seem like Haley knew them well from the neighborhood or as I called it, "the park group." I hope you guys liked the chapter!**

**My reviewers are AH-Mazing! The continued support has mean everything. Keep it up!**

**Mazzy: Thank you so much for the review. I'm so glad you liked the revamp. Yes, it was very emotional but I felt like it was a subject Nathan and Haley could more than overcome.**

**Bwyn: I could go on and on about the show and what I like and dislike so far but I'll leave that for another time. I'm so glad you liked the way I wrote Nathan. I think a lot of people write him as this jerk because, in my opinion, it's much easier to write a jerk than it is someone sensitive, lol. Sometimes it can come of REALLY cheesy. I know I've done it. Adding in Lucas was something I had to think about. I breifly mentioned him in the first chapter but I thought it might be nice to expand it. I've always loved the Lucas and Haley friendship.**

**Melissa: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and thanks so much for the suggestions. I have done most of them... Jamie and Nathan having chicken pox (ch. 66). I've done fights and I've got more up my sleeves. Hmm, Haley embarrasses Nathan. I'll have to think of a funny way for her to do that. Something nerdy I would guess. Nathan is in a car accident with Jamie (ch. 35). I probably won't do a chapter a week or month after the miscarriage. I feel like two chapters (okay, 1 and a revamp) are enough with the topic. Haley finding out she's pregnant with Charlotte (ch. 6). Jealous Nathan or Haley (ch. 17, 23, 28, 36, 44, 52, 58, 61...there are lots). If you've got other suggestions feel free to send them my way!**

**BDavis: At first I thought your last review was going to be a bad review...as in you hated the chapter. Much to my surprise it ended up being the opposite. I'm glad you liked what I added. If I were to ever do a chapter where Jamie "saves" Charlotte from a party it'll probably be in Charlotte's spin off as a flashback.**

**Tp404: I'm so happy you liked the last chapter. About your suggetions: Haley finds out she's pregnant with Charlotte in chapter 6. I haven't done a baby shower surrounding Haley's pregnancy with Charlotte but I did do one for Jamie's, chapter 42. Also, I've had them take a family trip to Disney, chapter 45.**

**blurrystars: I really enjoyed writing the Lucas and Haley addition to last chapter. I'm so glad you liked it, too and the compliments were incredibly gracious, thank you. I'll try and have them bicker like that season 6 "fight" sometime soon.**

**Always and Forever: Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it! There was a bit of Charlotte and Nathan in this new chapter so I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Anon: Haha, I think I took your words literally about not updating fast, lol. That's some serious dedication to have your review window around or over two days. Nice. I feel special. Yeah, it's strange. Some of the most requested storylines are dark and twisty ones that include someone getting hurt or dying. I write what the people want so...turns out some of my chapters aren't full of sunshine and rainbows. I'm glad you liked the LH I added in there and I hope you liked the Charlotte chapter if you ever got a chance to read it.**

**Lauren: Thanks for the jealous Nathan suggestions. I think I'm done with the misccarriage stuff, so the first one is out. I've done a chapter where Haley's old crush comes into town (ch. 64), but I like your third idea. It's pretty simple so I'll see how I can expand it.**

**Savannah: I really appreciate the feedback. Thank you so much!**

**MagicalNaley23: An emotional Nathan is, as strange as it sounds, fun to write. There is something rewarding about breaking down his character into someone who can be strong and weak at the same time. I'm glad you liked him in the last chapter. I'll add a jealous Jamie and or Charlotte to the list of scenarios.**

**Review Please!**


	79. Rain or Shine

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 79: Rain or Shine**

**Disclaimer: That's a no-go. I do not own anything related to OTH.**

**A/N: Happy end of my Fall semester to me! Finals are done and I am resting comfortably in the comfort of my childhood home. Who-hoo! By popular demand, this chapter will be a DIRECT correlation to the latest episode of OTH (8.11, Darkness on the Edge of Town). We got that sweet scene with NHJ in bed together at the end so I thought I'd play off that. And you avid readers will know that I love to put the three of them in bed together after something traumatic (like in ch. 21 and 54) so it yelled extension. For this chap forget about Charlotte...sad day...and whatever else I've written that skews with the actual time line of the show. This is literally a missing moment from the show. I haven't had time to check on here to see other posted extensions so I apologize upfront if I write anything similar. **

**And a huge, huge shout out to Lori. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! Seventeen and you're making me feel old and decrepit, haha. You've been a loyal reader and reviewer since day one and that's some serious dedication. Thank you. Next chapter is "your" chapter but I hope you like this one nonetheless. **

**Enjoy guys!**

**OTHOTH**

Rain had always been a part of Nathan and Haley's lives. They'd laughed, argued, made up, and made out in the middle of a downpour but this night was different. There was something in the cool air and the dim light that made this rain the worst kind. The thick black painted sky covered the moon and the stars, and there was a darkness that was spreading across town.

Sitting in the backseat of the car, Haley watched as pellets of water splashed across the window and she shook her head out of regret. How could they have let this happen? Her son was sitting next to her and she wished the night away. She ran her hand over Jamie's back and the little boy leaned close into her side. He was shaking from the cold.

Nathan checked the rear view mirror and saw that his wife and son were silently embracing. He'd made eye contact with Haley and the pain in her brown orbs was nearly more than he could handle.

They all just wanted the night to be over.

With two hands on the wheel Nathan glanced straight forward and could see that a thin layer of water was still covering the roads. With the two most important people to him in the backseat of the car he knew that he needed to get home. Nathan thought about Haley's protruding belly and made a correction. The three most important people.

"We'll be home soon." Haley looked down to Jamie and his tired eyes broke her heart. She had about a million questions, but as her son slumped against her sid Haley knew that he'd had enough for the night. What was important was that Jamie was okay. Somehow he'd escaped the madness without injury and Haley knew that they were lucky. It could have easily been her little boy lying on the road lifeless and still. They'd left the scene of the accident minutes ago and they were ready to get home.

A tear slid down Haley's cheek at the same rate as one of the raindrops that glided down the widow and she quickly brushed her tear away with her finger. She met Nathan's concerned look in the mirror and their silent conversation would have filled the pages of the longest book. He knew she was scared. She knew he was worried.

"Mama?" Jamie looked up to Haley and his blue eyes met her chocolate ones.

Haley ran her hand around her son's back again hoping it would create some kind of warmth, "Yeah, baby?"

"I love you." He nodded at her and then looked toward the front of the car, "You _and_ Dad." Sighing, Jamie shook his head as he leaned back into his mom. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, "And you're not a dork."

It was as if a knife of twisting ache drove straight to her soul. The things he sometimes said made even Haley wonder how they'd managed to end up with such a good boy. He was kind and wise, forgiving and compassionate. And he was only seven.

"I love you too, buddy." Nathan turned to look at his son with a smile and a nod.

Haley felt the emotion building in her throat and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to say it back without bursting into sobs. Pulling her child closer, Haley kissed the top of his head and whisper spoke, "I love you, too."

Jamie wrapped his hand around his mom as if he was holding on to her for dear life. Flashes and images of being in the Miss Lauren's car, the water rushing in, and Brooke's motionless body plagued his young mind and he wanted it to be a bad dream. The little boy had to remember that he was okay. Brooke was okay. They'd all made it out.

Nathan turned down a familiar street and knew that they were almost home. The rain was still coming down in a hard steady pace and it didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon. "I'm gonna pull into the garage when we get home."

His statement was simple and straight forward and appreciated. Haley's mind was so all over the place that she hadn't even thought about the garage. She was taking it all one moment at a time. One breath, one minute, one instance.

A minute or so later Nathan drove the car up their driveway and hit the button on his visor to open the garage. As the car came to a halt he unclasped his seat belt and turned to his family. "You wanna take him to our room and I can get him some clothes?"

"Yeah." Haley nodded and opened the door. She slowly scooted out of the car and immediately held her hand out for Jamie. The boy got out of the car and placed his hand in his mothers. Haley and Jamie walked upstairs while Nathan followed. Mother and son disappeared behind the bedroom doors and Nathan walked into Jamie's room.

He got all the clothes he thought he'd need and walked across the hall, "I got the blue pants and that t-shirt with the...uh..." Nathan couldn't think to finish his sentence and put the clothes on the bed.

"These are perfect." Haley looked up to him with a kind nod.

He watched as Haley slowly took Jamie's coat off and it was then that Nathan noticed Haley's weathered appearance. "Hales..." He looked at her and reached out to touch her soaked clothes. "You gotta get out of this stuff."

"I'm fine." Haley shook him off and continued to help Jamie get out of the wetness.

She was being stubborn and the kind of mom who put her kids first. Nathan stepped in and shook his head, "Let me get this. You go change." He saw that she was about to protest and he furrowed his brow, "I can handle it." Nathan looked down to her swollen stomach and gently placed one of his hands on her side, "I don't want you to get sick."

How could she say no to that concern and those eyes? She looked down and lightly squeezed Jamie's arm, "I'll be right back." Jamie mumbled a response and Haley walked as fast as she could to her closet.

The two Scott men both succeeded in getting the younger one dressed and Haley walked out of the bathroom toward her boys. She gently grabbed onto Nathan's arm and felt the damp texture. Her eyes met his and she tilted her head towards the bathroom. It was his turn to change. As much as she wanted to curl up with Nathan right then she knew that her husband needed to get out of his wet clothes too.

"Let's get in bed, bud." Haley walked toward her side of the bed and pulled down the covers as Jamie climbed toward the middle.

Nathan made his return shortly there after and he slid into his spot. Jamie was facing his dad and his back was up against his mom's belly. He could have sworn that he felt the baby kick, and Jamie smiled because maybe his little brother, or so he hoped, would be an athlete. Snuggling his head into the comforts of his parents' pillows, Jamie took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, "Night, Mama. Night, Daddy."

Haley kissed the side of Jamie's neck, "Night, baby. I love you."

"I love you too, Jamie." Nathan looked at his son and his closed lids and then at Haley. He moved his hand so it could rest on her hip. "I love you."

A tear slid out of the corner of her eye and Haley nodded. She didn't know what she'd do without him. He was her rock, her light, her guidance when things became unclear and Haley knew Nathan made her world a better place. "I love you too."

The couple laid in bed for a while before either of them allowed sleep to settle over them. They'd both sought comfort in the rise and fall of Jamie's chest, in the steady pattern of breaths, and the ways they could say things without speaking. The room had grown dark and the moon was still in hiding, but Nathan and Haley had been able to see enough of one another to realize that what they had was too much to lose.

A crack of lightening flashed across the sky and Haley was startled by the answering thunder clap. Nathan's hand tightened on her body. He wasn't going to let anything happen to any of them; not to Haley, not to Jamie, not to baby number two. Nathan Scott was never going to loose them. He could take loosing the game he loved or trivial things that didn't matter, but looking at Haley through the darkness he knew that he'd always protect her. He'd always protect them.

**OTHOTH**

The morning light was beaming into the bedroom and the family of three were still softly sleeping. Haley was starting to stir and she shuffled closer to her son and rested her hand on Nathan's chest. She needed to feel them; know that they hadn't gone anywhere. She closed her eyes and let another twenty minutes pass.

She was a morning person by nature. An early bird, go-getter and she cracked open her eyes. Jamie's head was only a few inches away from her own and Haley leaned in close to breath him in. There were some things all mothers found comforting in being that close to their children. Haley started to randomly and involuntarily glide her fingers over Nathan's chest as she tried to make sense of what happened last night. There were only a few facts that were clear and none of it made sense from an outsider looking in. Haley couldn't wrap her head around what may have happened on that bridge. Brooke and Julian were too busy to give a detailed report about everything and Jamie had been silent the whole way home.

Nathan felt her soft hands on his chest and he slowly turned his head to face her. He brought his hand up to take hers and he squeezed it.

Noticing Nathan's touch, Haley looked toward him, "Hi."

"Morning."

Both of their attention headed toward their son and Nathan moved his hand to Jamie's shoulder. He looked at him for a moment and saw that Haley was pushing the covers off her body.

She winced with a small laugh and whispered, "The baby's sitting on my bladder." Haley moved out of the bed and went straight for the bathroom.

Nathan turned his attention back to Jamie, "Your mom's a goof." The boy responded with only deep breaths and closed eyes. Nathan laid there for a moment or two and his vision had been clouded with thoughts from last night. He'd just been standing there. Jamie had just been standing on that bridge and who knows what would've happened if Brooke and Julian hadn't been there.

"Hey?" Haley walked out of the bathroom and put her hand on Nathan's shoulder, "I was gonna start making breakfast. He'll probably be starving when he wakes up. None of us really ate anything after the spelling bee."

Nodding, Nathan looked up to his wife, "Alright." Haley slipped out of the room and Nathan turned back to look at Jamie. The boy was starting to move around. Nathan put his arm on Jamie's shoulder to soothe his son out of sleep.

Jamie slowly opened on of his eyes and saw that a matching pair were looking at him.

"Hey, buddy."

Rubbing his eye, Jamie yawned. He noticed that the spot on the other side was empty. "Where's Mom?"

"She's downstairs." Nathan scooted so he was on his side. Acting as the concerned parent he always was, Nathan arched his brow, "Are you doing alright? Last night was..."

Jamie nodded, "I'm fine." The boy shifted in the bed and yawned again, "Is Aunt Brooke gonna be okay?" Last night Jamie thought his raspy voiced aunt was dead. He was sure of it. But somehow she'd fought through it all. He'd seen her loaded into the ambulance but that was the extent of it.

Nathan nodded, "She's okay. She was awake when they got her in the ambulance. I think the paramedics wanted to make sure she was okay. She might've stayed in the hospital for observation, but your mom's gonna call Julian later this morning to check on things."

"Can I call?" Jamie perked up a little and nodded, "I'll call."

The fact that Jamie was so adamant was endearing. "Probably, but it's still early. We'll do it later. They might be asleep."

Jamie nodded and leaned into the pillows, "You know what?"

"What?"

"Julian said I'm gonna be his best man at the wedding."

Smiling, Nathan nodded, "He chose a good man."

"The water was coming in the car really fast and I got scared I was gonna drown." Nathan reached out for his son when he said that. Jamie nodded and continued, "But he told me I was going to be okay, that he needed his best man."

Nathan had only imagined how most of last night had gone. Neither him nor Haley really knew the extent of what happened, but as Jamie talked Nathan got a better understanding. "You and Brooke were both in there."

It wasn't a question but Jamie nodded, "She told him to get me first. That's why she almost died. We were both stuck and Julian could only get one of us. That's why I want to call her. I wanna make sure she's okay."

Nathan felt himself growing emotional from the new facts and he took a deep breath, "I'm sorry we weren't there sooner."

"It's okay." Jamie shrugged, "We're okay."

It was a very good thing that Haley was downstairs because if she was hearing what their little boy was saying she would be an emotional wreck. The way he seemed so composed, the way he worried about Brooke, and everything he'd gone through was certainly a cocktail for tears. Especially for a pregnant woman.

Jamie took a deep breath and looked at his father, "Bacon. Mom's cooking bacon."

Nathan found himself smiling and nodded, "Yep."

Pushing the comforter off his body, Jamie started to get out of the bed. Nathan knew that the sweet scent of cooking bacon could rile his son out of even the deepest of sleeps and it didn't surprise him that he'd all but jumped out of bed this time.

Both Nathan and Jamie walked toward the kitchen and Haley was busily whisking something in a bowl. She heard the footsteps and smiled at her two boys.

"Whatcha making?" Jamie walked closer to his mom and arched his brow.

Haley smiled at her son. He seemed like he was fine; lke it was a normal morning. "Bacon and pancakes."

"Can I help?"

Haley smiled and nodded, "Sure, baby." She handed him the bowl of pancake batter, "You stir those and I'm going to check the pantry for anything else we may want."

Nathan followed Haley into the pantry and she was startled when she turned around because she hadn't realized he was following her. "Nathan! Don't creep up on me like that."

"Hales..." He took a deep breath and shook his head.

"What?" Haley could see it on his face that he was upset by something. "What is it?"

"I was talking to him upstairs about what happened and...he was stuck in the car. It was him and Brooke. Julian must have gotten there when they went over. I don't really know how that part happened or why Brooke was in Lauren's car but they both ended up in the river. I..I guess the water was coming in and they were sinking."

"Oh my God." Haley took a deep breath and shook her head.

"And Brooke told Julian to save Jamie first. She must've gotten stuck underwater."

Haley didn't know what to say. All she could do was cry. Cry because of what happened and what could've happened. She cried because she loved her family and she cried loved her friends.

Wrapping his wife in a tight embrace, Nathan kissed her forehead and held her close to his body. They didn't say anything and when they moved a part Haley wiped under her eyes and took a deep breath. Nathan hadn't wanted to make her so upset but she needed to know.

Haley walked passed Nathan and back into the kitchen.

"Is this good, Mom?"Jamie tilted the bowl of pancake batter wondering if he'd stirred enough.

She looked at her son and the way he smiled, the way his eyes matched his father's; it had her in a trance. She simply nodded, "It's perfect."

**OTHOTH**

Waiting outside the front door, Haley nervously twisted her wedding ring on her finger. What was she gonna say? How was she going to thank them? It was going to be an impossibility to accurately articulate the way she felt.

The lock clicked and the door swung open.

"Haley, hey." Julian looked tired but smiled politely.

As soon as she saw him Haley felt the tears and the emotion taking over. She hadn't planned on crying as soon as she saw him but it just happened. "I just...when you...last night..." Her words were choppy and short and the emotion in her voice was too powerful.

Julian understood what she was trying to say and leaned down to give the teary eyed expectant mother a hug. He could feel her cries and he held her tight and nodded, "You don't need to thank me."

Yes she did. Haley felt like she owed everything to that man; everything to Brooke. "Thank you." Julian accepted her thanks and Haley took a step back. "I...I can't begin to tell you how...how grateful we are."

Nodding, Julian stepped back and tilted his head, "Come on in. I'm sure you want to see Brooke."

As Haley walked inside she looked toward the sofa and saw one of her oldest friends looking back at her.

Brooke smiled kindly, "Hey buddy."

"Hi." Haley hardly got that out of her mouth before she started crying again. She walked straight over to the couch and sat down next Brooke.

Brooke sat up a little straighter and wrapped her arms around Haley. She hadn't intended to cry but listening to Haley had Brooke in a downpour as well. Julian was gonna let the girls have their moment so he walked toward the bedroom.

"How's he doing?" Brooke was finally able to speak through her own tears.

Haley wiped her eyes and nodded, "He's fine. He keeps asking about you but I wanted to come see you first. You...you and Julian saved his life."

"You and Nathan would've done the same thing."

Brushing a tear away, Haley sighed heavily, "And you told Julian to get Jamie first? Brooke...I can't...I can't..." Haley couldn't find the words to say.

Brooke rested her hands on each of Haley's arms and shook her head, "I couldn't let you loose anyone else." The brunette knew that Haley had dealt with enough loss recently.

Another wave of emotion soared through Haley's heart and she cried harder. Brooke Davis soon to be Baker was something else. She was incredible. It was hard to believe she was the same girl Haley knew in high school, the one that read that note in front of everyone. Brooke Davis had come a long way.

"I...Thank you, Brooke." Haley hugged her friend again. "You have no idea what it means to me."

"I'm just glad he's okay."

Haley nodded as she held Brooke, "Me too. I love you, Brook Davis."

"I love you too." She smiled and pulled away. "Now we both need to stop crying. You especially. I don't want you to get dehydrated with this new baby." Brooke smiled and gently rested her hand on Haley's stomach and nodded.

There was a knock on the door and Haley looked up, "That must be the boys."

Julian walked out of the bedroom because he figured he'd deal with the door since the girls were probably still chatting. He opened the door and felt a body go directly to his side.

"I didn't get to tell you..." Jamie looked up to Julian and nodded, "Thanks for getting me out of the car."

Brooke and Haley were in tears again and the little boy hurried over to the women.

Nathan cleared his throat. He felt bad about giving Julian a hard time about his man-purse and the way he high-fived in the past. That seemed incredibly petty considering what Julian did. "I know I give you a hard time sometimes but...you're more of a man that I could ever be." Nathan extended his hand, "Thank you for saving my son."

Julian felt a bit of pride surge through his veins and he shook Nathan's hand with a smile. "I'm just glad I got there in time."

Both of the guys nodded and then looked toward the girls. Jamie had gotten on the couch in between his mom and favorite aunt.

"You okay?"

They way he asked broke Brooke's heart. Julian had told her that she had been limp and lifeless on the bridge. "I'm fine. The doctors kept me at the hospital a few hours to make sure things were alright but I'm fine. I'm sorry I scared you."

Jamie leaned toward Brooke and gave her a hug, "I'm glad you're okay, Aunt Brooke."

Brooke felt a tear slide down her cheek, "Me too, buddy. Me too." She took a deep breath, "But I'll tell you what. You were so brave during everything. I know you helped me get through it." She glanced toward Julian and then back to Jamie, "...you helped me realize a few things."

Nathan and Julian walked toward the other three and found a place to sit down. Nathan and Brooke had looked at each other and she could see it in his eyes. He was thanking her for everything she'd done and she nodded toward him.

The five of them sat in complete and utter amazement about how things had turned out. Jamie was okay, Brooke was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

Nathan and Haley caught one another's eyes and they both silently agreed that they had without a doubt picked the best God mother for their son all those years ago.

The sun's powerful rays darted inside the house as a cloud passed by. Last night was now a memory that they would all look back on and think about the things in life you can gain and lose in an instant. Neither family or couple had necessary lost anything, but they'd all gained a knowledge that would span years to come. Nothing was as important as family. And family didn't mean blood or being biologically similar, it was the compassion and love that could help anyone in any situation.

Nathan and Haley were lucky. Not only did they have each other but they had an army of people who surrounded them who helped get them through sticky situations; good or bad, funny or sad. Nothing in life was worth partaking in if they didn't have people to share it with, and they did. They had brothers and sisters and friends that had helped them grow from the jock and tutor dynamic to their roles as a wife, mother, husband, and father. They would be forever grateful.

**OTHOTH**

**Was it how you imagined things may have gone? Yes? No? Maybe? I know that it was short but I had a hard time wrapping my head around how I wanted things to work out. I just saw that a monster of a oneshot was posted surrounding the same time frame so I guess you guys will be getting overloads of aftermath type scenarios. Next chapter will be much lighter and happy so that should be a nice change in pace. And I've got a question for you all. Since it's the holiday season, do you want to see Christmas themed chapters? I've done three but considering it's that time of year I didn't know if you guys would want some more of those. Vote via review or pm if you'd like to see some holiday cheer. And I've got a section on my profile that'll give you a little info about how I plan to update while I'm on my Christmas break. Check it out if you're interested.**

**My reviewers are awesome. You know that. Whitney, Megan, Caroline, Lauren, C, Mazzy, Anon, BDavis, blurrystars, Kelly, Mary Grace, and Hadley.**

**Bwyn: Yeah, jealous Nathan was the targeted scenario but last chapter felt like upset Nathan would work much better. I personally couldn't justify the fact that he would get too jealous over some poor man who lost his wife. I'm glad you liked it though. Thanks for the well wishes on my exams. I'm so glad they are over. Congrats on getting yours done, too.**

**VB23: You reviewed for ch. 77 but I'm putting your reply here. It means so much to know that you write Nathan and Haley well...and that you've been reading the story for so long. I know I've got a lot of "closet" readers who don't review but it's really great to hear from you guys every once in a while. And I had to laugh out loud with you bit about naming the new baby Charlotte. That would be fantastic!**

**Always and Forever: I'm so sorry to hear bout your mom. I'm glad that you liked all the Nathan and Charlotte and the extra fluff.**

**Joan: I agree. I'll be particularly heart broken if the new baby is a boy. They need a girl! And again, no I'm not Mark and I'm not related to him. I doubt he'd think I have any form of talen when it comes to writing, lol. I know you said my updates would be like early Christmas presents so here is number one! Sawyer's fic will be number two!**

**Tp404: I replied in last chapter about Disney World. I've already done it. I doubt I'll do it again but I do like the idea about Nathan surprising the kids on Christmas/Christmas Eve.**

**Rebecca: You reviewed chapter 40 but I'm putting your response here. To answer your question. No. I have not done a chapter where the family takes a trip when Jamie's around 6 without Charlotte. I only briefly mention Haley's career in the story, (although I did have a chapter where she had to go out of town) because RBR kind of bores me. I get enough of her propping random muscians on the show and I don't particularly find writing htat kind of stuff fun. Maybe I'll do the all ages thing at Tric, though. And your other question: the kids are about 4 and 11 when they all go on that beach trip to the OBX. It says it in the chapter. Keith is Lucas and Peyton's son. He's two in that chapter. Sorry for the confusion.**

**2old4oth: I have done a chapter were Nathan gets injured. He and Jamie are in a car accident in chapter 35 and then the aftermath of his accident in season 5, chapter 73. I know I've got another chapter coming that had Nathan sick so you can look forward to that.**

**KC: Thanks for you input on ICHTY. Yeah, I don't get upset about little similarities between stories, it's the specifics. I've been talking with the other author but I'm not sure she will stop. She says our stories are not similar and will continue to be different but I don't really see how that's the case when they are based off the same movie. But I'm taking it day by day with that.**

**Review Please!**


	80. On the Fast Track

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 80: On the Fast Track**

**Disclaimer: This is the 80th time I've said this so I bet you can fill in the blank. I do not own _. Correct answer/s: OTH, OTH characters, anything to do with OTH.**

**A/N: Some of you may have read on my profile updates about my horrendous fall down an icy iron stair case that left me all banged up, and I'll blame that on the few updates this week. I'm slowly getting better and I really think I'll get a lot of writing done since I can actually sit down without hurting this week! So that's good news. I thought I might post a Christmas chapter but I wanted to do this one first. It has the kids older, and Nathan and Haley deal with some issues parents face with teenagers. I hope this I what you had in mind, Lori. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

The front door opened and slammed with a loud thud. Nathan was in the living room but he could tell by the noise alone that it hadn't gone well. It, being Charlotte's driving practice she'd been doing with her her mom. She had her permit and was months away from taking her license test but there were roads and curves and three point turns she wanted to conquer. There was a bit of stomping and "Ugh" seemed to be the only word his fifteen year old had in her vocabulary at the moment. Nathan set down the book he'd been reading and called out into the open air, "How'd it go?" Charlotte didn't even answer. Her footsteps toward her room told him it didn't go well. At all.

When the door opened again Nathan knew that it would be Haley. She was the one who'd taken Charlotte to practice driving. Apparently they'd had a bad time.

Putting down her purse, Haley sat down on the sofa next to her husband and leaned close to him. She didn't say anything, she didn't even sigh; nothing.

"So how'd it go?" Nathan had a half smile start to spread over his lips as he raised his brow.

Haley's forehead crinkled and she shook her head, "Bad." She let out a laugh and shook her head, "Helping her study for the written test was one thing. That was easy, _but_ actually being in the car with her...we were practically screaming at each other."

He didn't want to laugh. He didn't. Nathan could only imagine how Charlotte's driving lessons with her mom had gone. They were both headstrong and incredibly intelligent. Charlotte probably thought that she'd be able to drive without a problem, that she could ace the practice like she aced most other things. And Haley, she'd been named Tutor-Girl for a reason. She thought she'd be able to help Charlotte and tell her what to do with patience and grace. That didn't happen. Tutor-girl became an overly worried and talkative mother while Charlotte veered and swerved all over the place with her lacking experience. Charlotte wasn't due to take her actual driver's test for a few months but at this rate her practice was not gonna help.

"It probably wasn't that bad." Nathan looked to Haley hoping he could say something to make the situation better.

"Oh, it was."

Nathan saw Haley take a deep breath and he stood up, "I'll go talk to her." Haley nodded and Nathan walked upstairs. He made it to Charlotte' door and raised a knuckle to knock.

"Come in." Charlotte was positive it was going to be her mother so when she saw her dad she was pleasantly surprised.

"Hey." Nathan walked into the room and saw that Charlotte was sitting on her bed with a book and a highlighter. "Is that the driver's manual how-to book?"

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at her dad's lame joke. She held out the book and shook her head, "It's _The Scarlet Letter_."

"Oh." Nathan walked over to the edge of Charlotte's bed and sat down.

"Did Mom send you up here?"

Shaking his head, Nathan laughed, "Would you believe me if it was my idea?"

Charlotte sunk in her pillows and let out a frustrated sigh, "I can't do it with her." She shook her head and looked toward her father with those same brown eyes he'd seen in Haley for the last twenty five years. "She tells me to do a million things at once. I couldn't take it anymore."

Nathan understood what Charlotte was saying, "But you know you're mom, she was probably only asking you to do stuff for your own good."

"Asking me? There was no asking involved she was _telling_ me to turn this way, then turn that way, that I was going too fast, then I was going too slow... It was ridiculous."

"Well look..." Nathan took a deep breath and put his hand on Charlotte's knee, "I'll take you out tomorrow and it'll just be you and me and the streets...and the car."

Charlotte laughed at her father's delayed sentence. "Promise you won't be super annoying?"

"No." Nathan shook his head, "I probably will be annoying and I'll be worried out of my mind thinking about you driving on your own one day. So I can't promise you anything."

Nodding, Charlotte figured she could handle driving with her dad. It would certainly be better than going with her mom. "Hey Dad?" She spoke up when he started to get up off the bed.

Nathan looked down at Charlotte with a raised brow, "Yeah?"

"Will you tell Mom that I'll drive with her...in like a month. Once..." Charlotte used her finger to wave it between herself and him, "...you and I get a handle on it."

Smiling, Nathan nodded, "Yeah." He walked toward the door and looked at his watch, "Dinner will probably be ready in an hour." Charlotte wondered how he knew that but she figured he was right. She nodded and Nathan headed downstairs.

If Charlotte wanted to know the answer to how her father knew about dinner, it was simple really: marriage. After almost twenty five years of marriage Nathan knew more about Haley than any conversation would convey. As he walked down the stairs he would guess that she was already in the kitchen now. Her mind would be racing about the driving fiasco with Charlotte and she'd either be organizing their kitchen drawers or cooking. Considering it was closer to dinner time, Haley would probably be cooking.

Nathan was right. Her back was to him and she was standing in the kitchen tying her apron on. Approaching slowly, Nathan walked toward her watching as she started to peel potatoes.

"You wanna grab the other knife?" She hadn't even turned around but she knew he was there. Letting out a laugh because she knew his presence so well, Nathan grabbed a knife and stood next to her. Her brown eyes looked up to his blues and she shrugged, "So?"

Nathan grabbed a potato and started to peel the skin off, "I'm gonna take her out driving tomorrow. We'll see how it goes."

Faster than he'd ever see her do it, Haley peeled a potato and sighed heavily, "It's harder than you think."

"I know."

Haley swallowed harder and shook her head, "No. You don't." She set her knife down and wiped her hands on her apron turning to him, "She'd be doing fine and then I'd look over to her and she'd smile, and the fifteen year old version of our daughter would turn into that three year old..." Haley's voice was starting to tremble with emotion, "...who would climb on your shoulders and laugh when I chased her around the house after baths. It...it was hard." Haley wiped a tear that had welled in her eye and laughed at herself, "And I don't know why I'm upset about it."

"Hales..." Nathan shook his head and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's gonna be fine. I know you wanted to help her out but you can't tutor everybody at everything." He half laughed as he'd said that because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"It's not even that though." Haley swallowed hard and shrugged, "It's not that _I_ wanted to help teach her how to drive. It's the whole thing in general." Haley moved over to the sink and leaned against the counter, "She's already fifteen, Nathan. Fifteen. How did that happen?"

Time. Nathan walked close to her and shook his head, "I guess we've gotta get used to it. We can't worry so much."

"But I can't not worry, Nathan. That's what we're supposed to do. Parents _have to _worry about their kids." Haley wiped another tear away and laughed again, "And to be perfectly honest, Tree Hill and car accidents happen as often as holidays so..." She shook her head and took a deep breath, "Maybe I was being extra annoying in the car because I thought somehow it would prolong the inevitable? I don't know? Is that horrible? Am I horrible?"

"Of course not. Haley..." Nathan ran his hands over her arms and shook his head, "This is probably normal. And no, you're not horrible. Come here." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead.

Haley lingered in his grasps and closed her eyes for a minute. It was amazing how comforting Nathan's embrace was. There was never a lost moment between the two of them.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte tossed her book down and reached for her phone. There were a handful of people she could call. Her friends might be helpful in this situation since they were the same age and dealing with driving permits and licenses. Sawyer was already driving and might have some helpful pointers but Charlotte's car loving cousin would probably give her a hard time for not driving like a pro right off the bat. But Charlotte didn't get to the S's in her contact list before she pressed call.

"I had a feeling you might call."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and scratched her forehead, "And how'd you know that?"

Jamie laughed, "Oh I don't know. Just a feeling."

"Well you'll never guess the pain and suffering I went through today. Mom and I went out driving after school, you know, so I could practice for the test later, and it went _so_ bad that we stopped speaking to each other halfway through."

"Are you serious?" Jamie started to laugh at the thought of his mom and Charlotte going out driving.

"'Wh...why are you laughing? It's not funny. It was horrible."

Charlotte's twenty two year old brother stopped his laughing and took a deep breath, "You want my advice, Char?"

"Yes. That's why I called."

"First thing, take a deep breath. It's not as bad as you think."

Furrowing her brow, Charlotte rolled around in her pillow, "Jamie, really, come on. Put Liza on the phone if that's the best advice you've got."

Jamie's tone was a little more serious and he nodded, "Take a deep breath, Charlotte."

Following her big brother's orders, Charlotte did as she was told and sighed heavily into the phone. Jamie nodded his head and spoke again, "Mom got all nervous. You got nervous. She told you to do one thing when she really meant another, it got hectic and confusing, and then you almost took out a trash can and an old lady."

"It wasn't an old lady. It was a dog."

Jamie nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, "It gets easier."

"But you did most of your driving with Uncle Lucas when you two worked on your car."

"Yeah, but I did my best driving with Mom or Dad. You just can't think about it. They'll be chirping in your ear about this or that and you have to tone them out. Just nod and act like your listening." Laughing, Jamie restated that last part. "_Listen_, but don't take everything to heart. Most of the time they're not worried about how you're driving, it's the other people they get anxious about."

Charlotte knew Jamie was right but still had questions, "But why does Mom get _so_ dramatic. During every turn and at every stop sign I just wanted give her a mute button."

Jamie laughed, "It's cause she loves you."

Sighing, Charlotte leaned against her pillows, "So what about his driving thing, though."

"It's not bad. It's actually a lot of fun once you get your own car. It's a nice freedom to have. No more relying on Mom or Dad to take you places." Jamie thought about when he first got his car and how he felt about having his license. He knew Charlotte wasn't quite there yet but she would be eventually. "And be sure to keep your car clean and in good condition. They'll appreciate it if you take care of it."

"So what your really saying is don't put stuff in the car you don't want found."

That wasn't what he was going for and Jamie knew where this conversation was headed. "Charlotte...that was different." She hadn't even been explicit about what she was referring to but he knew.

"Sure it was." Charlotte started to laugh and shook her head, "I still can't believe you blame Chuck for all that." She was veering way off subject and he didn't really want to rehash something that had happened seven years ago. Jamie knew she thought it was funny, but it really wasn't necessary to bring it up. "I know they were in your room, but still."

"Charlotte..." Jamie's tone was warning and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on. You know it's hilarious."

Maybe it was funny now, but back then it had been embarrassing and a debacle that could have been avoided if Chuck hadn't been so adamant. Sometimes boys were just gonna be boys...

_A fifteen year old Jamie was hurrying out of his room with a ball in his hand. He was gonna be late for basketball practice and even though he knew the coach better than anyone on the team, he still didn't want to be late. Without looking, Jamie quickly ran out of his room and about knocked over his mom on the way._

"_Whoa, sorry." Jamie winced at Haley as he walked by and tilted his head down the steps, "Is my water bottle..."_

_Haley nodded, "It's in the kitchen on the counter."_

"_Okay, thanks. I'll be back in a little while..." They both heard a horn honk and Jamie laughed, "That's Chuck."_

"_Go on. I'll see you back here for dinner." Haley shrugged as she held the laundry basket filled with her son's clothes against her hip and walked into his room. Jamie was more than capable of putting his clothes up so she'd set them on his bed for him to put up later. In neat stacks, Haley put his shirts, his shorts, his underwear, his pajamas on his bed and started to reach over for the socks when she accidentally knocked them over. A few of them fell from the bed to the floor and she bent down to pick them up._

_On the floor were a few note cards he'd made for some class of his, and Haley gathered them together. She opened up his dresser drawer looking for a rubber band but her desire to band up the note cards had been an afterthought when she saw the handful of shiny square wrappers. Those couldn't possibly be what she thought they were. Condoms. In her son's room? No. Haley looked away, swallowed hard, and looked back in the drawer. Yes._

_Instantly thinking the worse, Haley tried to make sense of the situation. Maybe they weren't what she thought they were? Eying the small packages, Haley started to pick one up but didn't want to touch it._

_Looking around the room, Haley located the action figures and little toys Jamie still had from his days as a kid. Those couldn't be his. Turning back, Haley took a deep breath and held her breath as she picked up one of the condoms. She'd always loved to read but after scanning her eyes on the fine print, Haley's stomach started to churn._

_Not knowing whether she should grab them all or keep them in the drawer Haley stared at them for a long while before deciding she'd leave them there. This was not her area of expertise._

_Haley quickly got out of Jamie's room and was startled to see eight year old Charlotte in the hall way. "Oh, honey. You scared me."_

_Charlotte looked over her shoulder and furrowed her brow, "Me?"_

_Shaking her head, Haley laughed, "Sorry, Charlotte. I was...I just wasn't expecting anyone to be standing out here."_

"_Will you help me with something?" The girl looked to her mother with a warm smile._

"_I will in a minute, baby. I need to call your dad real quick but I'll be in your room to help you in a minute." Haley headed for her bedroom and closed the door. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at it before she dialed his number. Once she did, Haley lifted the phone to her ear and waited for an answer._

_A few thousand miles away, Nathan felt his phone start to vibrate in his pocket and smiled at the picture that flashed across his screen. "I was just about to call you." Nathan looked out the airport windows and toward the Denver landscape, "Our flight got delayed."_

_Haley didn't really care about a flight delay, she cut right to the chase, "Do you know what I just found in our son's room?"_

_Thrown off by Haley's question and tone of voice, Nathan shook his head, "No."_

"_Condoms, Fabio! I found condoms in his room."_

_As soon as the word came out of her mouth Nathan started to smile. Not at the fact that their son had condoms but the sheer anxiety in Haley's voice._

"_Aren't you going to say something?"_

_Nathan winced and knew whatever he said wasn't going to be good enough. "He's a boy, Hales."_

"_Oh, and that makes it okay? He's fifteen Nathan."_

_Nathan tried to remember what he was doing at fifteen and he was pretty sure that his freshman year was one full of experiences. "When I was that age..."_

"_Don't. Don't even say it." Haley shook her head, "I know what you were like back then. You do not have to remind me."_

"_What do you want me to say, Haley?"_

"_Tell me I'm not overreacting. That it's...it's a big deal. He's only been dating...I can't even think of her name, for a couple months."_

_Nathan nodded, "But to be fair, we had only dated for..." Nathan heard the line click and he furrowed his brow, "Haley? Hello?" Nathan pulled the phone away from his ear and saw that the call had been ended. "Shit." He knew she was upset now. He called her right back and waited for her to pick up. As soon as he heard the line connect Nathan spoke up, "Don't hang up." Nathan waited a second to make sure she didn't end the call again and he took a deep breath, "Hales, I'm not trying to defend him, and I'm not trying to say that it's okay."_

_Haley let out a laugh, "Sure sounds like it."_

"_I know how you are about sex and I know how you wanted to wait and all but..."_

"_He's a good boy, Nathan."_

_She was making it a lot harder for him to realisticly explain the scenario when she put their son on a pedestal. "I know he is. So think about it this way, at least if he is having sex he's using protection. That's good news."_

_The thought still made Haley shutter. "I think I'm going to go throw up now."_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Have you talked to him?"_

"_No. I _just_ found them. He's at practice right now. I won't see him until he get's home." Haley crossed her free arm around her stomach to ease the churning, "What do I say to him?"_

"_I don't know. Maybe we should wait. I might be better sitting him down and talking with him about it. It's gonna be awkward either way but don't you think he'll want to hear it from me. I mean Charlotte's not gonna wanna talk about..." Nathan couldn't even fathom the day Charlotte was old enough to have sex. The was going to say little forever."...girl stuff with me?" Even if Haley hated the fact that she had to make this phone call, hearing Nathan hesitate when he was talking bout Charlotte brought a smile to her face. Nathan cleared his throat and looked out to the air plane taxiing toward the gate. "I'll be home in a couple days. We've got the Mavs tomorrow night and then we fly back to Charlotte."_

"_I know."_

_Nathan hated hearing that tone of voice that meant she was disappointed he wouldn't be home sooner. "So I'll talk to him when I get home."_

"_Alright, okay." Haley nodded and the two of them kept quiet for a moment. "Nathan?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too." Nathan nodded into the phone and saw that his teammates where starting to get up and head toward the gate. "I'll see you in a couple days"_

_Softly saying goodbye, Haley heard Nathan say it back and then she put down her cell phone. Her head was still spinning from the condom ordeal but she was going to have to get over it. Nathan would talk to Jamie. _

_Charlotte had been standing outside the door the entire time and stuck her head inside the bedroom when she knew her mom was off the phone._

_Haley saw Charlotte and started to get up, "So what was it you needed help on?"_

_The mom walked toward the daughter and the younger brown eyed Scott looked up to the older, "Mama, what's a condom?"_

_With her mouth open, Haley stumbled through a few sounds and shook her head, "Uh..."_

"So thanks to you I started asking my 'where do babies come from' questions way before I probably should have."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Whatever. It was your fault for eavesdropping on Mom and Dad's conversation."

Charlotte started to laugh and furrowed her brow, "And what was it Chuck told you?"

Sighing, Jamie knew Charlotte remembered but she just liked to hear it. "We'd just made the basketball team and he handed me a fistful of condoms saying, 'With your name, your talent, and a friend like me...you'll need all of these you can get.'"

Still laughing, Charlotte chuckled again, "And you thought your bedside table drawer was a good hiding place.

"Okay, can we change subjects. You called me about your problems."

Charlotte heard their mom yell her name and she started to scoot off her bed, "Dinner's ready, gotta go, Jame."

"Alright, tell Mom and Dad hello for me."

"And tell Liza the same."

The brother and sister said goodbye and Charlotte threw her phone on her bed before she headed downstairs. She always liked talking to Jamie. Whatever the reason and whatever the cause hearing from her older brother was something she always looked forward to, especially since he was out of the house. They had a unique bond though. Seven years difference and it seemed more like they were slow twins. They could talk about anything and fight about everything. But it was good that way. A simple and significant relationship that had started with their parents.

**OTHOTH**

The following day was driving 101 again. This time it was with Nathan, though. After school Nathan drove Charlotte out to The Rivercourt and parked before they began.

Nathan got out of the driver's seat and switched places with Charlotte. Before he handed her the keys he had some words of wisdom for his daughter. "I might get antsy like your mom did but if that happens just tell me to chill out. Don't worry too much about what I'm saying because I'll probably throw your concentration. Keep your eyes on the rode and your hands, ten and two." Nathan held out his hands in the correct position he was describing and nodded, "Ready?"

"I think so." Charlotte held out her hand and took the keys from her father. The ignition roared to life and Charlotte gingerly put the car into drive.

"Easy off the break. Don't push the gas too hard. It'll start to roll without you touching anything."

She knew all that stuff but nodded and acted like she was taking perfectly organized mental notes. Charlotte pulled out of the grassy lot and onto the street without a problem. Everything was going fine until she realized where the street lead. "Dad, wait. I have to merge up here."

"You'll be fine. You'll only be on the highway for a minute. I trust you."

"Oh my God." Charlotte could feel herself getting nervous and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She noticed the emblem on the horn and felt a lump form in her throat about the potential cost it might be if she wrecked her father's Range Rover. That was not on her list of things to do.

"When we come up on the ramp, check your mirrors and look over your shoulder. You always need to turn and look. The mirrors won't show you everything."

Nodding, Charlotte gulped and saw the highway quickly approaching. Her nerves were getting the best of her and she started to drift the car a little to the right.

"Straighten up a little." Nathan was calm and easy to understand. Charlotte did as she was told and got the car between the yellow center line and the white line guarding the shoulder. Nathan watched as his daughter approached the highway and stiffed up just a little. "Okay, here we go. Mirrors, blind spot, and give it a little gas."

Running off of adrenaline, Charlotte looked in her mirrors, over her shoulder, and gave the SUV some gas as she pulled onto Andrew Jackson Highway. She was in the moment. The other cars didn't bother her, there was no intimidation factor; it was fine.

"You can get off on the next exit." Nathan pointed down the road and Charlotte nodded. Once she veered down the ramp a large smile spread over her face.

"Wow, I did it. I just drove on the highway."

"Yep. I've kinda always thought it's easier for people to get over a big hurdle first because it makes the rest seem simple."

Charlotte thought her father's scheme made sense. She was waiting for the green light to change and she looked at her dad, "That's why you had me start at The Rivercourt, wasn't it? So I'd have to get on the highway?"

"Maybe."

Laughing, Charlotte started to turn after the light flashed green, "Mom would have never let me do that."

Nathan glanced out the window and then over to the driver's side, "Don't tell her this, but between you and me, I think I'm better at teaching how to drive." He looked up and saw that the car in front of them had stopped completely, "Charlotte! Brake!" He flew his left hand in front of her out of instinct and sighed a heavy sigh of relief when he saw that they'd stopped short of the other car's back end.

The brown eyed girl turned to her father with a grin, "You sounded like Mom then, and you acted like her too. She kept putting her hand in front of me when she thought I might hit something. It got really annoying."

Nathan nodded while shrugging, "It's a habit. We just want to protect you as much as we can." His phone started to ring and he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"I bet I know who that is."

"Hey." Nathan answered the phone and looked to Charlotte with a smile.

"How's it going?" Haley sounded overly interested.

Shrugging, Nathan let out a soft laugh, "We lost the bumper a few streets back but I think we'll be able to go pick it up. Luke can probably glue it back on."

"Nathan!"

"I'm kidding, Haley." Nathan laughed and looked to Charlotte with wide eyes, "She's doing great. Everything's fine."

Haley went on to ask more questions but Nathan halfway ignored her. He knew she was only doing it because she was worried. And as he listened to Haley in one ear and watched Charlotte out of the corner of his eye he knew that things would be okay. Charlotte would pass her driver's test in a few months and get her license and Nathan and Haley would have to learn to be okay with that. It was just how life went.

They were at a red light now and Nathan wished that growing old included those things. It might be nice to have a few minutes in life where you could stop and take it all in. But he couldn't. Glancing over to Charlotte and listening to Haley, Nathan knew that he would have to make do. Time was flying by, cruising in the left lane while Nathan was more than happy settling for the slow paced right lane. He could take it all in from there. Haley, Charlotte, Jamie; everything. They were all that mattered.

**OTHOTH**

**I'll go a head and spoil the surprise by saying that if I get some good reviews for this new chapter I'll be posting a next day update Sunday night. Sound good? I feel like I should be able to give my loyal and supportive readers an extra thanks during the holiday season. But I need some HELP! What ages do you really wanna see the kids. I think I'll have two Christmas chapters up next and I know I really want to do a chapter when the kids are older (that way I would have a nice span of ages with the Christmas chapters) but I know a lot of you guys like the kids young. So what'll it be first?**

**My reviewers are always the best part of writing this fic. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Megan, Katie, Emily, Mackenzie, Caroline, Mary Grace, Kelly, mazzy, kutebloo, and SARAH.  
**

**Always and Forever: I'm so happy you liked the last chapter. Knowing how much you enjoyed the emotion was great to hear. And knowing that this story has had such an impact is more than words can say. Thank you.**

**VB23: I know, the reviewing malarky isn't so bad at all, lol. I'm with you. We didn't see enough of the aftermath so I knew almost immediately that I would be doing an extension. I'm glad you liked the little things- the back rub, NHJ telling each other they love one another, etc. I'm a big Brooke and Jamie fan and, like you, I miss their season 5 dynamic. They were so great together then. The NY trip is still a possibility. I just ran out of steam on that chapter. I wrote a couple paragraphs and hated it so chunked the idea for later. Since you've prodded me a little maybe I'll try again. **

**BWyn: Oh don't get me started on the no Naley rain kiss. That was my main problem with the ep too. They could have figured out a way for them to kiss...even if it was on the cheek. But anyways, I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter and that you thought the characters were in character. Over time I've found that it's gotten much easier to write certain people but I still struggle sometimes. Thanks for the confidence boost. Your Christmas suggestion: I'd planned on having everyone older together and then a chap when the kids are young and it's focused on their little family but that may change.**

**BDavis: I told another reviewer that: "Their silent conversation could have filled the pages of the longest book" was one of my favorite lines from last chapter so I'm so glad you liked it. That's so funny that you thought of ch.21 when NHJ were all in bed together in 8.11. I thought that too. There are actually a whole list of things like that I've noticed that have been similar. I get all excited everytiem I see something like that. I'm so happy you liked the chapter!**

**Soph: Thank you so much for the compliments. I've enjoyed sharing the story with everyone and it's great to know people enjoy it so much!**

**Michelle: I hope you had a happy birthday. I doubt by the time I posted it was still your birthday but I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Review Please!**


	81. Oh, Christmas Tree

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 81: Oh, Christmas Tree **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any thing related to OTH. Mark Schwahn and co. deserve all the credit, not me. Props to me for coming up with Liza and Graham, though...right? Maybe.**

**A/N: After losing my creative touch...or something like that, I've found it again and I'm ready to post the new chapter. This one will have both future and past events, so _maybe_ everyone will find a little something you can enjoy. I hope all of you who celebrated Christmas had a wonderful time with family, and friends and those of you who didn't, I hope your weekend went well. I actually got to wake up to a white Christmas (first time that's ever happened!) and it was a great day. And on top of that, I think I've sorted out my writing kinks. I appreciate the patience, guys. If I haven't said it lately, thanks for all the support as I continue to work through all these little moments. You guys have no idea how incredible this ride has been. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

It was Christmas Eve and Haley was standing in front of the mirror as she finished getting ready. Softly humming to herself, she reached for a handmade jingle bell necklace and pulled it over her head. The dark emerald dress complimented her skin, and paired nicely with the red necklace. Her hand came up to the string and she smiled when it jingled at her touch. It had been something Bennet had given her a few years ago.

Their grandson had turned eight the week before and it was still incredible to realize how much time had passed. Haley's eyes roamed the pictures on the dresser and she smiled at them all. Nathan, Jamie, Charlotte, the grandchildren; everyone seemed to be in a frame captured in a moment that would always be remembered.

"Hales..." Nathan walked out of the bathroom holding up two colored ties, "...which one?"

Turning around and smiling at her husband of almost thirty five years, Haley waited for him to approach her. When he was only a foot away she glanced from tie to tie and reached out for the one in his right hand, "I like this one."

"Yeah?" Nathan thought she might. It was a red with tiny little candy canes. He was about to tie it but she was one step ahead of him.

Haley involuntarily started messing with the thin material around Nathan's neck and looked up to him with a soft smile and laughed. A little embarrassed that she was tying his tie without thought or reason, she flashed him one of those Scott smirks, "You know how I like ties."

He knew. Nathan nodded and when Haley's brown eyes met his blues, she pulled on his newly tied tie. It was a sweet kiss that had been habitual since day one for the two of them. He could have stayed like that all night. Standing in their dimly lit bedroom with her in his arms was more than enough, but they had guests who would be arriving any minute. Seconds actually.

"Hello, hello!" A familiar voice echoed up the steps and Haley moved away from Nathan so she could go greet their old friend.

Nathan watched her walk away and he still found himself having a hard time catching his breath. After all this time, two children, two grandchildren- one on the way; there was nothing time had done to make him love her less. In fact, it was just the opposite. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he smiled walking out of the bedroom. There were still days where he found himself in awe of her beauty and grace. She was everything.

As he made his way downstairs, he passed pictures from days past and days present. Jamie and Liza's wedding photo hung next to one of Charlotte's graduation from Brown. Baby pictures of Bennet and Claire were scattered along the wall and Nathan couldn't help but glance at the newest addition. It was another wedding picture, Charlotte's. Just three months ago he'd walked her down the aisle and this Christmas was going to be his and Haley's first with both of their kids off and married. It was joyful and bittersweet at the same time.

"Well you know I wanted to be the first one here so I could snatch Charlotte up as soon as she gets here..." Nathan heard that raspy voice and knew at once it was Brooke. He'd know the moment she'd said hello. Brooke took off her coat and looked around, "I just can't wait for that baby to be born."

Haley nodded and shared the same enthusiasm as her baby loving friend, "I know. Me either."

"Here, let me take that, Brooke." Nathan walked up to the brunette with his hand out.

"Thanks, Nate." Handing him her coat, Brooke sat down.

Arching her brow, Haley questioned Brooke, "So where are your boys?"

"Oh..." Brooke waved her hand in front of her face, "...you know. Julian wanted to grab the camera but he couldn't decide on the film he wanted. He was taking too long so I told him we could come in two cars. Davis was all for that because _I know_ the last thing my twenty year old wanted to hear was my overly anxious excitement about grand-baby Scott no. three."

Smiling, Haley nodded. She looked at the clock on the oven, "Well, Charlotte should be here soon."

While Brooke and Haley continued to talk about this and that, Nathan put Brooke's coat in one of the guest bedrooms and saw headlights shine through the window. It was still light enough outside to see the model of the car and from the looks of the black convertible, he knew which duo would be walking in next.

When the front door opened, Brooke turned her head faster than anyone should.

"Merry Christmas!"

Haley heard Lucas's voice and walked toward to door with a smile. "Merry Christmas."

"Hey." Peyton unraveled her scarf and walked toward the kitchen with Haley. Noticing Brooke's not-so merry demeanor, Peyton laughed, "Well Merry Christmas to you, Brooke."

"Sorry. I just thought you were Charlotte and Graham."

Peyton's eyes got wide and she shook her head, "That I am not, but...I did hear from Sawyer. They should be here shortly. I think they must be riding together since they live so close."

Lucas and Nathan walked into the kitchen and for a little while it was like the gang was back in high school. The jock, the tutor, the broody novelist, the tortured artists, and the always peppy cheerleader. They were five people who had remained just as close as they had been, and nothing was gonna change that.

The door opened again and this time there were more footsteps than anyone could count. Jamie and Liza and their kids had pulled up the same time as Lucas and Peyton's twenty four year old son, Keith, and his girlfriend.

A little boy dressed in khaki pants and a navy blue button down ran into the kitchen with a bag of ice in his hands. He looked up to his grandfather, "Where does this go?"

"You can put it in the sink, Bennet." Haley spoke up before Nathan and smiled at her grandson.

"Merry Christmas." A blue eyed man in his early thirties came into the kitchen holding two more bags of ice and he kissed his mom's cheek as he passed by, "Hey, Mom."

Two and a half year old Claire walked through the kitchen and her Mary Jane's clapped against the hardwood floor. "Me Kistmas." Every adult in the room cooed over the little one's attempt at Merry Christmas.

They all welcomed those who'd just arrived and Julian and Davis came in shortly afterwords.

Camera in tow, Julian went around asking everyone what they'd wanted for Christmas and knelt down to Claire, "What's Santa gonna bring you, Claire?"

"Baby poops."

Those who'd heard all started to laugh and Liza walked over to her youngest and ran her hands over the top of Claire's head, "What she meant to say was a baby doll that poops."

"Ugh, Yuck." Nathan walked toward Claire and looked at her, "You really want that?"

"Grandpa! Up!" The little girl's attention had changed when Nathan picked her up and she pointed her finger into his chest, "Tandy tane?"

"Mmm-huh." Nathan nodded and smiled, "I almost wore a snowman one."

"Pausty?"

"Yep. There were little Frostys on my other one."

Haley had walked up to Nathan and Claire and put her hand on his shoulder. Watching him listen and decode two and a half year old talk was adorable.

"Jeez! It's freezing outside!"

Keith looked to his girlfriend, Tatum, with a roll of his eyes, "Ha, looks like Sawyer's here."

"Merry Christmas!" Charlotte walked through the front door of her childhood home with a smile.

"Ooh, ooh!" Brooke hopped off her chair and scurried toward the twenty five year old mom to be. "Hi."

"Hi, Merry Christmas, Aunt Brooke." Charlotte hugged the older woman and couldn't help but notice that Brooke's eyes had landed on her belly. Just under three months, Charlotte knew that there wasn't much to see. "You can't really tell, can you?"

"Oh, yes you can." Brooke nodded and looked back to Peyton, Haley, and Liza, "It's a mom thing. We _just_ know."

Haley was nodding with what Brooke was saying because it was true. Charlotte had told Haley first and when her daughter had come over that rainy morning she knew exactly what was going on. Looking up to her husband Haley leaned into his side and felt a lump form in the middle of her throat. Their little girl was growing up. She already was. Married to a great guy and ready to have a family of her own, Charlotte's appearance made Haley's head spin. Looking around the house to the presents and holiday decorations, it didn't seem like it was that long ago that Charlotte was having her first Christmas Eve.

_The baby monitor was set up on the kitchen counter and Haley was pulling out ingredients from the pantry and fridge._

"_How many cookies do you think Santa can really eat? Doesn't everyone give him cookies and milk?"_

"_I don't know, Jame." Haley looked over to her seven year old and shrugged, "I think after all this time he's gotten used to eating so many."_

"_Maybe we should make him something new this year?"_

_Haley furrowed her brow as she set the eggs and flower out, "Like what?"_

"_I don't know. Those Cheerios commercials always say they're heart healthy..."_

"_Cheerios?" Haley looked behind her and toward the yellow boxed cereal, "I guess if you really want to we can."_

_Seriously thinking it about, Jaime had to weigh his options. What if Santa left bad presents because they left out bad food? Well, not bad food, but not sugary desserts? "Eh, we should probably stick to cookies."_

_Nodding her head, Haley went back to the pantry and got out the Christmas tree, and snowman cookie cutters. "But I'll tell you what..." She placed the shapes in front of her son and raised her brow, "We can leave him out a piece of broccoli if you want. That way he can have a little bit a both. And if he doesn't eat it, that's perfectly fine."_

"_That works." Jamie nodded and walked over toward the counter, "What can I do first?"_

_Haley set out each ingredient in a particular order and told her son that he could pour the appropriate amount of each into their mixer. Sugar, flower, eggs, and the rest of it started to come together nicely._

"_How many colors do you want to make, Jamie?" Haley looked over her shoulder and she reached for the confectioner's sugar and food coloring._

"_Um, red, green...white, blue, yellow...oran..." The front door opened and Jamie stopped calling out toward colors and smiled when he saw his dad walk in the kitchen._

"_Mmm, smells like Christmas cookies in here." He nodded as looked at his wife and son. He had a few bags in his hands and tried to keep them halfway hidden behind his back as he walked further into the kitchen. Nathan stuck his finger on the side of the dough bowl and helped himself to a nice sized taste. "Pretty good, Hales."_

"_Hey. I did that. That was all me." Jaime pointed to the bowl and smiled._

_Turning to his son, Nathan corrected himself, "Well, they're really great, Jamie. Santa will love them."_

"_You think so?"_

_Nathan was pretty positive on that front, "Yeah." Haley was enjoying listening to her husband and son talk about the Christmas cookies but she was interested in what Nathan was holding behind his back. She tried to slyly take a peek but Nathan was quick to notice. "Hey!"_

_Coiling away from him, laughing, Haley shrugged, "What?"_

"_That's not fair."_

_Jamie nodded his head while he aimlessly mashed up the cookie dough, "Yeah Mom, no peeking."_

"_I just wanted to see where you went." Haley tried to look at the bags again but Nathan tightened his grip on the bag and held them further into his back._

"_Just gotta wait, Hales. You gotta be patient." He flashed her that enchanting Scott smirk and arched his brow, "I guess I'll have to go wrap these really quick." He started to go upstairs and turned back around, "Is Charlotte up? I'll get her to help." _

_How on Earth their sleeping five month old would help Nathan, Haley would never know. "Alright bud. I'll roll out the dough then you can cut out the trees and I'll do the snowmen." Haley handed Jamie his cookie cutter and Nathan was halfway up the stairs._

_He'd walked into his and Haley's bedroom and pulled out the gifts he'd bought. He'd already gotten them wrapped at the store but he wouldn't tell Haley that. He'd let her marvel at the perfect corners and nicely tied ribbons only to have him laugh at her for thinking he could do something only Martha Stewart proteges could do. Martha Stewart proteges and Haley James, that is._

_Satisfied with the different array of colored boxes in front of him, Nathan got out a pen and wrote his to's and from's on the tags. He'd signed the last one and then he heard a familiar sound. Charlotte._

"_I'll get her," Nathan hollered down the stairs because he figured that Haley would be on her way up from the kitchen._

_When he walked into Charlotte's room he made his way to the crib and looked down to see tear filled brown eyes. "Aw, Char, come here." Nathan reached down to pick her up and and kissed the side of her head. "Did you have a good nap?" The little girl dug her head into Nathan's neck and he ran his hand along her back. _

_Checking her diaper before heading out, Nathan knew that she was dry so he walked into the bedroom to grab a few gifts to put under the tree. He put his mouth close to Charlotte' ear and whispered, "Don't tell Mom but you know what this is?" Nathan looked at the mini Haley and then to the present, "It's the silk bathrobe she's been talking about."_

_Nathan laughed at Charlotte's non-response and walked downstairs. Haley saw Nathan come down and she smiled when she saw him holding Charlotte. He was such a great dad._

"_Hey, bud? The other presents are on the bed. You wanna go get 'em for me?"_

"_Sure." Jamie quickly washed his hands and hurried up the steps._

_Nathan set the presents he'd brought under the tree and then sat down on the couch. Haley slid one of the cookie sheets into the oven and walked toward Nathan and Charlotte. She took a seat on the coffee table across from Nathan and watched Charlotte slowly wake up. Nathan looked comfortable so she could understand Charlotte's slow movements. "She slept for a while, so I wonder how she'll do tonight?"_

_Knowing bits and pieces of Charlotte's sleep schedule, Nathan figured she might sleep through the night. "Unless she hears..." Nathan looked around, "...us down here putting stuff out she should probably be fine."_

"_I think so too." Haley wiped her chin with the back of her hand and saw Nathan start to laugh. "What?"_

"_Come here." He used his finger to guide her to him and he brushed away the flour that was lingering on her chin. "You got a little..." He looked at his thumb and crumbled the whiteness between his fingers, "...flour or something."_

"_I don't doubt it." Haley laughed and moved over to sit next to him. She leaned into his side and took a long deep breath. Nathan turned his head so he was looking at Haley and let out a small laugh because she smelled like cookie dough._

"_I got 'em, Dad."_

"_Thanks, Jame." Nathan watched his son walk toward the tree and gently place the presents under the tree. He looked to the stockings and got a funny little idea._

_Haley felt Nathan start to get up and she shut her eyes and shook her head, "The cookies still have a while. They aren't ready yet."_

"_I know." Nathan wasn't getting up to grab a few cookies, he had a better plan. Charlotte was still in __his arms but not for long. Jamie watched his father curiously lift his baby sister to the hanging stocking and furrowed his brow._

_Nathan didn't know if the hook would hold so he put Charlotte in the stocking and quickly picked it up. He carefully gave Jaime the stocking and started to smile._

"_Mom, look. You're stocking got filled early."_

_Haley had had her eyes closed and when she opened them back up she saw Nathan standing by the fireplace empty handed. Her stocking was gone but Jamie had it. When she realize that a little something was occupying hers she couldn't help but smile._

_Nathan grabbed a stick on bow from one of the presents under the tree and stuck in on the middle of Jaime's forehead. "There you go, Hales. Merry Christmas." He laughed and waited to see if she thought it was as funny as he did._

_Laughing, Haley nodded and motioned for Jamie to sit down next to her. She didn't know how comfortable Charlotte was so she got her out of the stocking and held her on one side while Jamie was on the other. It wouldn't matter what was in any of the boxes underneath the Christmas tree, nothing could be better than the two greatest gifts Nathan had already given her._

Haley had glanced at the old stockings hanging above the fireplace and then looked back to Charlotte. She certainly couldn't fit in there now.

Nathan put Claire down at looked at Haley, "You thinking about the time I put Charlotte in your stocking?"

She looked up to him wondering how he knew, but Haley nodded, "Yeah."

Laughing, Nathan shook his head, "And that year you made me eat broccoli with the cookies."

Haley laughed, "Well you didn't _have_ to. It was optional."

Bennet ran over to his grandparents and tugged on Nathan's arm, "Come here, come here. Dad and I..." He got up on his tiptoes and tried to whisper the next part, "...have a plan."

Nathan raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, "Gotta go."

Haley was almost certain about what her son, grandson, and husband were concocting and when she saw Charlotte over there she was positive what was going on.

About fifteen minutes had passed and Haley was about to pull out the famous finger sandwiches. She'd just finished chatting with Davis about college when she headed for the kitchen. She saw that the refrigerator was open and she laughed. Some things never changed.

Walking quietly and without any give-away, Haley cleared her throat and crossed her arms, "Excuse me?"

Bennet froze. One of his hands was in the container of sandwiches and the other held three. "Um..." He turned around and flashed his grandmother the blue eyes she'd seen in her son and her husband.

"Let me guess, your dad, grandfather...and aunt put you up to this?"

"Uh-oh." Charlotte peeked her head back from the kitchen door frame and looked at Nathan and Jamie. "Looks like Mom caught Bennet sneaking us some sandwiches."

"He probably would have been fine if you hadn't asked for two." Jamie laughed and shook his head.

"It's not my fault." Charlotte put her hand on her stomach and narrowed her eyes.

Nathan saw Bennet walk toward them and he held out his hands, "So what happened?"

"Grandma said you three were banned from the little turkey sandwiches."

"What!" Charlotte looked horrified.

A smile started to spread across the young boy's face and he laughed, "I'm only kidding."

Haley appeared in the doorway with a large platter of finger sandwiches., "If you could have waited about four seconds I would have had them on the table."

The three who'd schemed their way to the fridge laughed and felt embarrassed that they'd used Bennet as their not so secretive black ops sandwich-getter. Sandwich stealing had been going on since the kids were little and it was no surprise to Haley that Bennet was now involved. She went toward the dining room table and placed the platter down and smiled when her kids walked quickly behind her. Haley picked up a sandwich and walked toward Nathan. She took a bite and held it out to him, "Nice. Using our eight year old grandson, now?"

"Yeah..." Nathan looked down and shrugged, "...you know."

That was the thing. She did know. She knew that year after year, Nathan would want to get into those things earlier than needed which later transformed to Nathan and Jamie, then Nathan, Jamie and Charlotte. It was a little hard to describe but she didn't mind the tradition. It was something that was humbling and flattering. She wouldn't have it any other way.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte walked into the kitchen when she'd eaten most of what was on her plate and smiled at her mom and Aunt Brooke, "That was really, really good, Mom."

Haley put a plate in the sink and nodded toward Charlotte, "Thanks, honey."

"So you know I have to ask..." Brooke took one last bite of a petifore and looked at Charlotte, "What are you thinking? Boy or girl?"

"You know we don't know yet."

"But what do you think? I'll at least have a heads up about what kinds of baby clothes I'll be designing."

Charlotte laughed and shrugged, "I don't know, really. And we might wait to find out."

Brooke's eyes got wide. "Not you too? Jamie already did that with Claire. Wasn't it torture not knowing?"

Haley laughed, "I will agree with Brooke on that part. When it was getting down to the wire I was pretty anxious about that."

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte looked down to her stomach, "We'll just have to see."

Sawyer walked into the room and let out an exacerbated sigh, "Oh, I feel bloated." She put her hands on her stomach and groaned.

Bennet walked into the kitchen and furrowed his brow, "Are you having a baby, too?"

Charlotte, Haley, and Brooke all laughed while Sawyer shook her head with a look of bewilderment. "Ha, you're a funny kid, but _no_." She looked around the room, "I think I'd need a boyfriend first, pal. And that's something I'm out of these days." Sawyer shook her head again and laughed, "I just ate a little too much, too fast."

"Oh." Bennet put his plate on the counter and looked toward the blonde, "Well, you wanna be on my team for hide and seek?

Sawyer smiled and put her hand on her chest, "I would be honored." She looked over to Charlotte and pointed with her thumb, "Charlotte over here won't stand a chance."

"Oh, don't listen to Sawyer, Bennet. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Cutting her eyes at her cousin, Sawyer walked out of the kitchen with the young Scott boy and Brooke followed. Haley and Charlotte were still in the kitchen and the mom turned to her daughter with a sweet smile. "I..." Noticing that Charlotte's big brown eyes were welling with tears, Haley shook her head. "Charlotte?"

Laughing, Charlotte shook her head and wiped her eyes, "I don't know how or why that just happened." She looked to her mom as she laughed again, "Ugh, I was just looking at Sawyer and then Bennet and started thinking about... It was dumb."

Haley wrapped an arm around Charlotte and pulled her close, "Your hormones will get you early but it'll get easier." Letting out a small laugh, Haley ran her hand up and down Charlotte's arm and nodded, "It's worth it."

She knew her mom was right, "Yesterday in the car this old song came on the radio and I almost had to pull over. My mascara was down my cheeks before the pre-chorus."

"Well if it will make you feel better, you can open up one of your gag gifts." Haley smiled as Charlotte's eyes started to dry. "I got you a jumbo sized tube of crunchy peanut butter."

Charlotte laughed,"Really?"

Nodding, Haley smiled, "You have no idea how much of that stuff I went through when I was pregnant with you. I ate it by the jar when I watched your dad's games on TV."

Thinking about how much peanut butter her mom may have eaten, Charlotte's face turned sour, "That's kinda gross."

Haley shrugged, "You just wait. You're gonna wake up in the middle of the night and you'll never believe how great it is to have that extra jar somewhere close."

Graham walked into the kitchen and saw that Charlotte's face was a little flush and furrowed his brow out of concern, "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. It was nothing."

"Yeah?" Graham trusted Charlotte and figured it was hormones. "Well Bennet sent me in here to let you know we're about to start the game. Apparently it's you and me on a team. We're supposed to hide together." He put his plate and the couple others he'd brought in on the counter.

"I'm 'bout to start counting!" Bennet yelled through the house and Haley watched as Charlotte and Graham went to hide and she walked back to were everyone else was.

The older adults weren't partaking in the game but they enjoyed watching it unfold around them. Jamie, Liza, and Claire were the only team of three and they were hiding closest to the main group.

"Right there. Yeah." Jamie pointed to a spot next to a few presents under the tree and he and Liza hid on opposites sides of the blue spruce. Bennet would be able to find his mom and dad without a problem but his little sister blended in with the presents like camouflage.

Lucas was sitting next to Haley and he couldn't help but laugh as he took a sip of his drink, "You remember when we were kids and Taylor got into the egg nog?"

"How could I forget." Haley batted her eyes at Lucas with a fake smile. "She threw up on my new chess set, and as many times as Mom cleaned it, it still reeked of bourbon."

"Ew." Brooke furrowed her brow and shook her head.

"I know. It was bad."

Brooke shook her head, "Not the bourbon smell. That you _actually_ wanted a chess set for Christmas." Brooke laughed out loud and tried to cover her mouth.

Nathan looked to his wife and then to his raspy voiced friend, "Are you forgetting who you're talking to? It's Haley. She asked for books and rulers, and projectors, and stuff."

"Protractors." Haley corrected him even if it did solidify her dorkyness.

"Dad!" Bennet walked into the room and saw that his father wasn't really hiding, "You're out in the open. How's that hiding?"

Jamie looked at his son, "Well you have to find your mom and Claire, too."

Sawyer glanced to the other side of the tree and down to Bennet, "I spy your mom, kid."

"Gotcha." Bennet's eyes had found his little sister along the presents under the tree.

Claire started to sit up and pulled on one of the branches to help herself get up. Every single adult in the room saw what was about to happen and made a move to stop the inevitable, but it was too late. The little girl had pulled on the exact branch that seemed to be holding the most weight and the two and half year old's strength surprised everyone. It started at the top and the ornaments started to sway and then it just started the fall. The whole tree.

Jamie was the closest to the tree but he wasn't of much help. The tree was nearly to the ground when he had time to react.

"Nathan, help him." Haley looked at her husband but saw that he was already out of his seat and pulling the tree up.

Everyone immediately started to look for Claire in the pile of presents and pine needles.

"Honey. Are you okay?" Liza spotted the little girl and picked her up about as fast as the tree fell. The little girl's blue eyes were welling with tears. The branches had been soft when they fell but the shattering of a few ornaments had scared her.

"What happened?" Charlotte and Graham walked into the room and were startled to see Jamie and Nathan holding up the tree with a terrified Claire in Liza's arms. "Did the tree fall on her?" Charlotte looked to her mother and saw her nod.

Being a nurse, Liza checked all of Claire's possible injuries but quickly realized that nothing was wrong. In fact, she wasn't hurt at all. Jamie had cut himself on a stray piece of glass from a cracked ornament but that was about the extent of it.

For the most part everyone got a great laugh out of it and only a few ornaments were ruined. Nothing too sentimental and nothing that couldn't be replaced. A dust pan, a broom, and an hour later, the house was filled with sweet silence and Haley was sitting on the couch aimlessly looking at the burning fire. Nathan sat down next to her with a cup of warm coffee and he sighed heavily as he leaned into the back cushions.

"An eventful night, huh?"

Nathan nodded, "But it was a good night."

Haley looked to the tree and let out a laugh, "And that _was_ a very good tree."

Looking at their lopsided, leaning tower of green, Nathan shrugged, "It's still a good tree." He wrapped his hand around Haley's side and pulled her close so he could kiss her forehead, "It's a good Christmas."

Haley glanced to him with her doe brown eyes and nodded, "It's been a _very_ good Christmas." She kissed the corner of his mouth and rested her head against his chest knowing they still had tomorrow.

The two of them sat by the cackling fire and their lopsided tree knowing they wouldn't have changed any of it. A few busted ornaments and one Snoopy band-aid didn't hurt their Christmas spirit. Nothing would get them down. Not while they were together. Not while they had each other.

**OTHOTH**

**So this one gave a little bit of info about what's up with the kid's lives during this time frame. Some of you will have noticed that certain people were absent or included...and it was for a reason. Again, I'll probably introduce the Charlotte's first baby in her story so look out of that in an upcoming chapter of LM:LMLD. I'll add her kids in here at some point. If you guys want to see that, that is. I'm pretty sure next chapter will be New Year's themed. The last one I did, I had them in college so I'll probably have NH in their mid to late twenties for the next one. How's that? Good? Bad?**

**I took some TheraFlu a little while ago and it's kicked in. I'll put my review replies up in the morning and edit the chapter much more diligently than what I've done so far. So here is the normal thank you: Thank you, thank you, thank you, guys! All of your words mean so much and every single review makes me want to write as much as I can. You guys have got to be the best readers/reviewers around. Thanks for staying awesome!**

**UPDATED: My reviewers continue to motivate me and I wish I had more than thanks to offer- Julie, BWyn, tp404, jackie, Jennie, Mish- thank you all for the support and kind words!  
**

**VB23: When Nathan threw his arm across Charlotte last chapter, it was definetly supposed to mirror what he did with Haley in 8.11. I always try to throw in things that actually happened on the show so it helps my story's cohesive flow. If that even makes sense, lol.**

**BDavis: Having a chapter where Charlotte comes home drunk would probably be funny but I wouldn't want it to be too similar to Jamie's chapter. That's kinda why I did her 'get in trouble' chapter about her sneaking out of the house. But who knows, I may do a drunk Charlotte chapter at some point. And ha, I had to laugh and smile at your suggestion about linking my story to Mark Schwahn. I think I'd be nervous and intimidated to see what he thought, lol. I know you said you want to 'meet' Charlotte and Graham's kids in their story...and you probably will. You found out a little info about certain things in this chapter but nothing too detremental, I think. Look out for Charlotte's chapter soon. I'm working on that tonight. And I appreciated your other review about not stressing over the new chapter. I don't know what the deal was but I couldn't get my fingers to type anything that was spinning around in my head. It was unfortunate. I hated have to make you guys wait. But it was nice to see your nice words as I worked out the kinks.  
**

**C: Sorry I didn't do a Christmas chapter set during season 8. Thing about season 8 is that 'my' timeline doesn't run the same. Little Moments pretty much picks up after season 6 considering I've got Charlotte in here, but...I have and will do some missing moments/extensions from season 7 and on. Maybe next time around I'll do a season 8 Christmas.**

**Becky: It's so nice to have you back. I'm glad you were able to review last chapter and thank you for all the wonderful compliments. Knowing that you think the story is realistic is hands down the best thing anyone can say! I tend to visualize each chapter as if it could be on the show and I'll pull from personal experience hoping each scenario will seem plausible. And thank you for the congrats on passing 2000 reviews and a year in writing. It's been an incredible journey!**

**Anon: I think I'm partial to baby related chapters too. This whole business about the show seemingly forgetting that a main character is pregnant is bologna. I've already got a chapter in mind that has to do with Nathan and Haley getting ready for Charlotte's arrival- much like (Ch. 13, Labor Pains) I've just got to write it. But I also don't want to step on the show's feet and do something that they may have in store for us in a future episode. But at this point, I think anything may be fair game considering they've done...nothing. But on to another topic. I'm glad you liked last chapter. Having Nathan do the 'arm fling' was definitely a throwback to 8.11, and my mom also does it so I couldn't help myself. Chuck as Jamie's, Tim Smith...yes, absolutely. Another reviewer mentioned that and I agree wholeheartedly. If the show were to ever show the kids older Chuck would be very much like Tim in my mind. Oh, and the Fabio comment. I think that particular scene from season 4 is very well known so I figured adding Fabio into last chapter would make for a nice throwback. **

**Always and Forever: Knowing that I inspired you to venture out and write you own story is incredibly humbling to hear. Wow. It's people like you and comments like that, that make my day. Really, honestly. So thank you. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and I hope you had a wonderful holiday.**

**Anna: Thanks for taking the time to send me the lyrics to "Remember When". I'm actually very familiar with that song. I think living in the south has a lot to do with that, lol, but you're very right. It's hard not to think about the story/Nathan and Haley when listening to the song. Maybe next chapter I'll put it on a play list so I can listen to is as I write.  
**

_**Review Please!**_


	82. Till Midnight

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 82: Till Midnight**

**Disclaimer: I still have nothing to do with OTH. The characters are not mine but my creativity is. That's about it.**

**A/N: So I'm finally back. Sorry bout the wait, y'all. School, my dad's bypass, all kinds of things got in the way of writing but I'm back now and I probably will be back with updates every weekend. Hopefully sooner, but with four history classes and two education classes...I'll be swamped. I hope 2011 has started well for everyone. Enjoy the chapter!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley had a funny little feeling that her husband and son would be walking in from the store with more than what was on the grocery list. Considering it was New Years Eve, Haley wouldn't put it past Nathan to bring home fireworks but remembering what happened a few Fourth of Julys ago, maybe he wouldn't.

The little feet rounded the corner of the kitchen and Haley looked down to see a four year old Charlotte. She smiled up to her mom with big brown eyes, "Whatcha doing?"

Haley let out a small laugh and shook her head, "Nothing. Waiting on your dad and brother to get home so I can start cooking."

"I'll help." Charlotte climbed up the chair by the bar and rested her forearms on the counter and her chin on her arms, "Like this?"

Not realizing Charlotte meant she wanted to help _wait _it out, Haley's mouth curled into a smile and she nodded, "Sure."

The little girl tilted her chin so her head was resting on her arms, "Jamie said he was staying up tonight. Can I?"

"If you can." Haley nodded but didn't know if her four year old was up to such a task. "It might be harder than you think, though."

Charlotte was pretty confident, "I can do it."

"Maybe." Haley shrugged with a smile.

The front door opened and Charlotte perked up. Haley watched as her husband and son come in the kitchen and her eyes widened when she saw the twenty ounce bottle Jamie was holding. "Mountain Dew?"

"Dad said I could." Jaime looked up to his mom and put the bag he was carrying on the table.

"Oh he did?"

Nathan sorta winced as Haley looked to him, "It's fine. He wants to stay up."

"Me too!" Charlotte enthusiastically looked at her father with a smile that stole his heart.

Haley let out a laugh and looked at her kids. They were something else.

Jamie dug through the grocery bag and pulled something out some other things before walking over to sit next to Charlotte. He sat on the chair and put his drink and the packages of Starburst, Skittles, M&Ms, etc. on the counter. He glanced to his little sister and nodded, "We can share."

If he hadn't been so cute about sharing, Haley would have told Jamie no. Charlotte didn't need that much caffeine and sugar. "Just a little bit, Charlotte. If you have too much you'll fall asleep before you know it." Haley knew that her youngest would fall victim to a sugar crash if she had too much

Nathan had been unpacking the rest of the grocery bags and pulled out a bottle of champagne. He turned to Haley and held it out. When their eyes met he smirked, "We can share."

After what he'd said, Haley felt a surge of color rush to her cheeks. It hadn't even been what he'd said, but that smirk. It got her every time. She took the bottle from him and read the label. She wasn't a huge fan of champagne. She liked to drink it on occasion but it made her burp a lot if she had too much too fast.

Nathan took a step toward Haley and started to laugh, "Remember when..."

"Yes." Haley's cheeks turned red and she shook her head laughing as she cut him off. "I'm surprised you even got this considering what happened then. I'm sure it was your _favorite_ New Year's Eve." Her tone was sarcastic.

Furrowing his brow, Nathan shook his head, "What are you talking about? It was a great New Year's Eve."

She rolled her eyes at him and couldn't help but remember. It had been about three years ago. Nathan had a basketball game in Utah but afterwords he and Haley opted to fly to Las Vegas for his two day day break.

_Nathan had tied his tie and smoothed out his jacket when Haley walked out of the hotel bathroom. He saw her come in through the mirror and his breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful. He turned around and smiled, "Wow."_

_Haley tightly held onto her clutch when she felt Nathan's eyes on her. He did always have some sort of thing for her in green. It hadn't been an accident that she'd chosen that color. Biting her lip, Haley walked toward him and her eyes roamed his suit. "You look pretty good, too."_

_Smiling, Nathan arched his brow, "Just pretty good?"_

"_Well, I..you know what I mean. I..." She was about to ramble so Nathan cut her off._

_He pulled her toward him and shook his head, "Come here." Nathan had wrapped his hands around Haley's waist and leaned down to kiss her._

_Haley had her arms resting on his shoulders while her fingers were locked behind his hair. "We're gonna be late if we stay in here much longer."_

_Nathan thought about forgoing their Vegas show but he knew Haley really wanted to see Phantom- Las Vegas Spectacular. At least it wasn't Celine or Cher. "We can be a little late. It's just downstairs. It'll take us all of five minutes to get there."_

_She knew he was right. It was only a quick trip to the elevator. Part of the perks of staying at the same hotel where the show was. "Yeah, you're right." Haley kissed him again and raised her brow, "I guess it won't hurt."_

_To make out like they were teenagers? Nathan didn't think so. He just shook his head and tightened his grip on Haley's hips, "No. Absolutely not."_

_Their Venitian hotel room was quickly becoming an obsolete background while the husband and wife made up for lost time. It was nice to be alone. No kids, no one interrupting, no one to tell them to stop. Except time of course._

_Haley caught a glance of the clock, "We should really get going."_

"_I know." Nathan nodded and took a deep breath. "Just so you know. If I fall asleep during this, it's not my fault."_

_Laughing, Haley shook her head, "You won't. You're probably gonna like it more than you think."_

_Nathan didn't think so but he was doing it for her. It was the least he could do. Taker her to a show she wanted to see. He was the one away from home most of the time. He was the one she was making sacrifices for. The Harlem Globe Trotters had a show they could have gone to but this night wasn't for him. It was for Haley._

_The two of them headed downstairs and found their seats. He wasn't going to lie. Haley had been right. It really wasn't all that bad. The best part, though. The best part was knowing how much Haley loved it. Watching her look on with admiration and wow. He could look at her like that all night._

"_Wasn't it great?" Haley leaned into Nathan's shoulder as they walked out of the theater when it ended. "It's just such a beautiful story." She looked up to him and saw him nod. As they walked toward the main lobby, Haley checked her watch. It couldn't hurt to go to the casino."What do you say we try our hand at a little luck for the next two hours?"_

_Nathan flashed her his trademark smirk, "Feeling a little lucky, Haley James?"_

_She nodded and leaned into his side, "Are you feeling lucky?" Haley patted him on the chest and smiled up to his blue eyes._

_Yes he was. Lucky about a few things actually. Nathan felt Haley grab a hold of his hand and started to walk towards the casino. Watching her walk a few steps in front of him, Nathan certainly felt lucky. Her hips were swaying to a silent beat and when she turned around to look at him he felt his pulse start to race. Luck had dealt him a pretty nice hand._

_The duo cashed in for some chips and it didn't take long for them to find spots at a blackjack table. Start it off easy and see how it went._

"_Hit me." Haley looked at the dealer and knew that her eleven could take a hit. She'd gotten a nine so she was sitting pretty with twenty._

_Nathan looked to Haley with a funny little smile and she just shrugged him off. Nathan tapped the table and waited to see how his fate ended, "Hit."  
_

"_Bust." The dealer gave Nathan a seven and took his chips when the NBA star's total went over twenty one._

"_Damn." Nathan shook his head and rolled his eyes. His loosing streak maintained pretty steady for the next few rounds and he wasn't a fan of loosing. He glanced over to his wife's pile of chips and narrowed his eyes. She had to be counting the cards. There's no way she was that good._

"_I think I'm gonna go see if there's a game I can actually win."_

_Haley turned to her husband, "I'll be here."_

_Nathan laughed because he knew she could get in a hole pretty fast. All that money would probably be gone in thirty minutes. So he left the table and settled in at a poker table. His fate was the same there and he couldn't win to save his life. He moved on to roulette but nothing changed. He lost everywhere he went. He'd tried everything, he'd tried every game. It just wasn't his night. When he was down to his last few dollars Nathan walked over to the penny slots and took a seat next to an elderly woman with a fanny pack. He kindly smiled at her and dropped in his first coin._

_The woman next to him squinted her eyes to see how he turned out and frowned, "It takes a minute to warm up. You'll win next time."_

_Nathan took a deep breath, "I hope so."_

_While Nathan tried to get back some self esteem Haley was rolling in dough. Her chips were towering and they were only going up. Time had flown by and she knew that she needed to get out before she started losing and find her husband. The dealer gave her a black bag for her chips and she started to look through the crowds of people for Nathan. He wasn't at the poker tables, he wasn't playing roulette. Haley started walking around the rest of the floor and saw him sitting down at the penny slots talking with an old woman who had to be in her seventies._

_Smiling, Haley bit her lip and shook her head at the sight. Nathan was handsome doing anything, doing everything. She walked toward him and sat down in the empty chair beside him. She was facing outwards, while he was looking at the slot machine._

"_Hey." Nathan turned to Haley with a somber smile._

"_Hey." She smiled at him, "How's it going."_

"_I think I've won about eighty cents."_

_The older woman on Nathan's side nodded, "But he's doing much better now."_

_Nathan laughed, "Hales, this is Martha. She's been helping me out."_

"_Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Haley." Haley held out her hand and smiled at the grandmother. She had kind dark eyes and Haley guessed they'd been filled with a lifetime of memories._

_Martha shook Haley's hand daintily and smiled, "You've got yourself a fighter here. Never wanted to give up."_

_Haley glanced to Nathan and smiled. Even a perfect stranger could read Nathan._

"_So how'd you end up?" Nathan looked at Haley's black bag but couldn't tell how full it was._

_She shrugged her shoulders, "Um...okay." In truth she'd done well. Really well, but she didn't want to boast when Nathan had so obviously had a bad night. Haley held up the little black bag she was carrying, "I was gonna cash these in. Are you almost done?"_

"_Yeah." Nathan nodded, "I'll finish this up and meet you by the elevators."_

"_Alright." Haley leaned across Nathan and looked at the old woman, "Nice to meet you, Martha. Thanks for keeping him company."_

"_Oh sure, sure. We've had a blast."_

_Haley got up from her stool and squeezed on Nathan's shoulder as she walked away. When she got to the counter she found out that she'd won more than a lot of money. They'd given her a bottle of Dom Perignon on the house as a door prize so to speak, and Haley knew she and Nathan would enjoy it later._

_He was standing by the elevators with his hands in his pockets when she walked over. He pulled out some change and started to count, "Ninty three cents. I think I can buy you a pack of Juicey Fruit or something."_

_Haley smiled, "Sounds romantic." She batted her eyelashes and held out the bottle of champagne. "It'll go well with this."_

"_Nice. Did you buy that with your chips?"_

"_Uh, they just gave it to me. A party favor kind of thing."_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Jeez, how much did you win?"_

_Haley could feel a redness start to creep up her cheeks, "A fair amount."_

"_Well I'm glad one of us won something. I sucked tonight. Even at slots."_

_She walked a little bit closer and smiled, "The night's not over." Her smiled changed seductive and Haley whispered, "You might still get lucky."_

"_Yeah?" He knew it was coming but it was hot hearing her say that._

"_Mmm-huh." Haley checked her watch. "Seven minutes till midnight. We should probably get to our room."_

_Haley didn't have to ask him twice. They got in the elevator and after stopping at two floors they were suddenly left alone. She was leaning against one side and he was against the other. Their eyes met and she shook her head. Nathan arched his brow, "What?"_

_Haley swallowed hard. She could tell that he'd been undressing her with his eyes. "Lo...looking at me like that?"_

"_Like what?" He shook his head trying to play dumb. He was good at it and knew that Haley would fall for his charm._

"_Oh, Nathan stop it." Her cheeks had turned a shade of red deeper than any before, "We're almost there."_

"_Mmm-huh." He took the few steps across the elevator and nodded, "So why can't I start early?"_

_Haley bit her lip and felt her internal temperature reach it's boiling point. He was close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin and she was at a loss for words. The elevator dinged and Nathan started walking out of the elevator backwards. It took Haley a minute to gather up the strength to begin walking but something wasn't right._

"_Come on, Hales." He was out of the door and tilted his head toward the rooms._

_She glanced to the buttons on the elevator and saw that they weren't on their floor. They still had six to go. "Nathan..." Haley laughed and shook her head, "We're not on our floor."_

_He wasn't paying much attention because he was more interested in finishing what they were about to start. _

"_Nathan." She looked at him and shook her head, "Come back." The doors of the elevator started to close and her eyes got wide. "Hurry." Haley tried to find the open door button but there were too many to choose from._

_It was too late. Nathan had been so preoccupied and caught up in his thoughts he failed to realized he'd gotten off at the wrong time. He hurried back to the elevator just as the doors closed. "Dammit."_

_Haley punched a few buttons trying to get the doors to open again but nothing was happening. Nathan had hit the up button on the floor he was on while Haley was trying to figure things out inside. They'd temporarily confused the mechanical contraption._

"_Oh my God." For an instant Haley thought she was gonna be stuck. The elevator wasn't moving and seconds that passed felt like minutes. "Open, open!" Haley didn't particularly want to get stuck. It took just a moment but the doors opened and Haley let out a sigh of relief. Nathan was standing in the doorway and smiled. She laughed and shook her head, "Get in here before that happens again."_

_Nathan quickly walked in the elevator and they both laughed the rest of the way up._

_Side by side, they walked down the hallway. Haley looked to her husband with a shake of her head, "I can't believe that happened."_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head and held out his hands, "I thought we were at our floor." He laughed and looked at her, "You...you were distracting me."_

_Haley rose both of her eyebrows with a loud laugh, "So it's my fault?"_

"_No. no. I just..."_

_She was a few steps ahead of him and turned around while walking backward, "What? Anxious to get back to the room." Watching her walk, Nathan was mesmerized and only nodded. She'd kinked her brow and slowed her pace. She looked to her right and at their door, "Well we're here."_

_Nathan couldn't get his key out fast enough and when he slid it through the lock he pushed the door open._

"_I think there are flutes we can use in the bar." Haley walked passed Nathan, champagne in hand, and he went by the balcony to check the skyline. Haley came out with the flutes and held out the bottle for Nathan to open it. "Just a couple minutes till midnight."_

_Nathan popped the top with just a little mess and poured their drinks. Haley tasted hers quickly and figured she might as well go for it. She downed the rest of and and looked to Nathan with a confident smile, "Whew, impressive, I know." She laughed at herself.  
_

_He nodded and laughed, "Haley James. Wife, mother, drinker extraordinaire."_

_She playfully cut her eyes as she poured her flute full. "I'm good at a lot of things."_

_Nathan took a sip of his champagne and nodded, "Oh, I know you are." He looked to the black bag she'd brought in, "If we ever loose all our money I know that you can make it as a professional gambler. Counting all those cards. You knew how to out smart everyone."_

"_I was not." Haley shook her head, "I was playing fair and square. It's just odds, Nathan. You just gotta know when to go for it." She looked up to him and nodded, "Trust your instincts."_

_Just as soon as she'd let that slip out of her mouth, Nathan planted his on hers. Instinct. He couldn't not kiss her. It just so happened to be midnight, but more than that he couldn't stop himself._

"_Mmm..." Haley had been caught off guard but in a good way. She fumbled to put her flute down and wrapped her arms around his neck. Nathan did the same and they were wrapped up in each other without anything in their way._

_She slipped her hands underneath his suit jacket and let it fall to the floor. Nathan's loud breathing was riling Haley up and she pulled on his tie with force and power. "Nathan..."_

_His fingers danced around her sides and slid around her back to find her zipper. She pulled away from him so she could get his shirt off and when she opened up her mouth ready for another kiss something not so pleasant came out. A burp. A loud burp. Haley flung her hand over her mouth and started __laughing, "Oh my God, I'm sorry."_

_Nathan shook his head and laughed right with her while he slid the zipper of her dress down. "Shh. It's fine." He leaned down to kiss her and then moved his mouth from hers to her jaw._

_Haley tilted her neck and knew if he got to her pressure spot she'd moan at the feeling. And she did. His mouth landed right where it needed to. "Mmmh." Haley felt herself grow weak and then she felt herself burp again. She started to laugh and shake her head, "Sorry."_

_Nathan pulled away laughing, "I think you drank that champagne too fast." He kissed her hoping that might be a remedy._

_She nodded and pushed her mouth to his but pulled away when she felt another burp on its way. "Ew, Nathan. I'm gonna burp in your mouth if we keep doing this."_

_At this point, Nathan didn't care. They'd been married ten years. He just wanted to spend the night with his gorgeous wife._

_Haley took a deep breath and rested her hand on her stomach as a ground shaking belch echoed out of her mouth, "This is like the least sexy thing ever." She furrowed her brow as if to pout and shook her head._

_Nathan laughed, "We can wait a little bit."_

_Laughing at the situation, Haley felt incredibly embarrassed, "I'm so sorry."_

"_It's fine. We'll finish this later. You want me to get you some water?"_

_Now she was truly regretful for downing her drink. She watched him go towards their mini bar and Haley tried to breathe in slow deep rhythms. Hopefully that would help._

"_Here." Nathan handed Haley a bottled water and they both sat down on the couch._

_She took a small sip and leaned into his side and burped again. "Ugh. I'm sorry."_

_Nathan simplly leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Don't apologize. It's fine. It'll pass."_

_He was a great man. He knew the right things to say and Haley knew that there was nobody on the planet but him for her. Nathan Scott may have been a hot shot NBA star but he was hers and he wouldn't trade her for anything. Gassy or not._

Haley has been knocked out of her trance when she heard the shrill horn sound Jamie and Charlotte were making with the New Year's decorations. Jamie and Charlotte had both put their party hats on and Nathan was putting on his. He blew into his horn thingy. It rolled out it hit Charlotte on the cheek and she erupted into a fit of laughter.

She smiled at her family and knew that the New Year was going to start off right. This time she wouldn't down a flute of champagne in seconds and she'd get to spend it with the three most important people in her life.

**OTHOTH**

The clock on the wall showed just past ten thirty and all four of the Scotts were going strong. Charlotte was nearly bouncing off the wall and Jamie and Nathan were in a heated video game competition. Jamie was determined he was going to win the basketball game. He'd picked the Bobcats, a personal favorite of his, and Nathan had gone with the Nuggets, mainly because Charlotte would laugh every time the game said nugget.

Haley sat down on the couch and Charlotte scooted close to her mom, "Who are you going for?"

"Me!" Jamie nodded and looked to his mom.

Nathan pressed the controls a few times and shook his head, "No way. Me. Your mom kinda has a thing for cheering me on." Nathan looked to Haley with a smirk.

Haley looked at her boys and winced, "I have to pick?"

"I pick, the Bobcats. That's Daddy's team." Charlotte looked to her mom with her big doe eyes.

Nathan smiled toward Charlotte, "That's my girl."

"It is, isn't it?" Haley brushed her fingers over the top of Charlotte's head. "Hmm... I pick..." Haley's couldn't choose between her husband and son, "...I pick the Ravens."

"The Ravens?" Charlotte shook her head, "They're not playing."

"But I can't pick between Jamie and your dad."

"I picked Daddy."

"So come on, Mom...pick me." The eleven year old boy nodded and flashed her those blue eyes of his.

Haley fell hook, line, and sinker, "Oh, okay, I suppose."

"Hey...you'll be paying for that later." Nathan narrowed his eyes and shook his head toward his wife.

For the next fifteen or so minutes the family was enthralled by the game. Nathan had graciously let his son defeat him and when it was over they tuned the TV to one of the many countdown specials.

Haley let out a long yawn, "Ugh, excuse me."

Charlotte followed her mother's actions and yawned just after Haley. "Hey, you made me do that." The little girl's eyes had watered when she yawned.

"Sorry." Haley caught another yawn and shook her head, "Ugh, gosh." She looked down at Charlotte and saw that she did it again too. The little girl laid her head against her mom's arm and took a few deep breaths. Everyone in the room knew it wouldn't be long until she was out.

"Charlotte, you gotta stay up. It's getting close to midnight." Jamie looked at his little sister and was trying to encourage her.

"Mmm-huh. I will."

Haley wrapped an arm around her youngest and knew she wasn't gonna last long. Nathan looked to the couch and saw that neither of them were going to make it long. He'd been in the position before. On the couch with one of their kids. It was the perfect concoction for sleep. The kids had been younger when it happened with him, but Jamie and Charlotte were like little heating pads. Haley would be out within minutes.

It _was _literally minutes. The next time Nathan looked over both Charlotte and Haley were out like a light. "Jame...Jamie, look." Nathan got his son's attention and pointed to the couch.

Jamie started to laugh. He couldn't believe his mom _and_ sister were out for the count.

They looked pretty comfortable so Nathan figured he'd let them stay like that for a while. Midnight was less than an hour away.

As they watched the interviews and musical performances on television time ticked away and Nathan saw that it was three minutes till. "Hey, Jamie? When it's twelve don't blow that horn thing in here. I don't want you to wake up Charlotte and scare her."

"Can I take it outside?"

"Yeah, sure. Blow that thing as loud as you want out there."

Both Nathan and Jamie watched as the the countdown drew near.

"Dad?" Jamie picked up his horn and looked to his father, "Will you give me the thumbs up when it's twelve." He started to head toward the back door.

"Yeah." Nathan watched Jamie step outside for a second and saw that the clock had twenty seven seconds. Pretty soon those seconds were single digits and Nathan used his hands to show Jamie. His thumb went up at the stroke of midnight and Jamie blew that horn as loud as he could. Nathan laughed and walked toward his sleeping girls.

He watched them sleep for a moment and quickly kissed Charlotte on the forehead and the studied Haley's face before kissing her. She looked the same as she did when they were in high school. Nathan kissed Haley square on the mouth and watched her start to move when he pulled away.

She peeked an eye open and adjusted to the light. "Hey."

"Happy New Year." Nathan smiled as he took a seat on the coffee table.

"I missed it?"

Jamie came back inside and rubbed his hands together from the cold. He saw that his mom was up and smiled, "Did you hear me? It was so loud out there."

"Ugh-uh." She wiped her eye and shook her head. "How long was I out?"

Nathan laughed, "A while."

"It's been like an hour." Jamie sat down next to his dad and smiled, "I think you fell asleep before Charlotte."

"I was gonna take her upstairs."

Haley ran her hand along Charlotte's side and nodded, "Okay." She turned to her son, "You too, mister."

"Oh, alright." Jamie sounded a little bit defeated but he at least got to stay up till twelve.

Nathan scooped up their daughter and couldn't hide the smile when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Charlotte started to wake up when they started going up the stairs.

"Mmm? Daddy?"

"I'm taking you to bed, Char. Shh"

Letting out a soft sigh, the little girl nodded, "Kay."

When he got her to bed he slipped her under the covers and kissed her one more time on the temple, "Happy New Year, Charlotte. I love you."

Charlotte only responded with a few inaudible words but Nathan could decipher them. He smiled and walked out of the room after hitting the lights. He heard Jamie and Haley in his room so he stopped by and leaned on the door. "Night, bud."

Jamie yawned and pulled his comforter up, "Night, Dad. Night, Mom." He'd been so wound up just a few minutes ago but it seemed he'd hit his wall as all kids do.

"I love you, Jamie." Haley ran her hand over her son's hair and watched him nod.

"I love you, too."

Haley got up and turned out the light and walked over to Nathan, "I'm gonna go see Charlotte."

He nodded and walked down stairs to get their celebratory champagne. Haley was walking out of the bathroom with her bathrobe on when he walked into their bedroom. Nathan shut their door and slyly locked it.

Haley had finished rubbing some lotion on her neck when he came in. She laughed at herself and shook her head, "I can't believe I fell asleep."

Nathan set down the champagne and the two flutes he'd brought up. "You two looked comfortable."

"Yeah. Now I know why you and the kids fell asleep like that so many times."

"I know, I told you." He causally took off his shirt and poured their glasses. He got into bed waiting for Haley to slide in.

She slowly took off her robe and took her glass from him as she got in bed. "To a new year." Nathan nodded and they clinked their glasses together. Haley took a tiny little sip knowing what happens if she drinks it too fast and put her flute behind her. "Thanks for that kiss, by the way."

"You felt that?"

Haley rolled her eyes. Of course she felt it. "Mmm-huh." She leaned in close and kissed him soft and slow. Nathan quickly put his drink down and rolled over on her. Feeling his weight on her body, Haley looked up to him with a smile, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." Nathan nodded and ducked down to kiss her again.

Add another notch to their belt. Add another year to celebrate. Nathan and Haley were still going strong, and from the looks of it, they always would be. No matter the time, the place, the circumstance; they'd always be together. Always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. I'd been debating on which scenario to do and this one felt right. I wanna do one that would take place as they prepare for Charlotte (kinda like Labor Pains) but I'm not so sure now. I don't wanna push my ideas on y'all when the new back half of the season could and might show Nathan and Haley doing the same kinds of things...although they've seemed to left out a lot of pregnancy stuff this season. So next chapter is up in the air, I suppose. Send your requests my way if you've got something you wanna see. There are only 18 chapters/spots left.**

**As a reminder, I want to encourage you all to read my profile. I know a lot of you didn't/don't so you may have no idea what is/was going on with me or why it took/takes me so long to update. It's a source of a lot of information. I've recently added in a Little Moments family tree. So for those of you who get confused by all the characters check it out. It may help sort out who belongs to whom.**

**My reviewers are the best. Hands down the reason I continue to do this. Thank you! C, Anna, Katie, Emily, Mackenzie, Caroline, Becky, mazzy, Sullivan, Sophia, Tp404, phoebe, someone forgot to sign in their name, and Connie. THANK YOU, GUYS! All of your feedback was helpful!**

**Laura: Welcome back to reading fanfic. I'm so glad you enjoyed catching up on the story. I hope you liked the New Years chapter. **

**Bwyn: I'm so thrilled you like the Christmas chapter. Putting Charlotte in the stocking was something I could literally see Nathan doing so I had to add it in there, lol.**

**Joan: I'm glad you liked the tie part in last chapter, the flashback, Brooke, and the stocking part. It was pretty fun to write. Sorry you had to clean off your laptop, lol. I guess that means I did a good job. Taylor is always a fun comic tool to use. You'll find out what happens to Sawyer and Ben in their fic (if I ever get it published) and Charlotte and Graham's. **

**Hadley: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I kinda played off your idea about having the kids stay up till midnight. I hope you liked it!**

**Anon: Sawyer and Ben...you'll find out what happened with them and their fate in Charlotte's story and Sawyer's story. It won't be for a while so I will have to leave you hanging for a little bit but I'll try and address it quickly. I think when readers get confused about things I've written and if they've happened on the show is the best kind of compliment, so thank you. I try my hardest to make all the stories work together so adding in the sandwich stealing was a nice way (I thought) to have some unity.**

**BDavis: Seems like I've got a following for Sawyer and Ben, lol. You'll find out what happens with him and Sawyer in Charlotte's fic and in Sawyer's. I'm glad that you liked how I had the whole gang together. Those chapters are always challenging but I feel like it brings back the old feeling of OTH when everyone _did_ do things together.**

**Maddie: Well...sorry to hear that you don't always like it when I add in older Jamie and Charlotte. The story is a span of Naley's life together, and I try to make every moment in the story about how Nathan and Haley feel or react to any type of situation at any age. I can't help but include details from the kids' grown up lives. I didn't particularly think the last chapter was too Jamie or Charlotte driven. It was very much about letting Nathan and Haley's kids grow up and move on. It's a main reason I had them on the couch at the end thinking about what all had happened. But...to each their own. I respect and value your opinion. Next time I'll try to make older chapters less...kid oriented.**

**Emma: I understand how life can get when it comes to being busy, lol, trust me. I'm glad you liked last chapter and thank you so much for the gracious compliments.**

**Diana: Welcome back to reading. It's great to know you enjoyed the chapters you had to catch up on. **

**Kate: I'm sorry I made you guys wait for an update. If you read my profile updates you would have known that my dad had to undergo open heart surgery, triple bypass. The last two weeks have been incredibly stressful so writing was put on the back burner. I'm sorry you had to wait but priorities are priorities.**

**2old4oth: Again, your user name makes me smile every time I see it. Honeymoon baby for Charlotte and Graham: Maybe. Sawyer and Ben broke up: Yeah, you'll find out all about that and what lies ahead for them in Charlotte's story and Sawyer's when I find time to post hers.**

**Review Please!**


	83. Holy Hormones

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 83: Holy Hormones**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me regarding OTH. Simple. As. That.**

**A/N: Due to my terrible dissatisfaction with anything and everything baby related on the show I figured I might as well do something we are _really_ _missing_ out on. Now I know Charlotte's time line doesn't match up with the new baby, but you all can just imagine that Nathan and Haley would be doing the kinds of things I show in this chapter as missing (not literal, but what we should be seeing) moments from this season. It really seems to be hard for the show to actually portray this pregnancy so I'll give you my take. Hopefully it will fill the voids. Oh, and I'm having Quinn in this chapter. I hardly have her in this fic but figured she could make an appearance. Enjoy**

**This chapter is very much like Labor Pains, ch 13. Check that out, or re-read it if you're in the baby mood.**

**Time stamps indicate how far along Haley is.**

**OTHOTH**

~4 months~

Haley was lying in bed skimming through her old copy of _What to Expect When Your Expecting_. She'd all but memorized the book her first go around but that pregnancy had been seven years ago. She didn't want to tempt fate by not following up on her studies.

"Hales?" Nathan was lying in bed next to her and laughed as he leaned into his pillow. "You don't need to read that."

Letting out a cough-laugh, the expectant mother arched her brow, "Why not?"

Nathan turned over in bed and pushed himself up with his arm, "You know that book like the back of your hand. You read it every night when you were pregnant with Jamie." He nodded and leaned over her to turn out her light. "And you and I both know you don't forget anything you read." Nathan kissed her with a smile.

Their room had grown dark and Haley placed the book on her bedside table. She scooted closer to Nathan and when she felt his hand land on her belly, Haley felt a fire in her cheeks. If she could have him do that all day she would.

Nathan moved to hover over Haley. "Brown eyes." He kissed her quick and pulled away just as fast, "Light brown, maybe dark brown hair..." Nathan smiled and kissed her again, "And your short pants." This time he let their kiss linger a little while longer.

Haley felt a smile curl out of the side of her mouth. "You know Jamie's hair was really blonde when he was little. So I say..." Haley bit her lip, "Brown eyes." She put her hands around Nathan's neck and brought his face closer to hers, "Light hair at first. It'll turn dark later..." She ran her finger through the hair just above Nathan's ear and loved the contrast against her fingers. "...and if it's a boy..." She kissed him sweetly on the lips, "I hope he's not short like me, but..."

Nathan shook his head, "It's a girl." He didn't have to think twice. Ever since the day he'd found out she was pregnant he was certain baby number two would be a little girl who looked like her mother. He just knew it.

"Nathan..." Haley shook her head. They weren't going to find out for another three weeks.

"It's a girl. I know it is." Nodding his head, Nathan tried to make it clear that he apparently had super secret X-Ray vision. "No use in telling me to get my hopes up." He added another hand on Haley's stomach and it made her heart flip. "That's Jamie's deal. He's the one who's gotta get over this brother thing." He smirked and leaned to kiss Haley again with a kidding smile, "It's over-rated."

"Ha, right." Haley leaned back into her pillow, "I'll be sure to tell Luke that."

Nathan shrugged it off and buried his head in the crook of Haley's neck, peppering soft kisses on her jaw line.

"Mmm..." Haley tilted her neck so he could get the other side and she moaned again while Nathan enjoyed his wife's verbal responses. Digging her fingers through his dark thick hair she kissed him, "Mmm you know what I want?"

Me. That's what Nathan was thinking. She wants me. "I think I've got an idea..." His fingers moved from her stomach down to the the waistband of her pants.

"Cake. Yellow cake. Mmm..." Haley closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, "Mmm."

Furrowing his brow, Nathan's hands stopped where they were, "Cake?"

Haley nodded furiously and slipped out from under him and out of the bed, "Mmm, yeah. We've got a box of Betty Crocker downstairs."

"Now? Right now?" Nathan watched her head for the door and he was so dumbfounded at her sudden change in priorities. She was out of their bedroom by the time he blinked and he was left in their bed to rustle with the fact that she was choosing some girl named Betty over him. Not exactly ideal. Nathan rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling and laughed at himself. He had to laugh. It wasn't like he could get mad. She was pregnant. Disappointed? Yes. He was only home so often during the season and the night they were going to make up for lost time Haley gets hungry for cake?

When he decided to join Haley downstairs Nathan was disgusted at what he saw. "Please don't tell me you're going to put cottage cheese onto top of the cake?"

Haley turned around from pouring the cake mix into the pan and she laughed, "Ew. No." She shook her head and put the pan in the oven. Walking toward him, she picked up the container of cottage cheese, "Just to tie me over."

Nathan simply raised his brow and took the container from her to take a bite. "Ugh!" Nathan couldn't even close his mouth. Whatever was in his mouth was so sweet it hurt.

Grimacing, Haley laughed, "I had some mandarin oranges in there. You know the ones in the fruit cups."

Nathan walked slowly to the sink and spit out the so called cottage cheese, "Yeah." He cleared his throat and shook his head, "All I got was sugary orange syrup and a _little_ cottage cheese."

"Sorry." Biting her lip, Haley laughed, "I ate all the oranges already."

Laughing, Nathan nodded, "Ugh. That was gross."

"It's actually really good." Haley walked over to him and picked up the cottage cheese container and threw the rest of it away, "You just...can't eat the last bite." She laughed and shook her head.

"I'll remember that next time." Nathan took a deep breath and leaned against the counter.

Haley saw him eye the red box on the counter and walked over to him with a raised brow, "What's with the face? You look like you want to kill Betty Crocker over there."

"I do not." Nathan shook his head with a grin. He knew she was on to him.

"Yes you are. You've got that, 'I'm Nathan Scott...hear me roar' look." Haley stuck out her chest and made a serious face. Nathan opened his mouth to protest but his wife had already caught on. "It's your jealous face." Haley started to smirk and walked toward him, "I know that look...I know it kinda well."

He caught on to her flirty tone and raised his eyebrows, "Oh yeah?"

"Mmm-huh." Haley nodded and wrapped her hands around Nathan's waist. "You get all hot and bothered about something." She had already set herself up for a kiss as she started to raise up on her tip toes, "Most of the time it's about something dumb...but I think it's...sexy."

"Sexy?" Nathan leaned down to kiss Haley.

"A little." She nodded with a playful grin.

Nathan leaned down again, "A little?"

"Hmm..." Haley had to take a deep breath after he kissed her again, "Maybe a lot."

"I think sexy is what got us this baby." Nathan smirked and put his hands on her small bump.

Haley shook her head, "Lucky. You got lucky."

Remembering she'd said something similar about their first pregnancy before, Nathan nodded, "Yeah, I guess I did?"

They were standing near the oven and the warm heat that was radiating from the appliance was floating the sweet smell of cake through the air and through Haley's nostrils. "Mmm." Nathan had closed his eyes expecting another kiss but he was terribly mistaken. "That cake smells ready." Haley turned toward the oven and opened up to check on her late night snack. The golden cake was making Haley weak in the knees.

Realizing that Haley had once again bailed on anything they were trying to start, Nathan furrowed his brow. Shaking his head, Nathan let out a large disappointed sigh and sat down at one of the counter chairs. He watched as Haley carefully took the hot pan out of the oven and he couldn't comprehend the fact that she could turn it off so quickly. Twice! And no, not the oven.

Twiddling his fingers like a kid bored in school, Nathan sat aimlessly waiting to see what Haley wanted next. Maybe after cake she'd want french fries? Maybe he'd have to run to the store to get something? The possibilities were endless.

Haley pinched off a corner of the warm deliciousness and chewed while she spoke, "You want some?"

"Nah."

She turned to look at him and saw Nathan's pouty face and his sad puppy dog eyes. He looked so cute. But then at the same time...so good. His t-shirt was hugging his biceps. Haley couldn't see because of the counter, but she knew his butt looked extra good in those gray sweatpants. Suddenly she didn't give a damn about Betty Crocker.

Haley pinched off on last bite of cake and slowly licked her fingers as she walked toward her patient husband. "Come on." She passed him and headed for the stairs.

"Huh?" Nathan hadn't been paying attention.

"Nathan." Haley's voice was stern and serious and she was on the second step when he looked at her.

He thought she might have some food request so he wasn't catching on. In fact, he didn't catch on until he saw her shirt hit the bottom steps.

Nathan darted out of the chair so fast he was sure he'd broken a sprint record. There were a lot of things he was thankful for in life. Haley, Jamie, the new baby, the fact that Brooke was keeping their son tonight, and hormones. He hadn't exactly been a fan of them and her cravings over the last hour or so but he was pretty sure he could get over it.

Picking up Haley's shirt, Nathan smiled a goofy smile and made his way upstairs. Yeah, he could deal with hormones.

**OTHOTH**

~6 months~

Haley took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Her feet were wide as she stretched her torso and arms across one side of her body. Normally when someone's stomach was large enough to hit their thigh it wasn't a good thing. Haley was an exception.

"Hi." Quinn walked through the back door with two gallons of paint in her hands, "Guess what I got?"

"Ooh let me see." Haley sat down on her yoga mat eagerly waiting to see the colors for the nursery. Her sister had offered up to help take part in setting up the nursery and Haley was excited to see what her artistic sister had planned.

"Actually..." Quinn put the paint cans on a nearby table and smiled, "I was thinking I could do it myself. Surprise my baby sis."

Haley appreciated the gesture but still wanted to know what color would be going up in the nursery. "Can I at least see what..."

Quinn stood up and shook her head, "I don't want to ruin the surprise. It's going to look perfect for a little girl. Perfect." The older James sister got up and picked up the paint cans, "And you're not allowed in the nursery. Nathan's orders."

"Quinn!"

Shrugging, Quinn walked back into the house. Haley let out an annoyed sigh and reached for her cell phone, dialed, and waited for an answer. When it connected Haley didn't stop for him to say hello. "Why can't I go in the nursery?"

Nathan was standing at the register after buying a new crib and stammered, "Uh hey? I...it's not that I don't want you to see it. It's the fumes. They're bad for you and the baby."

As much as she hated the fact that she was essentially banned from the baby's room she also kinda loved how Nathan was being protective. "Well at least tell me what color she got."

"I don't know." Nathan honestly had no idea but he knew that Quinn knew Haley pretty well. She'd get a good color.

"You don't know either?"

"But it's Quinn, Haley. Your most...normal sister. It's gonna be fine."

Haley sighed, "Yeah. You're probably right." Haley looked out across the backyard and then spoke into the phone, "So how's shopping going?"

"Good." Nathan looked down to the crib he'd just picked up, "I have a feeling that putting the crib together is gonna be...like a Rubik's cube."

"Those aren't hard."

Laughing, Nathan shook his head, "For you. I can't do them even if I take the stickers _off_ and put them back _on_.

That had Haley laughing. "Well, I'll help."

Nathan looked down to the box with wide eyes. "Alright. Let me get this thing in the car and I'll be home soon."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Haley put her phone down and started to get up. It took her a second but when she made into the house she started to head upstairs to see if she could peek inside the baby's room.

"Agh, agh, agh. What are you doing?" Quinn walked out of the nursery and saw her pregnant sister at the top of the stairs. "You are going to ruin all the fun."

"But it's _my_ baby's room. I just want to peek."

"Hales. It's going to be beautiful." Quinn walked to the steps and put her hands on Haley's shoulders, "So go march your pregnant self back downstairs, finish up your yoga, and whatever else. I'll be in here for a while."

"Okay, okay. Fine I'm going." Haley made her way back downstairs. She'd gone through a few more yoga positions when Nathan walked outside.

"Pregnancy Pilates?"

Haley shook her head, "Yoga."

"Same thing." Nathan walked toward Haley and extended his hand so she could get up.

Shaking her head because yoga and Pilates were not the same, Haley wiped her forehead, "So where's the crib? Let's get started on that?"

"In the kitchen."

Both Nathan and Haley walked inside and together they sat down and tried to master the art of putting together a crib.

Forty five minutes later they hadn't made any ground.

"They're not going together."

Haley rolled her eyes and picked up the instruction book, "Cause you didn't read it."

"You were supposed to be doing that!"

"Me!" Haley cut her eyes toward her husband and shook her head, "I did." She cleared her throat and read the instructions out loud this time, "Put bar A next to the main frame and twist until secure."

Nathan was doing as Haley said but it wasn't working. "Nothing's happening."

"Here. Give it to me." Holding out her arms, Haley motioned for him to pass over the pieces and looked it over. "Nathan? You had the bar backwards." She put the piece in its right places and twisted it secure without a problem.

"Well how was I supposed to know?"

"Cause you weren't listening to me."

Nathan was already annoyed that it had taken them almost an hour to get the first piece done and he took a deep breath, "Look, I need to stop for a little while." He glanced at the clock and then to Haley, "I should get going soon anyway. I gotta pick up Jamie from school."

Looking out across the pieces of the crib, Haley took a deep breath. "Fine. Whatever." She slowly got up and started to go upstairs.

"Haley? I said I'll do it later." Nathan watched her as she huffed and puffed toward the stairs and then saw that she'd turned around and was walking back to him.

"Actually. Why don't you stay here and I'll get Jamie." It wasn't a question.

Nathan didn't really have much of a say considering the front door slammed shut before he got a chance. He looked down at the array of wooden pieces shook his head. Putting together a new crib wasn't rocket science, but it wasn't easy either.

Another thirty minutes rolled by and Nathan had made a little progress. Quinn came downstairs to take a break and saw her brother in law sitting on the floor looking like he was working on a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out.

"How's the crib coming?" Quinn walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottled water.

"Not good."

Quinn grimaced and took a sip of her drink, "Well I have the first wall done."

"Oh yeah?"

The front door opened and Jamie interrupted the conversation. "Aunt Quinn, Mom said you were painting the baby's room. Can I help?"

Quinn nodded, "Sure. I've got one wall done. You can help me with the other three."

"Sweet! I'll go change."

Nathan laughed as his son ran upstairs and then he saw Haley walk into the kitchen. He looked at the crib that was still in pieces and knew she'd probably say something about it.

"How's it going in the nursery?"

Quinn smiled at her younger sister and nodded, "I think you're gonna love it. I have one wall done."

Haley looked to Nathan and then Quinn, "Can't we just see a little bit. One wall won't hurt us. I'll hold my breath."

"Yeah. I'd like to see it." Nathan got up off the floor.

"Okay, but if you don't like it, just remember the other walls aren't done."

Haley laughed and shook her head, "We're gonna love it, but I wanna see it."

Quinn headed up the steps first and Nathan and Haley followed behind. Haley looked to Nathan and her brown eyes met his blue ones and she spoke in a soft whisper, "I'm sorry about earlier." Nathan put his hand on the small of her back guiding her up the steps and he nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay. So..." Quinn turned around to face her sister and brother in law, "Here is one fourth of your little girl's room."

Leaning toward Haley, Nathan pressed his cheek to Haley's head. "Hold your breath." The paint fumes were going to be noxious.

The three walked inside and Haley's eyes got as wide as saucers. The painted wall was pink. Her least favorite color. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was a soft pale pink, but it wasn't. It was a mix of Pepto-Bismol and Hot Pink. Not good.

Haley quickly stepped into the hall, shut the door and breathed.

"Cute, right?" Quinn raised her voice hoping Haley could hear her through the door. She'd assumed Haley had stepped out because of the fumes not because of the color.

Nathan looked at Quinn and knew that Haley was out in the hall trying to find the best way and nicest way to say no. He glanced at the pink wall and then to Quinn. "Pink?"

"Yeah, such a sweet little girl color."

"Quinn?" Nathan laughed, "What's Haley's least favorite color?"

Quinn started to think and then it hit her, "Dammit. I totally forgot. Ugh."

The two adults stayed in the nursery for a while talking about the color. While Nathan thanked Quinn for the thought and the one wall, he figured he could take over from there. He just needed to get Haley out of the house for awhile. So in return of her poor color choice, Quinn helped Nathan figure out away to fix it.

Quinn walked out of the nursery with a grimace plastered over her face, "I know. I suck as a sister. I totally forgot about you and pink."

Haley laughed but knew this was the same sister who forgot her birthday. "It's fine."

"No. I'm gonna make it up to you." Quinn nodded and led Haley to the master bedroom so she could change. "You and me. Girls night. Nothing too crazy. Dinner and we can get a movie... How about that?"

"I should tell Na..."

"He knows. I told him I owed you something." Quinn smiled and the two sisters walked into the master bedroom as Jamie walked in the nursery.

"Whoa. That's really pink."

Nathan turned to his son and nodded, "I know, and I'm gonna need your help fixing it." The boy nodded, and the father and son duo's first item on their list of things to do was to get paint. Different paint.

When they got to the store they'd picked Pale Daffodil. It was yellow and that was the important part. Nathan was a little overwhelmed by the hundreds of shades there were to choose from but they'd settled with a soft yellow. A simple color that could be matched with nearly anything. It was going to go well with the furniture, and Nathan was sure that Haley could find some type of bedding that would match well.

Nathan had two gallons and Jamie was holding two gallons. They probably wouldn't need that much but Nathan had no idea how much it would take to cover Quinn's pink wall.

It didn't take long for the boys to get back home, and as soon as they stepped back into the nursery the paint started to go up.

"How'm I doing?" Jamie looked over to his father as he rolled yellow paint on the walls.

"Looking good, Jame." Nathan nodded at his son and rolled his own coat of yellow over what had previously been a wall full of pink.

Jamie and Nathan worked on that room for what felt like forever. They'd taken breaks every once in a while, had a quick dinner and were back in the nursery until Jamie's eyes started to close each time he rolled his brush along the wall.

Checking the time, it was getting close to nine thirty and Nathan knew he should get Jamie ready for bed. He took a step back and looked at their progressr, "I think we've done a pretty good job so far. Ready to call it a night?"

Jamie let his roller hang in his grip and he put it down in the tray. He was at the tired stage where words weren't really an option. The boy nodded and started to walk to the door.

Nathan put his roller down and walked behind his son. They got to Jamie's room and pajamas were put on. Jamie had a little bit of dried paint on his arm but Nathan knew they could get that off in the morning. Jaime was exhausted. He'd probably fall asleep in the shower if they went down that route.

"Dad?" Jamie pulled his covers up over his chest and breathed deeply, "Don't finish without me."

Nathan smiled and shook his head, "I won't." He watched as Jamie dug his head into his pillows, "See you in the morning. I love you, Jamie."

"Love you too." Jamie'e eyes were closed and darkness enveloped his room when his father shut the door.

Walking back into the nursery, Nathan knew he could stay up a few more hours. He wasn't going to be able to finish but he could get a lot done.

It had been just a little while later when Haley got home. She was about as tired as Jamie had been and was wanting nothing more than to sleep off the pizza she'd devoured at her sister's. Haley made it to the stairs and headed toward Jamie's bedroom. She knew he'd be asleep but wanted to see him before she dozed off. She passed the nursery and had a tiny desire to take another look. Maybe the pink would grow on her. But she didn't go in and instead opened Jaime's door. Her son was sound asleep and she bent over to kiss his temple. Haley couldn't help but notice that he smelled faintly of paint and wondered if he'd gotten into the stuff when Nathan wasn't looking.

"Night, baby." She pulled away from Jamie and smiled at her sleeping boy.

Haley walked toward the master bedroom but a noise made her turn to the nursery. Instinct took over and she quietly opened the door to see what she'd heard. And there he was. Nathan was squatting down with an edger in one hand as he moved a soft coat of yellow above the baseboards. The image took her breath away. He must have known she wasn't going to be a huge fan of pink so he'd gone out of his way to change it. She looked around the room and saw that almost all the walls were yellow. The paint job was far from over but she couldn't help but be in awe of Nathan.

He heard something behind him and he saw her standing in the doorway. "Hey."

Haley arched her brow, "Hi." Nathan got up from his crouch and looked around but Haley spoke before he did. "You did all this?"

Nodding, Nathan wiped his hands together and walked toward her. "I had a little help."

Knowing that the little help he was referring to was their son, Haley's eyes started to water. "You...you didn't have to do all this."

"You hate pink." Nathan nodded and stopped in front of her then looked to the yellow walls, "It's not done but I figured it's a start."

Haley's eyes roamed around the room. She used her knuckle to catch a falling tear, "I love you." Turning to Nathan she nodded, "I love you, so much." Her finger reached up to his ear where he had a little bit of yellow.

Nathan leaned down to kiss Haley and one of his hands rested on her belly, "I wanted you to like. I want her to like it."

"It's perfect." Haley nodded and felt her eyes well again. She sighed heavily and looked up to Nathan's blue eyes. "Thank you."

Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Nathan smiled, "You're welcome." He reached for her hand and led them both out of the nursery. The paint wasn't as smelly as the pink room. Nathan had tried to get non noxious paint but he still didn't want her in there long.

Haley knew why he was taking her out of the nursery and as they made it to the hallway she burst into sobs.

"Hales? Hey what's wrong?"

"No, no, it's nothing." Haley laugh cried and shook her head, "It's just you. I can't believe you painted."

Nathan got a little worried that she didn't like it, "But you like the yellow, right?"

"I love it. It's just my hormones." She stopped shy of their bedroom door and caught her breath. "I was so horrible to you earlier about the crib and now...now you go and paint the nursery."

Pulling her into a sweet hug, Nathan shook his head, "You weren't horrible. We were both frustrated."

"But then you go and do all this wonderful stuff. You didn't have to." Haley used the back of her hand to wipe her cheeks.

Nathan leaned close to Haley and kissed her, "I wanted to."

Her heart did a flip and she felt her eyes get watery again, "Nathan..."

"I did. I wanted to. Jamie wanted to, too."

"Ugh..." Haley had tried to speak but she was unable to stifle her tears.

Nathan's arms wrapped around Haley and his chin was resting on her head. "Come here..shh. It's fine. Everything's fine."

She knew that. Everything was more than fine. Things were perfect. Haley's hormones were messing with her emotions and those tears were tears of joy. Tears of incredible happiness, disbelief and gratefulness. Nathan was amazing. Jamie was amazing. She loved her family. All of them. Nathan, Jamie, the little girl they'd yet to meet; her family was the most important thing in her life. Raging hormones or not, that wasn't going to change. It never would.

**OTHOTH**

~8 Months~

Nathan was standing in the kitchen trying to work the remote for the television. Cooking Paula Deen's famous macaroni and cheese was going to be so much easier as he watched her while doing it. And thank goodness he'd recorded it. Using those stop, rewind, and pause buttons were going to come in handy.

Haley was pretty exhausted these days, and Nathan figured cooking dinner was the least he could do. He'd become somewhat of a pro. Not that he couldn't cook before but taking the reigns from Haley's domain had been both a hurdle and a blessing. Going from microwaved soup the first time he really tried to "make" dinner to actually preparing homemade mac n' cheese was pretty impressive.

"Hi y'all..." Paula's voice came out of the television and Nathan got started.

The creamy cheese sauce he was trying to whip up was looking a little runny compared to what Paula was currently concocting but Nathan figured his wasn't so bad. It tasted alright. He added some heavy cream to the mix and then he watched the famous southern chef start to boil the noddles.

"Now be careful and don't burn 'em y'all. Nobody likes eatin' hard noddles." The older woman laughed at herself and poured her noodles into the boiling water.

"Ah, dammit." Nathan hadn't been as graceful when he dumped his in and a few drops of hot water splashed up on his arm. When he was sure that the noddles were fine he walked back to the counter and picked up the sauce dish. Nathan worked through the sauce and everything that Paula was doing. The first commercial came up and he happily fast forwarded.

"Now, while y'all were away I pulled out my noddles and lookie here, it's just beautiful." Paula held out her bowl and then picked up a stick of butter. "And I love to dress up my noddles with butter before I start to pour the cheese on."

Nathan's eyes got wide as he watched the woman all but cut an entire stick and toss it into the pan, "Jeez." He pressed pause while he checked on his noddles and eyed the butter sitting out on the counter. Nathan didn't think he needed that much. One fourth of a stick would probably be more than enough.

After his noddles finished cooking, Nathan pulled them out to drain and then mixed in his meager amount of butter. He followed the rest of Paula's instructions and it didn't take long for his masterful meal to near completion.

Nathan thought for sure that Haley would have come down from upstairs but he hollered for her when he was done. "Haley?" Nathan checked on the green beans he'd gotten from a can and then got out the salad dressing. "Jamie? Dinner's ready."

Jamie's little feet came down the steps first and he came into the kitchen with a smile, "Smells like Mom's been cooking."

Taking it as a compliment, Nathan smiled, "Yeah, well. I hope it taste like it." He let out a laugh and called for Haley again, "Hales!" There was no answer and no footsteps so Nathan threw the oven mitt by the sink and started walking toward the stairs, "I'll go get her."

When he'd gotten upstairs and opened up the bedroom door he saw his wife lying on the bed with tears down her face.

"Haley?"

She looked at him and put her hands on her stomach, "I...I..." She shook her head and looked toward the screen. The credits were rolling so he couldn't tell what movie it was. Haley wiped her eyes and shook her head, "Char...Charlotte's Web was on."

Nathan walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "That's a kids movie."

Haley nodded, "I..I know. But it's just so..sad."

Leaning toward her to kiss her sweetly on the cheek, Nathan nodded, "That probably wasn't the best one to watch." He let out a laugh but tried not to make her more upset.

"It was flipping through the channels and..." Haley let out a elongated sigh, "...I just started watching."

Nathan watched as Haley slowly tried to calm down from her emotional roller coaster. He vaguely remembered what _Charlotte's Web_ was about. Something about a pig and a spider, and the spider dies. He also was pretty sure that the spider was named Charlotte and considering that they'd decided about a month ago that they were naming their little girl Charlotte, it probably it close to home for Haley.

He didn't exactly know which words would soothe her best but he thought changing the subject might. "Dinner's ready."

Haley shook her head and look at her ginormous belly. "Oh, Nathan...I can't eat right now. I'm too...emotional." Haley leaned into her pillows and closed her eyes.

"I made mac n' cheese."

She perked up when he said that, "You did?"

"Mmm-huh. I had Paula Deen on Ti-Vo."

"You did?"

Nathan nodded and smiled at her, "I tried to follow her recipe so hopefully it's good. We've got green beans, and a salad, and..."

"You do?"

Laughing at her small vocabulary, Nathan nodded again, "Yeah."

Haley rested her hands on her stomach and then the words from _Charlotte's Web_ came flooding back. Her tears started up again and she covered her face with her hands. "Ugh. I can't even..."

"Want me to put in _The Office_? That'll cheer you up."

Haley laughed when Nathan said that and took a deep breath while resting her brown eyes on his blue ones. She felt his hand roam over her belly and she watched him smile. She felt better now. Haley started to sit up and took one last deep breath, "We should eat, huh? I don't want all your hard work to get cold."

Nathan nodded and helped Haley up out of the bed. She waddled her way down the stairs and Nathan followed right behind.

"Mom. Dad made our favorite."

Haley tried to blink away the last of any remaining tears and smiled at her son. "I know I can't wait to try it." She walked toward the counter and fixed herself a plate, and the three of them, the four of them, sat down to eat.

"This isn't so bad."

Nathan smiled like he'd just recieved a good grade and thanked his son, "Thanks, bud. Maybe the apple torte with honey butter glaze for dessert I made will be good too?"

Haley turned to her husband with bewilderment all over her face, "A what?"

Laughing, Nathan shook his head, "I'm kidding."

"I was gonna say..." Haley laughed and shook her head.

Jamie took a bite of his macaroni and looked to his father, "Then do we get ice cream?"

Nathan nodded but Haley winced, "Ugh, actually...I think I hate the last of it today?" She bit her lip and started to shrug. "But don't blame me. It was your sister's fault."

Jamie's eyes got wide, "I guess we'll need _two _gallons of ice cream from now on."

Nathan laughed and Haley cut her eyes facetiously. The little family continued dinner and while Nathan watched and listened to his wife and son talk about random bits of their day he knew that things felt right. It would be just a few more weeks till they got their little girl. She'd be just as smart as her brother, caring like her mom, and maybe a little bit athletic like him. But whatever she was, however she was, Charlotte Scott was going to mean the world to him. She was going to mean the world to _all _of them.

**OTHOTH**

**For those of you who were missing out on pregnancy related fluff in the show this one was for you. Hopefully we'll get some cute stuff in the coming episodes baby wise.**

**My reviewers are always my source of inspiration and I thank you all to no end!**

**Joan: I agree, the show is seriously lacking on Naley lately...even having them together in scenes seems hard. Thanks for the well wishes about my dad. He's doing really well now.**

**HayleyJS: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. It's so great to hear that you enjoy reading the interaction between Nathan and Haley.**

**Hadley: Hopefully you liked what I did for the "preparing for Charlotte" chapter. I know we won't get to see much baby stuff on the show so hopefully it will fill in the gaps so to speak.**

**Mazzy: Setting up the chapter with flashbacks is always something I do so I can try to please everyone. Last chapter I was able to show NHJC as a family and just NH, too. I know some people don't like chapters with the kids so I tried to include a little bit of Naley alone time. I'm glad you liked it.**

**Melissa: Well I'm SO SO SO glad you enjoyed the chapter. Having the kids young are always fun to write. I have a great time writing young Charlotte.**

**C: I liked the flashback too! I appreciate the compliment but I think OTH depict Naley well...just not lately, lol. Thanks for asking bout my dad. He is doing much better now.**

**Kelly: You're very welcome for the last LM. I'm going to put a note about a potential season 9 on my next chapter. This one had a pretty long author's note but I'll say something about it next time. Remind me in a review, though. I may forget.**

**Always and Forever: I'm glad you mentioned Martha. I thought it was pretty cute to have Nathan conversing with an older lady, too. As for the chapter you requested- I've had Charlotte with a boyfriend before and over the course of the story we've seen Nathan and Jamie get protective, so I probably won't do another chapter dedicated to just that. But we'll see. Thanks for the well wishes about school.**

**Emma: I thought having Haley win all the money was fun. It's so great to know you think my ideas are original. I try to do my best and write whatever I see play out in my head...and hopefully those are original. **

**Sarah: You're email didn't show up. You probably need to put emailaddress host (dot) com. Don't put a (.) or it won't show up.**

**Jordyn: I'm thrilled you liked the chapter. I'm a sucker for Nathan and Charlotte so I try and include them as much as I can. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Chantelle: First off, thank you so, so much for leaving such an amazing review. You have know idea how great it made me feel! I only wish I hadn't been so busy last week so I could have updated sooner! I can't believe you've read the whole story in such a short amount of time. Wow. I've had a lot of fun writing all the little moments that expand on things we'll probably never get to see in the show and I hope you do check out the spin offs. I've really liked exploring Charlotte and Jamie as young adults. Knowing that you've enjoyed my writing was really great to hear. Thank you! I'm happy that I'll be able to give you your Naley fix. Your encouragement helped, too. It has been hard to keep going for so long but I've got the best support from people like you who keep pushing me to continue. Thank you!**

_**Review Please!**_


	84. Little Milestones

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 84: Little Milestones**

**Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing. If I had a piece of the OTH pie you better believe that Naley would get some decent screen time..._together_.**

**A/N: This chapter includes little baby and parent milestones we missed between seasons 4 and 5. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was trying to pack her clothes in boxes as quietly as she could. Her six week old wasn't asleep but she didn't want to be making a lot of racket while Nathan was feeding him. College didn't start until August but it was mid July and Haley wanted to go ahead and get things ready. With a baby it was never too early to start preparing for anything.

She folded a few shirts and put them in a cardboard box and then reached into the closet. The gray sweatshirt she pulled out made her smile. It made her think of Nathan and it made her think of rain. The material was old and ratty but she wasn't going to put it in the Good Will pile. She couldn't.

Nathan was sitting on their bed watching Haley pack things up as his son lay eating in his arms. He recognized that sweatshirt. At least he thought it was the same one he'd worn when they'd kissed in the rain. "I didn't know I still had that."

Haley turned around and nodded, "Yeah." She smiled and her heart started to swell when she got a glimpse of her husband and son. Reaching into the closet, Haley pulled out his blue and white letterman jacket, "You've got this, too." She laughed and arched her brow. Haley knew Nathan had piled most of his old stuff up in the corner. Most boys did.

Setting the bottle down, Nathan looked down to Jamie and smiled, "I lettered in basketball every year, you know? Not every freshmen can say they did that." He boasted to his little boy and hoped that Jamie might inherit his athletic ability. "Your mom lettered in...dork."

Haley narrowed her eyes and laughed, "Whatever. If I wasn't a dork you wouldn't have passed your classes."

"That's true." Nathan nodded and carefully maneuvered Jamie so he could burp him. Cradling Jamie, Nathan gently rest his son on his shoulder and lightly tapped his back.

The image was one of those pictures Haley never wanted to forget. He was such a good dad.

Everything was going fine until Nathan felt something warm hit the crook of his neck. "Hales?" Haley looked up from tapping a box shut and saw a look of horror on her husband's face. Nathan took a deep breath, "Did he just spit up on me?"

Haley's eyes got wide and she tried not to laugh. She walked over to the bed to answer Nathan's question. When she saw Nathan's shoulder she bit her lip, "Let me get a rag."

"Ugh." Nathan shook his head and grimaced.

Returning from the bathroom, Haley walked over to Nathan with a smile.

"This is not funny." Nathan furrowed his brow and felt gross.

Haley wiped Nathan's neck and shoulder, "It kind of is." She laughed and walked away to put the wash clothe in the hamper.

When Nathan saw that Haley was walking back to them he held out Jamie, "Here, take him."

Reaching for their son, Haley got Jamie snug in her arms and watched as Nathan took off his shirt. Nathan shot his shirt toward the dirty clothes like a three pointer and smiled at himself when it went in the hamper. He arched his brow with a smirk and Haley felt her cheeks get red. Not only was he a good dad, but Nathan was a sexy dad.

Haley had strategically gotten a burp cloth before she started to finish what Nathan started. That was his first mistake. Burp cloths were necessities. Being the world class mom, Haley was able to get Jamie to burp within seconds.

"How did you do that?" Nathan shook his head and crossed his arms. "I try and all I get is spit up."

Haley smiled and shrugged, "You have to letter in dork."

Nathan knew that she was referencing the countless baby books she'd been reading up on and rolled his eyes. "Hey, I read too." He got up off the bed and walked towards Haley's beside table. He picked up one of the books and skimmed the table of contents. It wasn't the book she must have memorized so he tossed it on the bed and picked up another.

Watching Nathan get a little huffy about the baby book was cute. Cute because he wanted to find the "trick" and even better because he was shirtless.

"Which one is it in?" He turned to her with a furrowed brow.

Haley smiled and walked toward him. "Here." She handed Jamie to Nathan and watched as he held Jamie against his shoulder. "You have to hold him tight."

"Tight?" Nathan gave Haley a worried look. He didn't want to hurt him.

She nodded, "It puts pressure on his stomach." Haley put her hand over Nathan's, "Right here."

"And start patting?" The new dad saw his wife nod so he gently started to pat.

Jamie didn't burp but Nathan was mastering the technique. "He might not need to burp again." Haley didn't want Nathan to get discouraged so she offered her insight.

Nathan nodded but continued to pat on his son's back and then they heard it. A burp. Jamie burped pretty loud and Nathan smiled, "There we go." Nathan was pretty proud of his accomplishment and smirked at Haley, "That was a good one."

Haley laughed and walked away to start going through some of her clothes. The things he did and the things he said were adorable sometimes. Nathan Scott was gonna get the hang of this dad thing. She looked at him with their son. Actually, he already was.

**OTHOTH**

Two weeks after Nathan has mastered the baby burp, Jamie was due for his 8 week checkup. Normally Haley would be excited to see the doctor, ask as many questions as possible, but she had a feeling that this one wasn't going to be all smiles. Jamie was due for vaccinations and that meant she'd have to watch her son cry as a nurse stuck him with needles.

"Do I turn here?" Nathan pointed to to his right and furrowed his brow.

Haley nodded, "It's that building." She pointed to the same spot Nathan was and she felt Nathan turn the little hatchback into the parking lot. The car dipped when they'd crossed the gutter and Haley looked back to check on Jamie. He was still sound asleep. When Nathan parked the car Haley glanced to him. "Do you want to get him?"

"Sure." Nathan nodded and when he got out of the car he pushed the seat forward to get their son.

The young couple walked into the doctor's office and Haley headed to the front desk, "I'm gonna sign us in."

Nathan took a seat and saw that Jamie was starting to squirm and wake up. He admired the little boy as he yawned and stretched. "Hey, bud." Jamie's big blue eyes opened and he blinked a few times recognizing the face in front of him. "Hey." Nathan smiled at his son with a cute grin.

Haley sat back down and took a deep breath. "He's up?" She leaned close to Nathan and watched Jamie kick his legs.

"Look, Jamie." Nathan picked up small colored blocks that were sitting next to his chair and stacked them up on his knee. They toppled over when he got to number four.

Before Haley could laugh she heard a baby start to wail. Her eyes got wide and she knew that the little boy or girl was probably getting shots.

"Jeez." Nathan furrowed his brow with a grimace. "That kid doesn't like whatever's happening."

Haley stomach started to knot. Jamie was going to go through the same thing. Listening to a baby cry was bad enough. Listening to your own baby cry was even worse than that. And being helpless as somebody poked on your child probably wasn't high up on moms' favorite things list. Haley knew it wasn't going to be on hers. "I just hope he doesn't have a bad reaction."

"Maybe it won't be so bad?" Nathan looked at his son with a nod, "You're a tough guy, right Jamie?"

"He might get a fever, too. I don't want that to happen."

Nathan looked to his wife and arched his brow, "You looked online about this didn't you? Haley had a habit about searching mommy forums to see what she could expect out of certain situations when the books didn't have the answers.

"Well only to see about this."

Laughing, Nathan smiled, "You do know that last time you did that you convinced yourself that Jamie was going to be born with two heads."

Haley felt a little embarrassed but shrugged, "I was hormonal. I believed anything."

"Two heads, Hales?"

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "Okay, yes. It was not my brightest moment."

Nathan agreed with his wife and looked to their son, "And can you believe she was valedictorian?"

"Oh stop it." Haley bumped Nathan's shoulder with her own.

"Scott?" The lady at the front desk called out their name and Haley stood up and motioned for Nathan pass over their boy. She wanted to be the one holding him, comforting Jamie when he got his shots.

The three of them walked into a small exam room and waited just a little while longer for the doctor. He'd come in with a smile and a chart. They measured Jamie's height and weight, checked his ears, and a few other routine things, and the young parents were told a nurse would be in to administer the shots soon.

Haley was running her fingertips along Jamie's fine baby hair with a worried look splashed across her face.

"It's gonna be alright, Hales."

She nodded, "I know, I know. I just..." Shrugging, she didn't know what else to say.

The door to the exam room opened and a nurse with three needles smiled, "Hi."

"Hi." Haley said hello back and and Nathan nodded.

The woman looked at the little boy in the mother's arms and smiled, "He's a cute little thing."

Haley cradled her son in her arms and smiled, "Thank you." As the nurse put on a fresh set of gloves, Haley took a nervous breath, "So how many of these things do you have to give?"

"Oh I've given my fair share." The woman smiled and nodded. She could tell the young mother was nervous. "But it'll be over fast." The nurse nodded and took a few steps toward Haley. "It's best if you talk to him."

She'd read that on the internet and in the baby books. "Okay."

"You ready?"

Haley shook her head, "No."

The nurse smiled and tried to reassure the mom, "Just remember that this is going to help him in the long run."

Nathan had moved closer to Haley and put his hand on her side.

"Okay, alright." Haley glanced up to Nathan and then back to the nurse and nodded.

The nurse took the cap off the first needle, "I'm just going to get him on the thigh." She gently rubbed a cotton ball on Jamie's leg.

Haley felt her stomach start to hurt and she tried to keep Jamie close and comfortable.

"Jamie? Look up here." Nathan waved his hand by Haley's head and then hit her colorful earring. He figured the swinging dangley thing might catch his attention.

Loving the fact that Nathan was so cute, Haley's emotions quickly changed when she saw the nurse insert the first needle. She closed her eyes and opened them back up to see her son's lips tremble. "It's okay. It's okay."

Jamie started to cry and Nathan felt bad that his idea hadn't worked.

"Here comes the next one." The nurse picked up the second shot and Haley held Jamie tight against her chest.

"Shh, shh." Haley pressed her lips to the side of Jaime's head. "You're okay." It was breaking her heart to hear him cry. The nurse was probably a nice woman, but at the moment all Haley could think of was the fact that she wanted to smack her. Tell her to stop and back off, but she couldn't. The woman was only doing her job.

"And this is the last one."

Nathan felt his heart race increase as Jamie's shrill cries echoed through the little room and he felt hopeless. He could see the pain in Haley's eyes, too.

"All done." The nurse smiled at the parents and adhered small dot band-aids to Jamie's thigh.

"We're done, Jamie. It's okay." Haley held her son close and tried to soothe anything that was scaring him or hurting him. "You're fine." The little boy wasn't so convinced and kept crying.

The nurse took off her gloves and picked up Jamie's chart. "We'll see you back here for his four month check up."

Nathan smiled at the nurse as they all walked out of the exam room and he put a comforting hand on Jamie's back. While Haley walked back out to the waiting room, Nathan stopped to pay the co-pay. Haley had walked outside and when Jamie got out of the strange smelling doctor's office and snuggled tightly against Haley he started to calm down.

Nathan walked outside into the bright sunshine and made it over to the car. "He calm down?"

"Yeah. He's a lot better." Haley nodded Nathan opened the door so they could get Jamie in his car seat.

Pushing the seat forward, Nathan turned back to get their son and strapped him in. He stood back up and looked at Haley. "You did good in there."

Haley was surprised that he'd said it and even more surprised when he'd leaned in to kiss her. "It was kind of sexy when you told that nurse no."

Her eyes softened and she bit her lip. "I was worried."

"I know." He nodded and kissed her again.

Nathan left another quick kiss on her lips and walked around the car to the driver's side. Haley felt those knots in her stomach untie and fill with butterflies. Nathan made doctor's appoints a little more bearable.

**OTHOTH**

Jamie was five months old and Haley woke up when she heard him on the baby monitor. It took her a second to get her bearings but she quickly got out of bed and headed to Jamie's room.

When she got to the crib she leaned down and picked her up son, "Hey, baby." Jamie got a little quieter when Haley got him but he was still fussing. Obviously the nighttime formula of Baby Orajel wasn't working.

Jamie was cutting teeth and it was probably just as miserable for Nathan, Haley and Lucas as it was for Jamie. For the last week he'd been the fussiest he'd ever been and it wasn't exactly easy on the parents and uncle.

Haley sat down in the the rocking chair next to Jamie's bed and tried to lull Jamie back to sleep. She hummed a soft tune and hoped that it would work. It helped a little bit but Haley's voice was no match for incoming teeth. She checked her watch and knew that it would be okay if she gave Jamie a little bit more Orajel. Walking over to a lamp, Haley turned it on so she could see what she was doing. She put the teething remedy on Jamie's gums and could feel two hard teeth that were about to break the surface. Jamie was probably going to wake up in the morning with one of them showing.

When she was finished applying the medicine, Haley went back to the rocker and tried to get Jamie back asleep. It didn't take too long but it took long enough for her to yawn the whole way back to bed. She climbed under the covers and slid next to Nathan.

"He okay?"

Haley closed her eyes and leaned her back into Nathan's chest. "Yeah, he's okay." She nodded and loved the way Nathan put his arm around her. It was the best way to fall asleep.

The next morning Haley woke up when she felt something next to her. She'd assumed it was Nathan but it wasn't. Opening her eyes, Haley saw their little boy on the bed next to her and then felt the bed shift when someone much bigger moved behind her.

"Open up, Jamie. Show Mom." Nathan looked at Jamie with a nodded and opened his mouth hoping his son would mimic him.

Haley's eyes widened, "Can you see it?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah. I got him this morning and saw that little bit of white poking up through his gums."

"Let's see, Jame." The young mom leaned over her son and tried to peek in his mouth. There was a small tooth on his bottom row that had broken to the surface. She furrowed her brow and looked to her husband, "He has a tooth."

"He has a tooth." Nathan smiled and leaned over to kiss her. "He's getting big."

"Ugh. I know." Haley smiled and then shook her head, "I don't know if I should be happy or sad about this."

Nathan laughed and raised his brow, "Well as long as he doesn't get your big teeth then..."

"Excuse me?"

He laughed and shrugged, "I'm just saying."

Haley frowned, "My teeth are not that big."

"They kinda are, Hales." He leaned away from her and laughed. Nathan was gonna give Haley a hard time in the future about this.

"Whatever. He'll get my brain."

Nathan nodded, "He better."

Jamie started to fuss a little bit and Haley ran her fingers over Jamie's stomach. "What is it, bud?" Haley figured it was obviously his teeth. She turned to look at the clock and then Nathan, "What was the last time he had some medicine?"

"I haven't given him any yet." Nathan got out of bed and and walked over to the other side to pick Jamie up. "I can do it now."

Haley nodded and smiled when Nathan took Jamie towards his bedroom. When he got into the baby's room he walked over to the dresser and saw the Orajel tube. Out of curiosity Nathan smelled the stuff. Cherry flavored. He couldn't lie, it was a little tempting.

The squirmy child in his arms knocked him out of his cherry trance and he remembered Jamie was supposed to have the stuff. Nathan applied the teething relief and when he was done he couldn't help himself. It was cherry! How could he not try it.

Checking over his shoulder, Nathan looked behind him to see if anyone was watching and he squirted a little on his finger. He rubbed it on his gum to see what the stuff was all about but he couldn't tell anything was there. So Nathan being Nathan, squirted a little more. Or _a lot_ more. LIke as in the rest of the tube. It was an accident, Nathan hadn't really meant to get _that_ much. He could taste it now. Orajel Cherry was not the same as Kool-Aid cherry.

He walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed with Jamie and saw Haley come out of the bathroom.

"Is it helping?"

Nathan looked down to Jamie who wasn't being such a gripe. "I think so. That stuff really kicks in." Nathan moved his mouth up and down and started to wonder how long this no feeling thing was gonna last.

Haley got back on the bed and turned to admire her husband and son. All three of them laid there for a while and Haley laughed at Jamie, "I need to get something to wipe his mouth with." She'd eyed the drool and got up to get something. Haley got back on the bed and leaned over to wipe Jamie's face. She looked to Nathan about to speak but she furrowed her brow, "Nathan? Why are you drooling?"

Immediately taking his hand to his chin, Nathan wiped away the wetness, "Uh."

Haley looked at her Nathan and then to Jamie and then back at Nathan, "You used Orajel, didn't you?"

"No." Has he spoke he felt something roll down his chin.

"You did!" Haley's mouth fell open and then she shook her head, "How much did you take? It's baby strength."

Nathan didn't want to tell her he'd used the rest so grabbed the rag out of Haley's hand, "I was trying to see what it tasted like. The package said cherry."

Haley started to laugh, "Honey, it's medicine. It says cherry but that doesn't mean it's gonna be good."

"I just wanted to see."

Leaning back on the pillows Haley started to laugh and she couldn't believe what he'd done. No. Yes she could. Nathan was that kind of guy. She was gonna remember this, though. Next month when Christmas rolled around she knew what she could get as a stocking stuffer. Orajel. And maybe she'd splurge and get the adult kind.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan walked through the front door and his head ached as bad as the hung over frat boy who'd sat next to him in his world history class. Nathan's problem hadn't been alcohol though. It was history in general. Sitting through a lecture of that stuff was about as fun as doing suicides on the court. Not to mention his teacher had some foreign accent. Taking notes was a nightmare because he couldn't understand half of what he'd said.

He walked into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?" His reply was less than enthusiastic.

"Will you come here for a second?"

Sliding off the bed he'd just laid down on, Nathan shuffled to the bathroom and peeked his head in.

Haley was leaning over the bathtub and looked up to Nathan when she heard him come in. "Will you watch him for a second?"

Nathan nodded and walked further into the bathroom and sat down on the side of the tub and looked at their six month old son while he was lying on the yellow foam bath pad.

"How was class?" Haley started to get up and raised her brow.

"Boring."

Haley frowned and leaned close to kiss him. "Sorry." She pulled away and started to walk out of the bathroom, "I'll be right back." Haley headed toward the kitchen to get the new bottle of baby shampoo she'd gotten earlier. She could have told Nathan to get it but it probably would have taken him ten minutes to look around the kitchen.

Nathan reached for the washcloth that was in the tub and he ran it over Jamie's belly. The little boy started to contort his face into an awkward grin and Nathan laughed, "Is that funny?" Nathan the damp cloth on Jamie's stomach again and the little boy made an even funny face. Laughing at his son's face, Nathan was about to do it again but heard and saw something that made him burst into serious laughter. He'd heard a bloop and saw a bubble.

Haley had heard Nathan laughing and walked in the bathroom with a curious look, "What's so funny?"

Turning to Haley, Nathan was still laughing. "He farted." He laughed again and shook his head, "The water was just high enough so his butt made the water bubble."

Haley thought Nathan's amusement was a little more funny than their son's toot but she laughed anyway.

"Ah, look!" Nathan laughed out loud and pointed, "He did it again."

Furrowing her brow, Haley looked at their son and saw that he was smiling, but more of a funny looking grin. "I think he has gas."

Nathan nodded remembering the two fart bubbles he'd seen rise to the surface. "Yeah."

The mom grabbed the bottle of baby shampoo and put a little bit in her hands. She ran her hands over Jamie and pressed a little on his tummy to see if anything happened. He grunted a little bit but no rear end music followed. Haley wet Jamie's hair and brushed her fingers on top of his head.

Nathan had been watching and reached for the cup to fill it up with water. He handed it to Haley and she poured the water over Jamie's body and he started to babel.

"That translates to, 'The sound of water make me pee so you better watch out.'"

Haley laughed because she'd remembered when Jamie was a little baby and peed on Nathan. As she finished rinsing Jamie off she asked Nathan to grab Jamie's dog towel with the little hood. Being the team that they were, Nathan and Haley got Jamie out of the tub and all wrapped up. Haley already had his clothes and a diaper laid out so she put Jamie on the bed and lathered baby lotion over him.

Nathan laid back down on the bed and watched in amazement as Haley put Jamie's diaper on in record time. It would still take him a minute or two to get everything in order.

Once Jamie's diaper was on Haley put her hands around Jamie's calves and pushed his knees toward his stomach. The little boys face started to contort and Haley furrowed her brow. She didn't know why Jamie was gaseous.

"Is that supposed to help?"

"Yeah." She nodded and did a few more repetitions. When Haley was sure she'd done enough to help she put the rest of his clothes on.

Nathan leaned over to pick up Jamie and rested him against the pillows on the bed. The young father leaned close to Jamie's face and made a funny noise hopping he could get Jamie to belly laugh. It was the favorite part of his day.

"Hey, Jame?" Nathan covered his face with his hands and then opened, "Peek a boo." The little boy started to grin and Nathan did it again. "Peek a boo!" Jamie laughed that time.

Haley started to smile because there was something to be said about watching a college basketball star interacting with his son like that. Haley scooted across the bed and gently poked Jamie's belly, "Who's that? Who's playing with you?"

With his hands over his face, Nathan heard Jamie laugh. "Peek a boo."

Reaching for Jamie's towel, Haley flung it over Nathan's head and looked at their son, "Where's Daddy?" She shook her head and pulled the towel off, "There he is!"

Nathan leaned over and squeezed on Jamie's legs, "Got you."

The little boy started to laugh and Haley put the towel back on Nathan's head, "Where'd he go?"

Jamie reached out towards his dad and Haley pulled the towel off, "There he is!"

Erupting into laughter, Jamie's belly started to jiggle. Both of his parents started to laugh and Nathan's ill fated day that began with a horrendous history classes was getting better.

They played for a while until Haley needed to put Jamie down for a nap and when she returned she collapsed on the bed with a thud. "I don't want to go to class."

Nathan smiled and raised his brow, "Haley James wants to _miss_ class? I knew I'd rub off on you eventually."

She smiled and rolled over on the bed, "No I want to go to class, but I don't want to go to class."

That confused Nathan so he shook his head, "That didn't make sense."

Haley leaned back into her pillow and closed her eyes, "You know what I mean."

He didn't, but it didn't matter. They both laid their in silence for a minute enjoying the quietness.

When she heard him shuffling on the bed she peeked open an eye and saw Nathan pulling his knees to his chest. "Wh...what are you doing."

"I need to fart."

"Oh, gross! Nathan!" She coiled away from him and swatted in his direction, "Not on the bed! Go somewhere else. Ew!"

It didn't matter that they were married or that they'd been together for what felt like forever. What Nathan was trying to do was not okay. Haley saw that he was still pulling his knees up to his chest and she scooted her feet towards him and tried to push him off the bed, "Nathan, really! Go. Away."

He knew she was never going to be able make him move so he laughed.

She stuck her feet on his side and tried with all her might to push him off the bed but he wasn't moving an inch. "Honey, please."

Nathan pulled his knees even tighter and grimaced, "Almost got it." He started laughing his hysterically when he saw Haley's horrified face. He didn't need to pass gas. He was only kidding to push her buttons.

Haley was not about to have Nathan's stink contaminate their comforter and seep into their sheets. She sprang toward him and used her hands to push on his shoulder and side. "If you...if you..." Haley couldn't even say it she was trying so hard to push him off the bed.

With one swift movement Nathan was able to push Haley the other way and she shrieked when she went backwards on the bed. "Nathan!"

He arched his brow and laughed, "I wasn't gonna do it. I just wanted to see what you would do."

Haley's mouth fell open and she narrowed her eyes, "You're awful." Nathan had a sly smirk on his face and he nodded. He pressed his lips to hers and let more of his body weight rest on hers. Haley's hands ran up his back and through his hair. She pulled him closer and kissed him with a smile. "That was kind of mean, by the way."

He shook his head, "It was funny." He laughed and kissed her again, "Admit it." She wasn't going to give in to that smirk so she shook her head. Nathan nodded, "Yes it was."

Haley felt him kiss her again and she pulled away, "Mmm, no it wasn't."

"Just admit it, Hales." Nathan had his hands on her waist and she could feel his fingertips brush the bare skin under her shirt. "It was funny."

A sudden blush started to creep across Haley's cheeks, "Okay...may, maybe so."

He smiled and nodded. Not only had he gotten her to say it but Nathan was also pretty sure that if he was sneaky about it he could get Haley to miss her one o'clock class. They had more important things to do anyway.

**OTHOTH**

Haley was about three feet away from Jamie holding out her arms. She was absolutely positive that he was going to crawl at any moment. Nathan was sitting on the couch and moved over to Haley and held his turkey sandwich over her head.

"Come on, Jamie. Come get the sandwich."

Looking up to Nathan, Haley hit him on the leg, "No, come to me, Jamie."

Nathan laughed and walked over to put his sandwich down. "Here, look buddy. Watch me." Nathan got on his hands and knees next to their seven month old and showed his son what he was supposed to do.

Haley sat up on her knees and knew she'd want a picture of this. Both of her blue eyed boys on all fours was precious. "Stay right there." She made it halfway to the bedroom to get the camera and heard Nathan call her name.

"Hales! Come here!"

Sprinting as any uncoordinated person would, she almost tripped over the rug but she made it back in time to see Jamie start to move.

Nathan crawled a few steps ahead of his son and smiled, "Come on, bud. You got this."

Jamie lifted up his hand and when he went to place it down all was well until he fell on his tummy.

"Aw." Haley moved to get Jamie and get him back in ready position. "Nathan go get the camera. You're faster than I am."

Up and back in now time, Nathan handed Haley the camera and got back on his hands and knees. "Alright, Jamie, come get me." The dark haired college student started moving forward and waited to see if his son could do it too.

"Get Daddy, Jamie. Go get him." Haley had the camera ready and aimed if Jamie crawled for the first time.

The little boy was on his stomach and started slithering like a snake. Nathan hung his head and mimicked his son, "This doesn't count."

Haley laughed at Nathan because he looked a little on the ridiculous side.

"Let's try again." Haley picked up Jamie and moved him back to the start line. Holding out her arms, Haley motioned for her son to come to her.

Nathan crawled over to Haley and smiled, "Come here, Jamie."

Jamie didn't find his parents that interesting. The baby boy stared blankly at his mom and dad with a mumble that neither of them understood.

Looking at her husband, Haley furrowed her brow, "Maybe we should get a toy?"

Nathan nodded and quickly got up to get the first thing he saw. It wasn't a toy but Jamie loved playing with it.

"I got your phone."

Laughing, Haley shrugged, "Hopefully that'll work."

"Look, Jamie. Come get Mom's phone." Nathan set the cell phone in front of them and watched as Jamie slowly started to move.

Haley leaned into Nathan and smiled, "Look! Look!"

Nathan nodded as he saw Jamie get on his hands and knees. "He's gonna do it."

Both of the parents watched in awe as Jamie contemplated his next move and then it happened. His hand when forward and then his knee. "Oh my gosh! He's doing it! Nathan, he's crawling."

Laughing, Nathan smiled wide, "Come on, Jame. Almost here."

The little boy found his rhythm and crawled right up to his parents, or the cell phone in front of them.

"You did it, baby." Haley picked up the little boy and kissed his cheek furiously. "You did it!"

Nathan was smiling just as wide as Haley and couldn't believe their son had just crawled. It felt like Jamie had been born yesterday. "See if he'll do it again, Hales."

"Alright, bud. Try again." Haley put Jamie down and slid her phone across the floor so Jamie could go get it.

Apparently it didn't take long for this crawling thing to stick because Jamie was off faster than his parents knew possible.

Nathan crawled after Jamie and looked behind him, "He's got my speed."

Haley smiled. That was a good thing. She'd hoped that their son would have the same knack for anything sports related. The only thing she could do that involved speed was read.

For the better part of the rest of the day, the young couple enjoyed watching Jamie boogie around the house. They knew the day was going to come but they didn't realize it would be so soon.

Later that night when Haley had gotten Jamie asleep she'd walked out into the living room and looked around. In all the books she'd read, Haley knew that the best thing to do after your baby learned to crawl was to figure out what was safe around the house and what wasn't. And to do that she needed to get down to Jamie's level.

Nathan had gotten out of the shower and once he finished getting dressed he walked out to the living room. He saw his wife on her hand and knees and he was enjoying the view of Haley's butt. Nathan laughed and raised his brow, "Planning on crawling to bed?"

Haley looked behind her and shook her head with a laugh, "No." She crawled over to the couch and looked under it. "All the books said you need to get down on Jamie's level to see what's safe for a crawling baby."

Walking toward her, Nathan looked around the floor and shrugged, "Looks fine in here."

She pointed to the pile of coins and small things Jamie could choke on and shook her head, "Cause I've picked up most of it."

Nathan took a deep breath and bent down, "Need help with the rest of it?"

Loving the fact that she hadn't had to ask, Haley nodded, "I just did that side. We need to look over there and do the kitchen and our room."

"Alright." Nathan started moving around the room picking up little things he thought might turn out harmful.

With both Nathan and Haley on their hands and knees the safety inspection for the living room went fast. Nathan made his way to the kitchen and started going toward the kitchen table. He felt the table legs and knew that if Jamie's head made contact it would end up with tears and a big bruise. "Hey, Hales? Do we have any bubble wrap?"

Haley crawled her way over to Nathan, "Bubble wrap?"

"Yeah." He held on to the hard wooden table and nodded, "This thing is hard."

Feeling her heart jump into her throat, Haley couldn't help but smile. Nathan was too cute. Buble wrap? "I don't think we have any of that."

Nathan looked a little disappointed. "We can tie an old t-shirt around it or something."

Haley's eyes were looking straight into Nathan's. "I love you."

Flashing her a smirk that she knew well he smiled and kissed her. "I love you, too."

The front door had opened but neither Haley nor Nathan had really noticed. Lucas walked into the kitchen and stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother and sister in law kissing semi underneath their kitchen table. "Wha...what are you doing?"

Haley laughed and looked to Lucas, "Jamie learned to crawl."

Nathan followed Haley's words, "We're just checking out the floors to make sure there's nothing he could hurt himself on, or choke on."

Lucas squinted his eyes and nodded, "Right."

Haley started to crawl towards Lucas and picked up a penny, "See. We gotta be careful about this stuff."

All for Jamie's safety, Lucas nodded and started to look around the room for anything that could be problematic. All three of them had Jamie's best interest at heart. They'd do anything for that boy and that included crawling around the house. It wasn't so bad though. At least not for Nathan. He could stay behind Haley and enjoy the view, all the while making sure his son had a safe home. Win, win.

**OTHOTH**

**So there were a few little moments that we missed post season 4, pre season 5. I know it wasn't everything but I tried to get some cute stuff in there. If some of you wanted Jamie's first steps they are actually already in the story via a short flashback in chapter 2. So it's way, _way_ back there.**

**Here comes a shameless plug: I've posted Sawyer's spin-off a few days ago. If you are interested in reading about her Little Moments, like a bit of attitude with some humor thrown in there I encourage you to check it out.  
**

**My reviewers are still the reason I continue. All of your feedback is more important than you even realize, so thank you.**

**C: I'm glad you liked that Nathan pained the nursery after the pink debacle. You're right, Charlotte's Web is a tearjerker even if you're not hormonal. It's just so sad.**

**Joan: I totally smiled like a dork when I read that you thought I was up there with the season 3 writers. That is my FAVORITE season. Such a compliment, thank you. To answer your question, I don't have a list of anything I've written except names and ages. I'm thankful that my memory is good enough that I just naturally recall what I write. **

**mazzy: I completely understand and agree with your rant about this season. I feel the same way.**

**Laura: Haley hating pink is something that I really hope the show mentions sometime during the rest of the season. They made a big deal out of before so it would make since for them to bring it up again considering pink is a popular color for little girls. I'll be really dissapointed if they end up having the baby's nursery pink. I personally can't see Haley being super excited about that. Thanks so much for the compliment about actually seeing James and Joy portraying what I write!**

**Hadley: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for sending me suggestions for this one!  
**

**ann: I agree. I think this whole bit about not showing ANYTHING baby related is really aggravating and even worse than the tiny mentions we got in season 4. And yeah, we should have seen Nathan and Haley find out it's a girl together. At least I did that in a previous chapter...I mean it just makes sense. Nathan's wanted a girl for forever so I would have loved to see his reaction. Oh well.**

**Merle: Thank you for sending in suggestions! Danke!**

**Serah: I appreciate the feedback. This chapter's feedback will really cement this story's fate, so we'll have to see how it goes. 100 chapters is still a possibility but...I don't know.**

**emma: I'm glad you enjoyed the gaps that I showed last chapter since the show is failing big time with baby related things. Thanks for reviewing.**

**alexis: Welcome back. Cool that you got to go to Africa. I'm envious. I'm in an African history class right now and it makes me really wanna go. It means a lot to know that you want to catch up on the chapters you missed. I hope you like them. I saw that you read the post 8.11 chapter. I'm glad you liked it!**

**Please Review!  
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	85. Bicycles and Band Aids

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 85: Bicycles and Band-Aids**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

**A/N: Yay for procrastination! At least that's what you all are probably thinking. Thank you all for your patience. I know the break between this and last chapter was a while but school is school. My mid-term tomorrow might end up being less about immigration in the Progressive Era and more about a fictional television family...but hey...Little Moments needed a new chapter. This one is a missing moment from season 5, set sometime after 5.14. I hope you guys all like it. For those of you who are out of school for President's Day tomorrow, I'm jealous (classes don't get canceled, and as history person I find that...unfortunate), and for my Canadian readers observing Family Day...happy Family Day! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

It was early morning and the house was perfectly silent. Still and peaceful, the Scott household was about to be woken up in full force, but more precisely, Nathan and Haley.

Jamie had been up for about seven minutes and was putting on his clothes as quickly as he could. Shorts, his dad's old jersey Dan had given him as a birthday present, the cape, and his gray helmet; it was an outfit for the ages. He looked down at his untied shoes and tried to remember what his mom and dad did to tie the laces but he just bunched them together and figured it would hold for a while. Strapping on some knee pads and reaching for his elbow pads, Jamie patted his helmet just to make sure it was in stable condition and started sprinting for his parents room.

"Daddy! Wake up!" Jamie jumped on his parents bed and heard and felt a thud when his head made contact with something hard. Thankfully he'd been wearing his helmet.

"Ugh." Nathan started to open his eyes and reached for his knee.

Fixing his helmet that had made hard contact with his dad's leg, Jamie started to crawl towards his parents' faces. "Dad, come on! I'm ready!" The spirited five year old looked at his father with the same blue eyes and smiled, "Look." He pointed to his knee pads and nodded, "Chop, chop."

Nathan laughed and shook his head, "Someone's ready to learn how to ride their bike."

"Me! I am! Me!" Jamie held up his hand like he was in class and nodded.

It had been hard for Haley not to wake up and she rolled over to smile at her little boy. He was already dressed and everything. She started to sit up in bed and arched her brow, "Don't you want breakfast before you start?"

Jamie shook his head, "I'm running on a..." Jamie's five year old brain was still a little sleepy and he couldn't quite remember the word he was trying to say. But like everything else, he started to think in hyper speed and the word flew out of his mouth. "Adrenaline. I'm running on adrenaline."

The way he sounded so sure in his statement, and the fact that he seemed to understand what that meant was pretty cute. Haley laughed and looked at her husband, "Well don't keep the boy waiting."

Nathan pushed the covers off his legs and stretched as he got out of bed. "I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs."

"Okay." Jamie started to get off the bed and picked up the elbow pads, "Mama, will you put these on me?"

"Sure, baby, come here." Haley nodded and held out her hands. Jamie walked over to her and handed Haley the protective gear. She looked at it funny and then looked at his knees. "Uh...I think you've got the elbow pads on your knees, bud."

Jamie looked down and shrugged his shoulders, "Oh, whoops." He undid the Velcro and handed his mom the pads she obviously knew what to do with. "Here, you do it better."

Haley couldn't help but smile at her son. She got Jamie to hold out his elbows and she carefully put on his pads and then got out of bed to make sure he his knees were properly covered up. Glancing Jamie over, Haley gently patted his helmet and nodded, "Go get 'em, Jim Jam."

His little feet started moving before his body but Jamie sped out his parents' room and downstairs, calling over his shoulder, "Tell Daddy I'll be waiting."

Laughing, Haley nodded and raised her voice to answer him, "I will!"

The bathroom door opened and Nathan walked out with a smirk, "I think he's a little excited."

"You think?" Haley smiled and watched as Nathan walked over to her. "I have..." she put her hands on his sides, "...strict orders that Jamie's waiting on you."

Nathan nodded and leaned down to kiss Haley, "Yeah?"

"Mmm-huh."

He gave her a quick kiss and his blue eyes were staring heavily into her brow ones.

Haley bit her lip and let out a deep breath when he started to walk away. Nathan was just about out of their room when Haley looked over her shoulder, "Be careful."

"We will." Nathan looked back to her with a nod.

While the boys headed outside Haley went downstairs and saw her mother-in-law fixing a pot of coffee. Having a nanny around the house was nice, but having a mother-in-law was better. Plus, she didn't have to worry about Nathan watching her swim naked. That would be wrong on so many levels.

Deb handed Haley a mug and smiled, "Riding a bike, huh?"

"Yeah, Jamie's pretty excited."

Deb took a sip of her coffee and laughed, "I remember when Nathan was learning how to ride a bike. Dan had him outside all day and all night until he got it."

"That bad?"

Narrowing her eyes, Deb nodded, "Well you know Dan. His son had to be the best at everything. I think Nathan was even younger than Jamie is when Dan took off his training wheels." Deb shook her head, "I'll never understand why he had to be so hard on Nathan."

Haley only rolled her eyes at the thought of her unfortunate father-in-law. "Me neither." She caught a glimpse of her husband and son walking Jamie's bike out of the back yard towards the front and smiled, "I'm grateful Nathan's the kind of dad he is."

Deb smiled, "I'd like to take credit for that but it has _a lot more_ to do with you."

Acknowledging the compliment, Haley smiled and took another sip of her coffee. She'd heard it before and it probably wouldn't be the last time somebody said that but Nathan wasn't the guy he was today simply because of Haley. She may have helped him find his way but it wasn't a one sided street. He'd helped her come out of her shell, she'd become brave and found comfort within herself when she was with him. It wasn't always pretty, and it was never easy but they'd done pretty well so far. Six years of marriage and a son who just turned five; they were doing just fine.

But marriage and parenting were easy compared to what Nathan was dealing with right now.

"Can you get it?"

Nathan yanked on the training wheels and furrowed his brow, "I don't know, Jame." He pulled again and shook his head, "They're not coming off." Looking at the screwdriver, Nathan didn't exactly know what the problem was. It would have been easier if he'd been the one to put the training wheels on in the first place but he hadn't. Lucas had done that a while ago when Nathan was on four wheels, too.

"Here..." Jamie grabbed a hold of one of the training wheels and started pulling until he was red in the face, "Nope." He brushed his hands together and shook his head, "I can't even get them."

Nathan laughed at his son and pulled out his phone, "Looks like we need to call Uncle Lucas?"

Nodding with a smile, Jamie crossed his arms, "Yeah, that might be a good idea."

**OTHOTH**

A phone call and fifteen minutes later, Lucas's red Mustang pulled into the driveway and Jamie ran over to the car.

"Hey, bud."

"Uncle Lucas, you gotta help! We can't get the training wheels off my bike." Jamie opened up the driver's side door with a nod.

Getting out of the car, Lucas squinted toward Nathan and then looked at the little boy walking beside him, "Well, I'll see what I can do."

Nathan fumbled with the tiny wheels and looked up to his brother, "Did you put these on with super glue, man?"

"No." He shook his head and knelt down to the bike, "It can't be _that_ hard."

Sitting back with a smile he laughed at Lucas, "Yeah, well, you try."

Lucas had the screwdriver in his hand was was carefully figuring out the best way to take the training wheels off. His trademark squint was stuck on his face for another five minutes but he started to smile when one of the training wheels started coming lose, "Ha, _that_ hard?"

Nathan started to scowl and furrowed his brow, "Wha...Whatever."

"It would have been a lot easier if you hadn't stripped the screws."

"I didn't strip anything! They...they were like that." Nathan wasn't exactly loving the fact that his brother was showing him up. Sure, he'd called for the help but Nathan didn't want Lucas to make it seem easy.

"Thanks, Uncle Lucas. You're the best." Jamie put his helmet back on and tried to get the buckle to work.

"Come here, Jame. I'll get it." Nathan may have had trouble with the training wheels but he could buckle his son's helmet.

"Alright, J Luke. Let's see what you got." Lucas held out the now two wheeled bicycle and smiled.

"Well I'll need help first." Jamie scrunched up his face and laughed at his uncle. "I can't do it _yet_." The little boy grabbed his handle bars and started walking out to the street as the two older Scotts followed. Jamie maneuvered himself on his bike and nodded to his father, "Okay, I think I'm ready."

Nathan walked close to his son and held on to the back of the seat. "And you know how to brake?"

Jamie kicked his pedals backward, "Yep."

Looking down, Nathan saw Jamie's messy shoelaces, "I gotta get these tied. You don't want them to wrap around the pedal, do you?" The little boy shook his head and after Nathan got the other shoe done he took a long hard look at Jamie's cape. "Why don't we take this off, too? It might get caught in the back."

"Here." Jamie started to untie it and looked to Lucas, "You can wear it for a while."

Lucas laughed and smiled as he got the cape from his nephew. "I did always wanna cape."

Jamie stuck out one of his fingers and laughed, "But I want that back. You can't have it forever."

Lucas laughed and nodded as he tied the little strings around his neck.

Nathan grabbed a hold of Jamie's bike and grinned. "Aright, bud, you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Jamie nodded, "I think so."

Nathan looked to his five year old and smiled, "I'm gonna hold on to your seat while you pedal and when you're ready I'll let go."

"Only when I'm ready, though."

Nodding, Nathan agreed, "Only when you're ready."

"You got this, Jamie!" Lucas pumped his fist and nodded.

The little boy put his feet on the pedals and let his dad steady the bike and he griped the handles as tight as he could, "Let's do this."

Nathan laughed and started to lightly jog, "Here we go."

Jamie started pedaling and tried to keep the handlebars straight but it was a lot harder than he thought, "Don't let go."

"I won't." Nathan still had his hand on Jamie's seat and shook his head, "I'll let go when you tell me to."

"Whoa." Jamie felt the bike dip when his wheels hit a bump and he held his handlebars even tighter. "Not yet!" They'd gone about twenty yards and Nathan was still pushing his son, holding steady and making sure he didn't let go until Jamie was comfortable.

"You about ready, Jamie?"

"Uh..." Jamie wasn't so sure, "Just a little bit longer."

Nathan was in pretty good shape but he could imagine some of the dads out there just pushing their kids a few feet. It was kind of a workout.

"I...I think I'm ready?"

"Now?"

"Yeah! I'm ready!"

Nathan eased his grip on Jamie's seat, "Alright, I'm letting go." He took his hand off the seat but still ran next to Jamie, "Pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal!" Nathan wasn't much of a cheerer, Haley was the go to parent for that, but he was enjoying himself. "You're doing it, Jamie. Keep pedaling!"

"Yeah, Jamie!" Lucas watched as his nephew started to pedal on his own.

Felling a huge rush of pride run through his veins that feeling quickly vanished when he saw Jamie's front wheel start to wobble in all directions. "Keep it straight, bud. Keep it straight."

"I'm tryin'." Jaime's little arms were moving back and forth and he couldn't control anything.

"Break! Jamie, hit the breaks!" Lucas realized that things weren't going well and he started running down the street toward Nathan and Jamie.

Jamie was trying to everything he could but the mailbox on the right side of the street was approaching fast. "Help!"

Nathan was running after Jamie hoping he could get there in time but it wasn't looking good.

Before any of them knew it, Jamie and the mailbox were only feet away. The boy swerved away and luckily missed the still object but he wasn't able to keep his balance and he went straight down onto the pavement. Nathan knew it wasn't going to be good. Jamie had tried to brace himself with his hands but he wasn't much of a match for gravity.

"Jamie!" Nathan was on Jamie's heels and bent down when he made it to his son. "You're okay. That wasn't so bad." He put his hand on Jamie's back as the boy started to move up off the ground. Nathan wanted to give Jamie positive feedback instead of acting as worried as he really was. "It's okay."

Hearing his father's voice made the little boy's eyes well with tears. No matter what the injury was it was always worse when someone came over to console you. The boy felt his chest start to rise and fall and he looked at his burning hands and then to his dad. His dad could try and act as brave as he wanted but Jamie could see it in his eyes. He'd been scared too.

"Are you okay?"

Jamie only shook his head and let the tears fall down his cheeks.

Nathan hated seeing his boy cry, "Where's it hurt?"

Jamie didn't answer but Nathan picked him up and Jamie rested his head on his father's shoulder. He sobbed into Nathan's shirt and Nathan tried to make him feel better.

"You were doing so great, bud. You had it for a while." Nathan passed Lucas and mouthed 'bike' so Luke could get Jamie's bike out of the street. Resting his cheek against Jamie's head, Nathan nodded, "I don't think your bike could handle your skills. Jamie Scott? Nah. I think you're too good for it."

Jamie smiled into his father's shirt but felt his hands start to sting and his eyes filled with more tears.

Nathan opened up the front door and walked into the kitchen. Haley saw that he was holding their son and he shook his head letting her know things hadn't gone so well.

"Baby, what happened?" Haley got up off her chair and walked toward the boys. She put her hand on Jamie's back and ran her thumb over the jersey, "Are you okay?"

Jamie leaned back from Nathan's shoulder and shook his head, "I...I...I fell." He had the cry stammer going for him and it broke Haley's heart.

"Come here." Haley took Jamie from Nathan and put him on the kitchen counter and looked him over, "Where are you hurt?" His big blue eyes were full of tears and Jamie held out his hands. Knowing that his little palms were probably stinging really bad, Haley frowned, "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be alright." Haley got a damp paper towel and softly placed them over his scrapes. "How about I get some of that bubbly stuff? That'll help clean it up."

Jamie nodded and watched his mom go through the drawers until she pulled out a brown bottle. "It's not gonna hurt, is it?"

"I don't think so. It shouldn't." Haley shook her head and instructed Jamie to hold his hands over the sink. "It might be cold?"

Nathan was watching as Haley tended to their son and he would never get over the image. She was such a natural. It was like she was born to be a mom.

After pouring on the hydrogen peroxide, Haley dabbed a fresh damp paper towel over Jamie's hands and lightly blew on his hands. "Feel better?" She saw that he was thinking it over so she took both of his hands in hers and kissed the back side of them. "Better now?"

Jamie nodded and wiped his cheeks. He looked down at his hand and held them out to his mom, "Can I get a Band-Aid?"

"Sure." Haley nodded and walked back to the drawer she pulled the peroxide from and got two boxes. "Glow in the dark or Scooby Doo?" She smiled at him as she made her way back towards him.

Jaime's smile returned and so did that smirk, "One of each?"

"I can handle that." Haley laughed and started to put the Band-Aids on the appropriate places. She picked him up off the counter when she was done and watched him run upstairs.

"We can try again later, bud." Nathan tried to holler up to Jamie as he ran by but it didn't seem like Jamie was so enthusiastic about riding his bike anymore.

Haley put up the medical supplies and looked over to her husband, "So it didn't go well?"

"It _was_. It was going great until his handlebars started..." Nathan stuck out his hands arms and started giggling them. "...going like that."

Frowning, she walked over to him and shook her head, "It'll take time."

"I know. I just hate that he fell on his first real try. I think it probably scared him more than it hurt."

Haley nodded and shrugged, "Maybe later or after dinner you two can try again?"

"Maybe." Nathan sighed and looked passed her.

She could tell that he was a little more upset that Jamie had gotten hurt but she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You will." She kissed him and smiled, "And I love you for trying."

His mood had settled a little easier when Haley said that. Maybe they could try again later, but if they didn't that was fine. Jamie would ride his bike when he was ready. Nathan could wait as long as he needed.

**OTHOTH**

Haley was slicing a thick loaf of bread and heard little footsteps come down the stairs.

"What's for dinner, Mama?"

"Pss-getti." She purposely said spaghetti wrong because she'd learned a log time ago that toddler speak was much cuter than adult lingo.

"Aw, yes. I love Shesehp- gettit. Spigitti. Oh, I can't say it." Jamie huffed and shrugged his shoulders. Even though he was five, there were still words that gave him a really hard time.

Haley put the freshly cut bread on a cookie sheet and laughed, "That's okay. You'll get one of these days." Throwing a dish towel over her shoulder, Haley watched Jamie climb up one of the counter chairs and she walked toward him, "You know what else you're gonna get?"

Jamie looked at his hands and then to his mom, "To ride my bike by myself?"

"Mmm-huh." She leaned on the counter and nodded, "I heard you were pretty close before you fell today."

"Yeah, sorta."

Haley smiled at her growing boy, "I bet if you and Daddy try it later you'll get it."

Immediately shaking his head, Jamie didn't think so. "I don't know."

"Well you know what I got today when I went to the grocery store?"

"What?" Jamie perked up and smiled.

Walking towards the kitchen table she pulled something out of a plastic bag, "These might help?" Haley held out the wrist guards and nodded, "They say they're for your wrists but they cover your palm, too."

"They sell those at the grocery store?"

Haley laughed and walked back towards her son, "No, but I got them _after_ I went to the grocery store."

Jamie didn't look so puzzled now. "Oh."

"But look." She handed Jamie the new protective gear, "You're all set now."

Shoving his hands through the wrist guards he squeezed his hands together and nodded, "Yeah, I think these will work." Jamie smiled and then saw his grandmother walking in the kitchen, "Nanny Deb, look what Mama got."

"Very cool, Jamie." Deb smiled at her grandson and then looked to her daughter-in-law, "Smells good in here."

"It's pss-getti. Mom makes really good shaletti." He'd said it wrong both times he tried to say it but Deb knew was he was talking about. Jamie shook his head and sighed as he described their dinner, "The...red sauce and noddles stuff."

Deb couldn't help but smile. She'd forgotten how cute little kids were, and Nathan had had a hard time with spaghetti, too. "Are you and your dad gonna try the bike out again?"

"I guess so?"

"You should." Deb looked around the kitchen, "Actually. I can take over in here if you and your mom and dad want to try it out now." She was talking to Jamie but telling Haley the offer stood as well.

Haley looked to her son with raised brows, "What do you think?"

Jamie scooted off his chair, "I'm gonna go get Daddy!"

Watching as Jamie ran out of the kitchen, Haley smiled at the blonde standing over the boiling pot of water, "Thanks, Deb." Haley walked toward the stairs and saw Jamie and a taller, darker haired version of the little boy following behind.

Nathan got to the bottom on the steps and gave Haley a smile, "Nice call on those hand...thingys." Haley nodded and the family of three walked outside.

Jamie reached for his other pads and helmet, and fastened them without much of a problem. "I'm ready."

Noticing that Jamie's helmet could be tightened just a smidge, she walked over to him and pulled on the straps.

"Better?" The little boy looked up to his mom with big blue eyes.

"Much better." She nodded and glanced over her shoulder to Nathan. "He's ready for you."

Nathan nodded and walked towards Jamie. He rolled his son's bike into the street and straddled the seat as if he were going to ride off. "Alright, so you just gotta remember to hold these bars straight and if you have to turn do it as easy as you can." Nathan showed Jamie what he was talking about and sat down on the seat. He wince a little because it was so small but he nodded, "And when..." Nathan tried to put his feet on the pedals but his six three frame wasn't allowing it, "...when..." He tried again but it was no use. "Well, when you get your feet on here don't forget that backwards means break."

"Right, got it." Jamie nodded at his father and the two of them switched places. Jamie got situated on his seat and Nathan was beside him.

"Ready?"

"Ready." Jamie tightened his grip on the handlebars and nodded.

Haley had been watching the whole thing from the edge of the driveway and couldn't get over how great Nathan was. He was a natural. It was like he was born to do this.

"Here we go." Nathan looked to his boy and nodded and he started to push Jamie down the street.

"Good job, Jamie. You can do it." Haley was standing off to the side and she was holding her hands up close to her chin.

"Pedal, pedal, pedal!" Nathan watched as Jamie's feet started to rotate and he nodded, "Just tell me when."

Jamie was concentrating on the road in front of him, his feet, and his grip. Everything seemed to be alright so he nodded, "Okay. You can let go."

Nathan eased his hand away from Jamie's seat and watched as his son pedaled away from him. "Yeah, Jamie!" Throwing his hands in the air, Nathan nodded his head.

"I'm doing it!" Jamie could feel the wind against his face and he turned to look over his shoulder back at his parents. "I'm doing it!"

"Face forward!" Both Nathan and Haley shouted towards Jamie with a laugh since they didn't want another accident.

Quickly doing as his parents asked, Jamie looked straight forward and pedaled with as might as he could muster.

Haley walked down the street and wrapped her arm around Nathan when she reached him. "He's doing it."

"Yeah." Nathan laughed and nodded his head, "He's doing it."

They watched as Jamie continued down the street and after Jamie passed a few houses Haley furrowed her brow, "Um...I don't...I don't know if he knows how to turn around."

Noticing that Jamie was still going down the street, Nathan shook his head, "No he doesn't." He laughed and started to run after Jamie. "Jame! Jamie! Slow down, bud." Nathan ran down the street with a smile and caught up to his wide eyed boy. "How about we turn around?"

"How do I do that?" He'd mastered the art of turning with turning wheels but it was a whole different story when they were off. If he leaned just a little to much one way he might smack into the pavement again.

Holding out his hands, Nathan demonstrated what Jamie needed to do, "Turn it _easy_."

Jaime started to turn but his easy was a little too easy. He ended up rolling up in a neighbor's yard and put his feet on the grass. "Um...?"

Nathan laughed as he walked toward his son, "We'll work on that."

"Right." Jamie got off his bike and pushed it back into the street.

Both boys could see Haley waving them forward and Nathan raised his brow, "I'll race you to the spaghetti?"

"It's on!" Jamie narrowed his eyes but then quickly turned back to his father, "But can you give me a push first?"

"A push and a head start." Nathan nodded and started to push Jamie back toward the house. Jamie was off like a ball out of a cannon and Nathan walked slowly behind him. He let Jamie get a good lead and then he started to run.

"I'm winning!" Jamie didn't look behind him but he couldn't hear his father and he couldn't see him.

"Not so fast, Jamie." Nathan sprinted up along his son and shook his head. Jamie started to laugh and pedaled as fast as his little legs could handle. He bounced on his seat when he dipped into the gutter as he pulled into the driveway.

"Whoa, cowboy. Be careful. You don't wanna fall off that horse again."

Jamie managed to stop his bike and turned around to watch his parents walk towards him. "I won, didn't I?"

Nathan bent over like he was exhausted and nodded, "I was no match for you, Jame."

The little boy smiled and ran into the house to where the family of three plus grandma ate their spaghetti with conversation about Jamie's awesome new skills. And over salad and noddles, Haley couldn't decide if Jamie was more proud or Nathan. It was pretty cute listening to them both boast.

"Tomorrow after school you're gonna have to show me how well you can ride, Jamie." Deb picked up her plate and walked toward the kitchen.

"Can't I do it now?"

"It's getting late, baby, and it's dark outside. You don't want to do it now." Haley looked at Jamie and shook her head.

"Aw, okay." Jamie sighed heavily and got out of his chair and carefully walked to the kitchen with his plate.

Nathan got up and walked towards Haley's spot at the table, "Want me to take that?"

"Yeah, sure, thanks."

Nathan walked out of the dining room to the kitchen and while the rest of her family was in the kitchen, Haley went outside.

Deb was putting the last of the plates in the dishwasher and looked toward her grandson, "I think someone needs to get that little boy stink off and wash that red sauce off their face?"

Jamie laughed and looked at his dad. Nathan had a little bit of marina sauce on his chin. Realizing that his son thought his mom was talking about him, Nathan wiped his chin with the back of his hand and rolled his eyes, "She's talking about you, Jamie."

"But you had..." Jamie laughed and pointed to the spot on Nathan's chin.

"But you..." Nathan shook head and leaned down to smell Jamie, "...You have little boy stink. I grew out of that." He made a sour face and laughed.

Deb smiled at the two boys and put her hand on Jamie's shoulder, "Come on, Jamie."

Nathan walked back to the dinning room as his mom and son went upstairs but he stopped when he saw that Haley wasn't still sitting. He heard something outside and opened up the front door. The outside lights lit up the driveway and he could see her rolling Jamie's bike up the driveway. Nathan walked outside and furrowed his brow, "What are you doing out here?"

Haley laughed, "You know me. I'll be in such a rush to get to the high school tomorrow and I knew I'd forget this was out here. I didn't want to run over it."

Just as Haley had, Nathan laughed and nodded, "You would probably do that."

"I know. I figured it would be a safe bet to get this out of the way." She rolled the bike into the grass and decided to sit on it.

Nathan laughed when she sat down, "Kinda small, isn't it?"

Haley extended her legs and nodded, "But it's not half as small with me as it was with you."

"Cause you're short, Hales."

She cut her eyes at him. Yes, obviously. "But you looked pretty good out there teaching Jamie."

"Yeah?" Nathan raised his brows and walked toward her. "Normally I'm not the one who does the tutoring."

Haley bit her lip and smiled when he got closer, "It would have been a disaster if I was the one doing it?"

Nathan laughed because he knew it was true and he leaned down to hold on to the seat.

"Nathan..." She knew that he was about to push her, "...don't." It was no use in asking because he was going to push her anyway. Haley closed her eyes and felt him push the bike forward. She started laughing and held out her legs as she tried to steer the tiny bike. When her momentum stopped she tumpted over and fell on her side with a loud laugh.

"Well that wasn't graceful." Nathan walked to her and laughed.

She was on the grass and looked up to him, "No, it wasn't."

He held out his hand and pulled her up. "How old were you when you learned to ride a bike, anyway?"

"I don't know?" She knew, Haley just didn't want to tell him.

"Ten?"

"No." She looked at him and shook her head."

"Twelve?"

Haley crossed her arms, "...maybe."

"Haley..." Nathan laughed and looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "Really?"

"What?" She shook her head and laughed, "Taylor told me that you had to wait to get a license to ride a bike."

"And you believed her?" Nathan couldn't help but laugh again.

"Well..." Haley shrugged, "It was Taylor."

Nathan arched his brow and shook his head, "And let me guess. You studied for the bicycle test, didn't you? 'Cause Taylor probably said there was a test, too, huh?"

"I would have aced it." Haley looked up to Nathan with a confident look, "I would have."

"You're such a dork." Nathan stepped closer to her and wrapped his hands around her back.

Haley felt her heart begin to swell and she could tell through the summer darkness that his stare was burning through her core. Haley rested her hands on his sides and shrugged, "But I'm your dork."

Nathan nodded and leaned down to kiss her.

It wouldn't matter how old they were, where they were in their lives, or what they were doing because that would always be the case. If for always and it was forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. How was that? Since I stayed up writing and not studying I'm blaming you all for my bad grade. No, I'm kidding.**

**My reviewers are the best best reviewers in the world. The reason I'll get over a bad grade on a mid term, lol. Thank you for the continued support!**

**Tasha, Hadley, Laura, C, LauraLynn3, Katie, Melissa, Serah, Emily, Caroline, Mackenzie, Sophia, Nancy, Megan, Anna, and Lindy; thank you all for your reviews!**

**2old4oth****: No, I have not written a chapter that goes into the fact that Jamie hurt his knee in high school. He does mention it in LFLS but I've yet to really go into detail on that. I may end up touching on it in a future chapter.**

**KC****: Yeah, I remembered that you liked chapters set during college, and I agree, it's nice to read about the small moments over the big one. Although, the big ones are fun to write to throw in some drama and mix it up.**

**FromBelgium****: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad to see you are still reading the story! I'm happy you enjoyed the missing milestones from last chapter.**

**Emma****: Ha, yeah, Naley could have been epic during those four years they skipped but the problem there is the could have been. I kind feel like Naley could have been epic in season 8...but that's not happening, lol. Maybe I'll find another chapter I can set during the college years.**

**Mazzy****: Haha, cute that your mom had you and your brothers crawling when your sister was learning how to crawl. I'm glad you could find some way to relate to the story!**

**Anon****: Well thank you for reviewing last chapter and finding the time to lay down your verdict about me stopping at 85. I guess everyone can thank the show for me continuing because you're right, where would we get our NH fix?**

**Ashley****: I will probably do a chapter surrounding the time Charlotte learns how to walk. If you've been a diligent reader we already know a few details about that day but I may extend it further.**

**Review Please!**


	86. You're My Team

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 86: You're My Team**

**Disclaimer: I have absolutely no affiliation with OTH. I write because I enjoy it. The show's characters are obviously not mine.**

**A/N: Since OTH is on break for a while I figured I might give all of us Naley fans a little boost. It's gonna drag out to be a long hiatus and as long as school doesn't smother me I'm hoping to update so y'all can get your Nathan and Haley fix. This one is well into the future but it's a prominent milestone for Nathan that's worth celebrating. All of the core five (plus some) are in this one. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was sitting behind Peyton's desk at Tric and was listening to Brooke yap through the phone. Most people grew out of habits with age but Brooke wasn't going to loose her chatty mouth no matter how old they were. Even at fifty five, almost everyone was still the same person they'd been when they were roaming the halls of Tree Hill High. Mostly.

Lucas had gotten glasses but he still had that same squint. Nathan's hair was speckled with salt and pepper but if you asked Haley she thought he was still as handsome as ever. Brooke's hands were in the beginning stages of arthritis, and it was getting a little bit harder to pull that needle and thread from time to time but she wasn't showing signs of slowing down. Haley had had a cancer scare just a few years ago. The reminder of that ordeal was a three inch scar on her neck but it turned out that she'd been just fine. She was getting one of those streaks though, too. The one that framed her face. Her hair was getting lighter it it wasn't because she was turning blonde. Peyton's years of raising her brows lined her forehead and she'd acquired even more sass with her wrinkles. Imagine that.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he doesn't know." Haley leaned back in the chair and nodded, "The University sent out a mass email encouraging the students to come out and support the team, but I don't think he has any idea about the achievement award."

"I'm bringing extra tissue." Brooke laughed into her phone as she looked around Clothes Over Bro's and landed her eyes on Haley's dress. "Maybe I should bring you a to-go pack when I come by with your dress?"

Haley closed her eyes and laughed, "Probably."

"Well if we stay on the phone any longer then I won't leave the store and you won't get the dress."

Laughing at Brooke, Haley nodded, "Alright, I'll see you in a little while." The two old friends said their goodbyes and Haley put the phone down.

Peyton was had been sitting on the floor looking for something on the bottom shelf and sighed, "I don't know where she put it, and I don't know where she went." Rolling her eyes, Peyton started to get up and laughed at herself, "Help an old lady get up, would ya?"

Haley spun the chair around and laughed at Peyton. She got up and walked over to her friend, "If you were Sawyer where would have have put the mail?"

Giving Haley a smirk, Peyton used Haley's hand to get up and looked at her friend, "Have you met my daughter? " She laughed and shrugged, "Anywhere. She probably stuck it in some tiny little hole."

The clomp of boots echoed off the hardwood and Haley saw her niece walk toward the two older women. She was about to ask about the mail but Sawyer's pale face changed her mind. "You okay?"

Sawyer sat down at her desk and rested her head on the paperwork in front of her, "Ugh, just F.Y.I. That new sushi place sucks. We tried it last night and I'm _never_ going back."

Haley looked at Peyton and then looked back to Sawyer. Was the younger blonde really complaining about sushi or was it something else?

Peyton walked toward Sawyer and smacked her hand against her forehead testing her daughter's temperature, "Where's the mail?" It wasn't that Peyton was being unsympathetic, but she'd never really liked sushi. Why Sawyer and her boyfriend would go there was beyond her.

The thirty two year old swatted her mom's hand away from her face "I'm fine. I'm fine." She didn't want to be babied, but Sawyer wasn't a mom, she didn't understand that it's just what moms did. They had to make sure their kids were okay. "Here. It was right here." Holding out the mail, Sawyer handed her mom the envelops and suddenly felt another hand on her forehead, "Aunt Haley! I'm fine."

Haley couldn't help it, "Just making sure." If it had been Charlotte or Jamie she would have done the same thing. And while she was interested in Sawyer's well being she was also killing time. Killing time because if she went home she'd spoil the surprise.

Tonight was a big night for the Scotts. UNCW was playing Charleston Southern and if the Seahawks came out on top, the game would give Nathan his four hundred and fiftieth win as the head coach. He'd been on the sidelines for the last twenty years and four hundred and fifty wins was a huge number. An incredible number that was worth celebrating. And that's exactly what they were doing. They, being the students, fans, players, alumni, and most importantly his family. Before the whistle blew and the scoreboard started running, Nathan was going to be given an achievement award. A thank you for all he'd done with the program. He wasn't retiring, in fact he'd probably coach as long as his body let him, but for his hard work and dedication, the University was giving back to the man who'd helped turn their program into conference winning success.

"Hi!" Brooke's voice rang out as she smiled at the three women, "Look what I have". Holding out the hanging bag, Brooke nodded at them.

"Ooh, is that for me?" It was a rhetorical question but Haley was gonna get a response.

Peyton put her hand son her hips, "Well it's not for me."

Haley turned around to laugh at Peyton and took the bag from her, "Thanks so much, Brooke."

"I'll see you guys tonight."

"Wait, you're leaving? I just got here." Brooke pouted and furrowed her brow.

"I've got to _do_ something. I'm going stir crazy hanging out here."

Brooke's shoulders hung a little lower than normal, "Oh, well, we'll see you tonight then."

Haley nodded and walked away from the studio. She could have stayed and talked with her friends but Haley was starting to get a little anxious. But it was an excited anxious.

When she walked outside, the early March breezed kissed her cheek and she walked down the iron steps towards her car. She wasn't sure if Nathan was home yet and instead of running the risk of seeing him before he went to campus, Haley figured she could kill some time at the grocery store. She didn't need anything but why not look around when there was nothing better to do?

After she'd roamed the aisle and ran into a neighbor, Haley was leaving the grocery store headed home. She pulled out of the parking lot and she decided to take the long route and drive through the residential neighborhoods. Funny thing though, when she'd stopped at a stop sign she recognized the white Audi wagon on the other side of the road. Haley drove through the intersection and rolled down her widow.

Charlotte's head appeared when her window came down and she smiled at her mom. "Hi." Her soft voice was in a whisper because her kids were asleep in the back. Haley tried to look through the window but she didn't have the right angle and Charlotte laughed as she looked to the backseat. "I was trying to get him down for a nap and they both fell asleep."

Haley smiled sweetly and nodded, "Works every time."

Her second grandson was almost two and the little girl who looked just like Charlotte was a couple months away from turning four. The thirty year old looked at her mom and smiled, "So what are you doing?"

"Just driving around." Haley laughed and shook her head, "Your dad's probably already at the gym but I didn't want to have to run into him when I got home."

"And spill the beans?"

Haley laughed again and nodded, "You know me. I can't keep anything from him."

Charlotte did know. But it wasn't all her mom's fault. Her dad knew every tell her mom had. The flush cheeks, the bit lip, the way she'd rub her thumb on her nails when she got nervous, the way she'd spin her wedding ring; Nathan Scott knew Haley James to a tee.

A car came up behind Charlotte's and she winced, "Before they start honking..." She looked in her rear-view mirror and tried to see if the person behind her had their hand on the horn. "I'll see you later." Charlotte stuck her hand out the window and waved at her mother as she drove away. The thirty year old glanced back at her children and instead of driving around maybe Charlotte would go see a familiar face? Haley wasn't good at keeping things from Nathan but Charlotte knew she could handle it, so she drove toward Trask Coliseum.

Inside that arena, Nathan was tapping his pen against his playbook mentally imagining the game that would take place later that night. He was pretty sure that they'd start with man on man and break into a zone defense if they needed to. He wasn't nervous about the game but he always got a little antsy before taking the court. The hours beforehand always lasted longer than normal and he wanted to suit up and get on the floor.

Eyeing the ball on the chair in front of his desk, Nathan got up and walked over to pick it up. The leather felt cool against his fingertips and he spun the ball between his hands as he walked toward through the tunnel to the open court. When his feet hit the hardwood he bounced the ball and the echo was one of his favorite sounds. The rhythmic beat continued until Nathan walked to the free throw line and took a deep breath. He didn't know how many shots he'd taken in his life but he guessed it was somewhere around 50,000.

Nathan dribbled twice and looked at the square behind the goal before he arched his shot and held his follow through. Swish. Nothing but net. He still had it. Nathan smiled at himself and went to retrieve the ball to shoot again. This time he looked around the gym and bounced the ball a few times before taking aim. Instead of looking directly ahead, Nathan turned to look toward the stands and shot without looking. The ball sailed through the air and Nathan's blue eyes watched it fly towards the goal. It bounced on the left side of the rim, hit the backboard, but rolled off the right side. Somethings didn't last forever.

"Grandpa!" Little feet danced across the court and Nathan turned over his shoulder and saw a tiny little brunette run towards him.

"Hey." Nathan scooped up the little girl and saw eyes that came from Haley. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Charlotte's daughter was in the phase where she repeated everything anyone said.

Charlotte was pushing a stroller onto the court and laughed at her almost four year old. "Hi, Dad."

"Hey." Nathan watched his youngest push her youngest toward him. "He asleep?"

"Yeah." Charlotte got closer to her father and stopped pushing the stroller. She leaned down and used the back of her hand to run her fingers over the toddler's brown hair. "He was struggling to take his morning nap at home so we got in the car to drive around." Charlotte looked at the brown eyed girl in her father's arms and smiled, "Miss "I'm too old to nap in the car" fell asleep too. She woke right up when I started heading here, though."

Even though the game wasn't until later that evening, Charlotte had decided to drop in on her father just to check in. She was already out of the house with the children in tow, so she figured a spontaneous visit would be nice. It was also something fun for the kids. That one that was awake, at least.

"Your basketball game's tonight."

Nathan looked at the girl and raised his brow, "Are you coming to watch?"

The little girl nodded, "Can I play?"

Charlotte laughed out loud at the little girl, "When you're bigger, kiddo."

Setting down his granddaughter, Nathan watched her run after the ball and she started slapping it around. She was still little and didn't understand that it was all in the fingertips but she was cute with her ways.

"I think someone needs some lessons at the Rivercourt."

Nathan looked at his daughter and nodded. "I think I can handle that." He'd given Haley pointers about free throws there, and taught Charlotte how to do a lay-up there. Teaching the third generation of his girls wouldn't be a problem. And actually, helping Haley and Charlotte understand the game he loved most certainly contributed to his coaching skills. He hadn't won as many games as he had because he used to play in the NBA. He hadn't won all those games because of his talent. He won all of those games because of his family. Nathan watched as the almost four year old little girl bounced the ball laughing. The image gave him the evidence of an absolute truth; he'd won those games because of them, all of them.

**OTHOTH**

The morning changed to afternoon and the afternoon was quickly coming to a close. Haley was on her way to the arena and she looked out her window as she stopped at a red light and started to smile. She'd driven past Tree Hill High and knew that his number was hanging in that gym; now Nathan was making waves on another court.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that she'd watched him play. He was a rock star out there and Masonboro was at his mercy. The way he exerted confidence, the way his eyes fell on every inch of the court, and the way he could read the game was unlike anything she'd seen. Haley understood math and Nathan understood basketball. Break it down and they were both sciences of variables leading to a solution. Solving and answering and banking a shot off the backboard weren't as different and most people thought.

Haley accelerated when the light changed and she drove toward the court ready to cheer for her husband's team. For thirty nine years Haley had consistently been by his side and she wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. If they were eighty and he was still coaching she'd be in the stands, if he was using a cane by then she'd be the one to pick it up when he dropped it. That was how it worked. It was how they worked.

Pulling into the parking lot, Haley spotted a few familiar cars and started walking toward the arena. When she got inside she saw Charlotte standing next to an empty stroller. "Hey." Haley greeted her daughter and looked around, "Where the kids?"

"With Graham. He said something about popcorn and they both gave him the 'Dad, we know you can't say know to this face', look.

Haley laughed because it didn't seem like that long ago when Jamie and Charlotte were pulling the same tricks.

While Charlotte and Haley talked a little bit they saw a family of four walk toward them. Headed by a thirty seven year old with blue eyes and his father's smirk, the foursome made their way towards the mom and daughter duo.

"Hi, Grandma."

"Hi, Claire Bear." Haley hugged her seven year old granddaughter and smiled, "I like your dress."

Looking down at her Seahawk green dress, the second grader smiled, "Thank you. Yours is pretty too." Haley wasn't wearing Seahawk green but her dress did have a little bit of green on it. Somewhat of a tradition, you could say.

Jaime walked up to his sister and he hugged her, "How's it going?"

"Pretty good." Charlotte laughed and rested her hands on her stomach, "Four months into baby number three and I'm pretty good." She smiled at him and looked at the paper in his hands, "How are you doing? Are you nervous?" There was a podium set up at center court and Charlotte knew Jamie would be behind it soon enough.

Jamie looked at the speech in his hands and shook his head. Liza leaned into her husband and smiled, "I've listened to him practice for the last week. He's gonna do great."

"What about you, Bennet?" Charlotte looked at her thirteen year old nephew with a smile, "You've got a thing with speeches. I'm pretty sure you won everyone's hearts at my wedding."

Bennet shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head, "Nah, Dad's got it handled. I just wanna see Grandpa get his win. He deserves it."

Haley checked her watch and knew that she should go towards the locker room soon because Nathan would be coming out soon. "We should head that way."

Liza handed Claire the poster they'd made and the group made their way towards Nathan's office. Graham was making his way through the crowd with the kids and he met up with everyone as they walked to the locker room.

Nathan was speaking with the team before they took to the court and his family could hear them through the doors. All the guys huddled together and put their hands together before they took to the court. The young college players and assistant coaches came through the door and Nathan brought up the rear just a minute later. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt, and navy tie. He had a clipboard in his hands and he stopped in his tracks when he saw nine people waiting for him in the tunnel.

Haley was standing in between Jamie and Charlotte and he started to smile with a little bit of bewilderment and deja vu, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to wish you luck." Haley smiled at her husband and then turned to look at the people behind her.

Claire held out the poster that said _Coach Scott is my Grandpa_. "We love you."

Nathan subconsciously knew that his four-hundred and fiftieth win was close but he wasn't the kind to worry about individual numbers. He was a team player, and the nine people in front of her were his team. He walked up to Charlotte and gave his daughter a hug.

"Good luck, Dad."

Nathan nodded after he broke away from Charlotte and shook Graham's hand as little arms wrapped around his leg. Those brown eyes that matched Charlotte and Haley's stared up to him and she smiled, "Win tonight."

Nathan smiled at the little girl, "We're gonna try." He walked over to Jamie and shook his son's hand, "Thanks, Jame." Jamie hadn't said anything but he didn't need to. Liza hugged her father in law and then Nathan hugged another young girl before approaching his oldest grandchild.

Bennet looked at Nathan with blue eyes and smiled, "The Buccaneers don't stand a chance." The teenager extended his hand but Nathan wasn't gonna settle with a hand shake. Hugging his grandson, Nathan started to feel a little emotional when he looked down the line of people supporting him. And the ones under the tunnel weren't the only people there. Lucas and Peyton, Brooke and Julian, Skills; _everyone _was there.

Nathan walked a few steps toward Haley and the younger members of his family left them alone while the couple spent a few minutes together.

"Congratulations on twenty years. And on the six hundred plus games you've coached." Haley smiled and pulled herself closer to him as she tugged on his jacket.

"Thank you." Nathan nodded and leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"You're gonna get that win tonight."

The way she'd said it made him feel even more confident. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, "I love you."

Haley kissed his neck and nodded, "I love you too."

They stood their for a little while wrapped in each other's warm embrace and neither of them could count the times they'd done this. Between high school, college, The Bobcats and coaching, Nathan and Haley had been bound by basketball and bound by love.

"Ladies and Gentlemen..."

Haley heard the announcer and she started to walk to the court and reached for Nathan's hand, "Come on."

"...please get to your feet as we welcome Coach Nathan Scott onto the court."

An eruption of cheers echoed through the building and Nathan hadn't realized that the cheers were for him. Haley was leading him onto the hardwood and she smiled back at him, "That's for you, Coach Scott."

Nathan looked around the the cheering students and saw that Jamie and the UNCW athletic director were standing at center court. Charlotte, Graham, Liza and the kids were standing just off to the side and applauded with everyone else as they walked across the floor.

The athletic directed nodded at Nathan and then smiled as he spoke, "Tonight we're honoring Coach Nathan Scott with an achievement award, thanking him for his twenty years with the program." The cheers echoed louder than before and Nathan felt himself get the chills. "Twenty years ago UNCW was fortunate enough to have good timing. After ending a miraculous run with the Charlotte Bobcats, we were grateful for Coach Scott to land on our doorstep. Before we honor our coach I want to introduce you to James Scott. He's going to say a few words."

Jamie had been writing for _Sports Illustrated_ for a while now so describing the tremendous story of Nathan's Scott journey in basketball wasn't going to be hard. Talking about it was another story. Swallowing his nerves as six thousand fans looked at him. He glanced around and then looked at his father. He leaned closer to the mic and started to talk out his latest article, "The University of North Carolina Wilmington found a heart and a spirit unlike any other when they hired a former NBA star. They were a program who was struggling to find themselves. But you wouldn't know it now. Now if you looked around Trask Coliseum you'd see pennants lining the rafters and more than a few conference trophies. A hometown hero rose to the ranks and took the Seahawks under his wing. Nathan Scott grew up just miles away from campus. For the students, fans, alumni, and players, Coach Scott is a true hometown hero. It wasn't always easy, though. His first year he only won seven games, but it was his determination and dedication that gave the University Eleven CAA conference championships, and three appearances in the final four." The crowd cheered loudly and Jamie smiled. "The little engine that could never stopped and UNCW became a powerhouse. Now on the brink of four hundred and fifty career wins, Coach Scott is about to close out his second decade with the team. And as a fan, as a admirer, and as your son...I want to thank you." Jamie turned to his father and nodded. He looked across the crowd of Seahawk fans and spoke up, "They want to thank you."

Charlotte could feel the floor vibrate when the fans broke out into an uproar of cheers and she felt a tear slide down her cheek. It didn't help that she was hormonal but knowing that so many people loved and respected her dad was incredibly overwhelming.

Haley was in the same boat Charlotte was in because she'd just snatched a tear off her cheek when Nathan turned to look at her. She gave his hand a slight squeeze and got on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, "I love you." Her feet went flat against the floor and she tilted her head toward the podium.

The athletic director had a crystal award in his hands and he stepped up to the mic when Nathan walked up to him. "Coach Scott, on behalf of the University and this community I'd like to give you this as a token of our appreciation. You've been an incredible asset here in Wilmington and we thank you so much for everything you've done."

Nathan shook the athletic directors hand and humbly accepted the award. "Thank you." Nathan looked around to the smiling fans and smiled, "Thank you." The noise died down and Nathan knew he needed to say a few words. "Basketball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I never wanted to quit and when it was time to stop playing I was lucky enough to have a family who supported my decision to start coaching. Twenty years ago I came here not know what to expect and ended up learning everything I needed to know. The players, the staff; everyone here has been an excellent support system over the years. I'd like to thank all the fans for coming out and watching the games, cheering for our guys and showing up each night with more passion than I've ever seen. I want to thank everyone who played a part in hiring me." Nathan laughed and smiled, "I want to thank the athletic board for approving my position when I didn't have any coaching experience. I want to thank them for taking a chance. And most importantly, I want to thank my family." Nathan looked at Jamie since he was closest, then Charlotte, and his eyes landed on Haley's next. "I couldn't have done any of this without their encouragement and inspiration. I love you, all of you, and this is for you." Nathan saw Haley wipe away a tear and then addressed the students, "Now how about some basketball?"

The coliseum started to get intensely loud and Nathan flashed everyone his trademark smirk and waved before he walked away from the microphone.

Haley could feel her heart swelling as he walked her way and she smiled, "I think they're ready for a game?" She laughed at herself and blinked away her happy tears.

Nathan stood in front of Haley and saw the same sixteen year old he'd fallen in love with forever ago. "Thank you." He wasn't playing around and he wasn't responding her her question. He was sincerely thanking her. Nothing in particular, but her company was simple enough.

Haley looked up to him catching his seriousness and furrowed her brow, "You don't need to thank me. I'll suppo..."

"I wanted to." Nathan nodded and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Haley was thrown back in time and sighed as he smiled and walked away. He still made her heart race and he made her feel like they were teenagers. And they had time to keep doing things like that, they had a lifetime.

**OTHOTH**

The second half ended and without much surprise Nathan clinched his four-hundred and fiftieth win. He met up with Haley after the game and she told him that everyone was going back to their house for congratulatory cocktails. That was more than fine with him but he wanted to stop somewhere before he headed home.

It was cool and dark outside when he turned off his car but he'd been enough times to find his way. Nathan got out of the car and the moon lit his way as he passed headstones marked with peoples' names who'd lived a life well spent. The spot he was looking for was relatively close to Peyton's mom and dad. When he approached his destination he silently read the engraving on the stone, _Brian "Whitey" Durham_.

Nathan shoved his hands in his pockets and he smiled thinking of the old man who was more of a father figure than Dan ever was. "You'll never guess what happened tonight." Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Four hundred and fifty wins as the head coach for the Seahawks. Pretty crazy, right?" Knowing he wasn't getting a response, Nathan nodded, "You should have seen it. The crowd, the players, it kinda reminded me of our championship game. Jamie was there." Nathan laughed because his son had been at that game thirty seven and a half years ago and he was at the one tonight. "He's writing for Sports Illustrated, did I tell you that? I might have told you that last time." Nathan couldn't remember if he'd talked about that last time he visited and he smiled, "And Charlotte, she's pregnant with her third. I think she and Graham are actively trying to have a basketball team of their own." Nathan laughed and then looked at the stone next to Whitey's and took a deep breath, "Haley's doing well." Nathan got quiet for a moment and started to smile as he jingled his hands in his pocket, "I was practicing my free throws today. You always did want us to practice those." Nathan smiled and saw headlights illuminate the cold cemetery.

A door door shut and the shadowy figure made his way toward Nathan. "He'd be proud of you."

Nathan looked at his brother and smiled. "I was telling him about the game."

Lucas walked over to Whitey's head stone and rubbed his hand over the top of it. "Sometimes I think if he hadn't gotten me on the team in high school we wouldn't have ended up with the lives we have now." Lucas looked up into the sky and shrugged, "If he left me on the Rivercourt you may have gotten somebody other than Haley to tutor you."

Nathan let out a laugh, "I think I would have blown through all of the tutors until I got to her." He knew he would have found his way to her somehow. Nathan looked to his brother and then to their cars, "I guess there are people waiting on me to get back, huh?"

Squinting his eyes, Lucas nodded, "Haley said to take your time, but the kids won't last much longer."

Lucas knew that having grand kids meant that there was an understood curfew. He and Peyton had one, and when they'd keep him for the night bedtime was always a little early.

With a proud pat to Nathan's shoulder, Lucas walked away and headed toward his car. Nathan took a deep breath and rested his hand on the cool stone. He didn't need to say his goodbyes because he'd be back, but he did anyway.

"See you later, Coach."

The next big thing in Nathan's life would happen at some point and he'd want to share it with Whitey whenever the time came. Until then, Nathan would think about Whitey and hope he could be half the man his coach had been.

The two brothers made their back to Nathan and Haley's house. The younger of the two walked in first and saw his friends and family.

"Grandpa, you won, you won!" Charlotte's oldest ran up to Nathan and gave him a big hug.

Nathan nodded and smiled, "I did. We won." He started to tickle the little girl's sides and she ran towards her dad laughing.

"Whoda thought that outta all us, Nathan woulda turned out to be the one who ended up winning more games than Luke? Skills raised his glass and laughed, "I did."

The room laughed and Lucas squinted his eyes, "H..hey."

For the next hour or so the group mingled and chit-chatted. Charlotte and her family ended up leaving first but with two young kids and baby on the way, nine o'clock was later than late. Sawyer and Bennet were challenging each other in a game of Wii bowling for old time's sakes and the twelve year old was kicking Sawyer's butt.

Julian walked around with a camera and when he settled on Nathan he cleared his throat, "Man of the night, coach of the year. What do you have to say about all of this, Nathan?"

Looking into the camera, Nathan tried to find the words and he saw Haley out of the corner of his eye, "It was a team effort." Nathan put down his drink and got up off the couch, "And I'm not talking about the players" His smirk slipped across his lips as he glanced back towards Haley. "Excuse me."

Julian watched Nathan walk over toward the kitchen and he kept the camera stuck on the couple who'd been married almost forty years.

"Hey."

Haley dropped a few things off in the trashcan and smiled at him, "Hey."

"You know what I was thinking?"

She walked up close to him and shook her head, "What?"

"I couldn't have done any of this without you." Nathan slipped his hands around her waist and nodded, "I wouldn't have _wanted _to do any of this without you."

"Nathan, you don't..."

"And I'm not talking about the game. I'm talking about this." Nathan looked around the kitchen and to their friends and family still gathered around their house. "You gave me all this."

Haley smiled at him but shook her head, "We're a team. We did this together."

Nathan took in her words and let them sink in. She'd said something similar before and as he concentrated on her eyes, the madness of a full house circled around them with little effect. They were in it together. Even after thirty nine years, it was always and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**So I took a bit of a chance making everyone old than before. Good thing or bad? I really liked the fact that Nathan went to visit Whitey which was probably my favorite part of the chapter so hopefully those of you who were ever a fan of the old guy enjoyed that. And as I've said before when I have chapters set far into the future, Charlotte's kids names will be addressed in her story. And the wait won't be much longer.**

**My reviewers continue to inspire me to write. Thank you so much for the feedback!**

**C: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and thanks for the well wishes about my exam. It did go well, so yay for that.**

**KC: Having the last chapter fit perfectly in season 5 was something I was going for so thank you very much for the compliment. I only wish we could have gotten to see something like Jamie learning to ride his bike, but oh well.**

**blackjack: I'm so happy you liked the last chapter and the Nathan and Haley interaction in the end.**

**Katie: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I like the early years so. Last chapter's time frame is one of my favorite to write either of the kids.**

**Joan: Thanks so much for all the great compliments. I'm so happy that you liked the NJ and the HJ last chapter. Taylor is always a comedic crutch I can lean on from time to time and I'm glad you liked that I mentioned her**

**BDavis: It's so great to read that you thought I captured Nathan really well last chapter. I'm also happy to know that you like the way I end the chapters. Admittedly they can get super cheesy but hey, it's Naley, they can be a little cheese-tastical.**

**Megan: Wow, so cool to know you read all the chapters in just a few hours. That's some serious reading. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to like it.**

**Chantelle: Ha, well I'll take it as a very large compliment that you check my page to see if I've updated anything. I try and keep my profile updates pretty frequently and they'll often let you know what the chance I can update something is/will be. Thank you for taking the time to review when you normally don't. That's always great to read. Someone who decides to drop a line and give me feedback is always, always appreciated. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story and the spin offs you've read.**

**Hadley: I wanted to see something like Jamie riding his bike on the show too, so I'm happy I could fill that void with a chapter about it. I'm glad you liked it.**

**Laura: Yes, the part when Haley's talking or thinking about Nathan helping her feel comfortable in her own skin was reminiscent of season 4. I'm huge on throwbacks, so any reference, line, anything that I can stick in a chapter to help cohesively tie it to the show...I'll do. I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

**FromBelgium: I think you're right, I bet learning how to ride a bike is pretty much the same all over the place. I take is as a great compliment that you'll be thinking of the baby as Charlotte no matter what they end up naming her on the show. Oh and no worries about your rant about the name. I am all about ranting, lol. Check my profile after an episode airs and I'm sure there will be something rant-ish up there.**

**_Please Review_**


	87. Step by Step

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 87: Step by Step**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to OTH. Zilch, nada, nuttin'.  
**

**A/N: Hey, guys. I hope all is going well. This new chapter is for those of you who like to read about young Charlotte. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Three pair of eyes, one brown and two blue were staring at a ten month old Charlotte. The little girl was clutching the side of the coffee table and she was about to walk towards the three people calling her name. It was a little confusing because Charlotte didn't know who to go to but she knew she wanted to get to them.

"Charlotte, come here. Come on." Nathan had his hands out and was nodding at his little girl hoping she would take her first step while he was home. It was mid April and the season was nearly over but Charlotte's little feet were wanting to move faster. Nathan had two games left, one in North Carolina and one in Atlanta. If Charlotte could only hold off another week then he'd be able to be home and watch everything unfold, but there was no telling when her first steps would come.

Haley was sitting next to Nathan and put her hand on his forearm when Charlotte let go of the table. It looked like their youngest was going to take her first steps.

"She's gonna do it!" Jamie watched as his baby sister stood by herself in front of them and he smiled toward his parents.

Charlotte could see everyone's smiles but her knees were starting to wobble. Before she knew it her bottom hit the floor.

"Oh, Almost." Haley laughed and scooted over to Charlotte and put the baby in her lap. "You were so close, Charlotte." Dipping her head to the little girl's face, Haley blew a raspberry on Charlotte's cheek, "We've got to get this before Daddy goes out of town."

Laughing, Charlotte looked over to her father and flapped her hands while mumbling something in her baby scwabble. Haley got Charlotte on her feet and was lightly holding her hips. "Go get 'em. Get Daddy and Jamie."

The close-to-eight year old was next to his father and encouraged his little sister. Nathan had his eyes on Charlotte and nodded at Haley so she could take her hands away.

"Ball's in your court, Char. Whatcha gonna do?" Nathan smiled at his girl and watched as she leaned forward. He saw Haley reach out to steady Charlotte but Nathan shook his head, "Hold on, Hales. Let's see if she can get it."

It was hard not to make sure her youngest didn't go face first into the floor but she knew it was best. Charlotte couldn't have someone holding her hand, or her hips, the whole way through. Haley lowered her hands and watched Charlotte in front of her.

"Charlotte, look. Look what I've got." Jamie held out his little sister's most favorite blanket and shook it. "Come get it."

Haley laughed and shook her head, "She's not a dog, Jamie."

"I know."

Nathan shook his head with humor and looked to his daughter, "Come on, Charlotte. You can do it." He held his hands out and nodded, "It's just a couple steps."

Responding to her father, Charlotte thought she was doing what she was supposed to, but instead of lifting her foot she didn't and her momentum carried her forward. Falling with her hands out, the ten month old caught herself but her head acted like an anchor and her forehead smacked against the floor.

"Ouch." Jamie rubbed his head because it had looked like it hurt.

Nathan leaned over toward the fallen child and scooped her up, "Not today, huh?"

Haley got up from the floor and shook her head, "She might have my coordination. Sorry." She winced and then laughed at herself.

Looking at the older pair of brown eyes and then into the young, Nathan shrugged, "Are you gonna be a klutz, Charlotte?" It wouldn't matter if she fell over her feet or became a star athlete, that girl was already so tightly wrapped around his finger that it didn't matter. The little girl startled wiggling around and Nathan laughed, "Here." He handed Charlotte to Haley and headed upstairs, "I gotta finish packing."

"I'll help!" Jamie walked behind his dad and the two boys walked upstairs while the girls stayed downstairs.

Nathan's bag was already on the bed and most of what he needed was already folded and put away. There were just a few things he needed to get.

Jamie got up on the bed and watched his dad walk to the dresser. "Can I go with you?"

It stung Nathan to say no but he had to so he shook his head, "You've got school, Jamie."

"But I would _only_ miss two days. Three max"

"It's still _two_ days, bud." Grabbing some socks Nathan shot them into his bag and shook his head, "I won't be gone long."

"I know but it's _Atlanta_. I wanna see you take on the Hawks." The Charlotte vs Atlanta games were always good ones. There was a fierce rivalry between the two and if Jamie wanted to see his dad soar, that was the game to watch. Jamie sat up on the bed and smiled, "Seven seconds to go. Charlotte's down by two, Scott's dribbling it up the court. The Hawks are giving him pressure from the wing. He's drives into the paint, kicks it out to Ray. Felton shoots a long three...Bobcats win!" Jamie had his hands in the air and looked at his dad with a smile, "Are you sure I can't go?"

That sting he was feeling got a little more severe but Nathan had to grin and bare it. "I'll tell you what." He walked over to the bed and sat down, "Next season when we play the Hawks on a weekend you and your mom and Charlotte can all come."

"We can?"

Nathan nodded. His family had gone to Charlotte as much as they could this season but of the games they'd seen, Atlanta was never the opponent.

"Sweet!" Jamie rolled over on the bed and started to stand up. He was so happy about something that was pretty far into the future, but didn't care. Jamie wanted to jump out his excitement. Literally.

Feeling the bed bounce under him, Nathan turned around and shook his head at his seven year old, "If you break this box spring your mom's gonna make _me_ sleep on the floor."

"You're right about that." Haley walked into the bedroom with Charlotte on her hip and looked at her son. She also glanced at her husband with a shake of her head and a laugh.

Quickly landing on his butt, Jamie smiled at his mom and then looked at his dad. "Dad said if he plays Atlanta next season on the weekend we can go watch."

Nathan turned to Haley, "As long as it's okay with you. I don't want to..."

"Of course it is..." Haley could see in his eyes that he was worried it wasn't going to sit well with her so she cut him off. "We'll watch you play whenever we can." She put Charlotte on the bed and sat next to her husband. "Atlanta, Chicago, Boston..." Haley shrugged and her brown eyes landed on his blues, "Doesn't matter who you play."

"But _Atlanta_ and Charlotte are the best games." Jamie had to throw in his two cents.

Haley laughed and looked over to her son, "They're _all_ good games, Jamie." She nodded over to the boy and smiled. She would know. She'd been watching him play the longest. He didn't have a bad game in him. Sure, there were times where he didn't score a whole lot and maybe he didn't always win but there was nothing like watching Nathan play.

Nathan glanced at Haley and smiled. He never had a bad game when she was watching. It wouldn't matter if she was in the stands or back at home watching on television. Knowing she was cheering him on was the reason he'd made it this far.

"Lololola." Charlotte started to roll her tongue around as if she wanted to say something.

Nathan leaned back on the bed and moved his head so he could see Charlotte crawling over the comforter his way. "What are you trying to say, Charlotte? You want to watch an L.A. game next season?" He knew that she wasn't exactly trying to get that across but Nathan was happy to include his daughter in the conversation. When Charlotte made her way over to her father she grabbed a handful of his hair and started to pull. "Ow...Charlotte."

"Ah...!" Jamie decided it was the perfect opportunity to jump on his father so both Jamie and Charlotte were double teaming him.

"Ugh!" Nathan breathlessly laughed when Jamie's chest landed on his ribs and he laughed, "Hales...a little help"

Haley looked at her children and husband, and simply smiled. "Don't look at me. You got yourself into this. They're your kids."

"My kids? They're _yours_." Nathan laughed while Charlotte pressed her open mouth against his shoulder. She was probably going to leave a nice wet spot on his shirt.

Jamie had moved around so he was sitting on his dad's stomach, "We're _both_ of your kids."

"You are?" Nathan was kidding and grabbed Jamie's sides and started to shake him so the boy started to laugh.

Jamie nodded between laughs, "You're Nathan Royal Sc...ott" Jamie laughed and leaned over close to his father's chest, "You are...are the all time leading scorer at Tree Hill. In high school you married Mom and had me, James...James Lucas Scott." Nathan tickled Jamie and he laughed even louder, "Lucas is your brother's name. You played for Gilmore, Maryland..." Jamie laughed again and closed his eyes, "The Slashers, Charleston, and now the...Bo..Bobcats. Charlotte's my little sister and you're our dad."

Nathan stopped tickling Jamie and felt Charlotte's fine hair against his cheek and put his hands behind his head, "Well when you put it that way."

Haley watched as Jamie fell off his father into the pillows and then looked at Nathan. Every moment, every instance she saw him with their children like this her heart melted. It was a wonder she had any semblance of a heart left after all their years together. It was easy to say that Nathan was a good basketball player but he was an ever better husband and father. Her heart may have melted away but it wasn't gone. Nathan had it. He would always have it.

Charlotte was crawling around the bed and pressed her head against Nathan's cheek.

"And you...?" Nathan picked up Charlotte so she was on his chest. The brown eyes that he'd woken up next to for the last ten years looked back to him and he smiled, "You be good for your mom, okay? If you start to walk don't make her chase you around the house."

Haley laughed because she had a feeling that as soon as Charlotte found her legs she's be a running machine. "We'll see."

Nathan ran his hand along Charlotte's back and looked over to the clock, "What time is it?" He couldn't see the number because Jamie was in the way.

"About that time." Haley knew he needed to get on the road to head to Charlotte soon.

Taking a deep breath, Nathan got Charlotte off his chest and he sat up. "I'll be back in a few days. It won't be long." He looked to Jamie and then to Haley who'd picked up their daughter.

"I know." Haley held out her free hand to pull Nathan off the bed. She wouldn't be able to pull him up with her strength, much less one arm, but it was still a sweet gesture.

Jamie stood up on the bed and walked over to put his hands on Nathan's shoulders, "Play good, Dad. We'll be watching."

Turning his head, Nathan nodded, "I'll try."

Hopping off the bed, Jamie grabbed for his dad's bag and headed down the stairs while the rest of the family followed. As they gathered in front of the door, Nathan got his bag from Jamie and slung it over his shoulder and looked at the three people was having to say goodbye to. "I'll call you when I get there."

Haley nodded and watched Jamie give his father a hug. Her heart was starting to beat loudly inside her chest because she never wanted Nathan to go anywhere but it was the name of the game.

Taking a hold of Charlotte's little hand, Nathan smiled at his youngest, "Bye, Char. I'll see you in a few days, alright. I love you." He leaned close and kissed the child on her head. Looking at Haley as he pulled away, Nathan saw her gain an extra inch and a half as she rose up on her toes.

"Bye."

Nathan kissed her and nodded, "Bye."

Haley temporarily found her feet flat on the ground but lifted up once more, "I love you." She kissed him again and took a deep breath.

"I love you too."

They'd said their goodbyes and Haley watched him walk out of the front door. She looked at the little girl in her arms and knew that Charlotte would be finding her stride sometime soon, too. She wouldn't be walking out the front door but she'd be walking in just a matter of time. Hopefully Nathan would be home to see it.

**OTHOTH**

The next day Haley was on her way to pick up Jamie from school but she was early so she stopped by Tric. Knowing Peyton was there, Haley figured she'd drop in and visit for a minute or two.

She walked into Red Bedroom Records and smiled when a blonde haired little girl ran up to her. Haley's niece wasn't quite two years old, but Saywer had long developed her attitude and personality. "Hi, Sawyer."

Holding out a drum stick, the blue eyed little troublemaker smiled, "Um. Me umming."

Peyton was sitting behind her desk and rested her elbows on the hard surface, "She's been beating on those drums for the last thirty minutes." She laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad you came by so Charlotte can distract her."

Haley felt sympathetic for Peyton. Sawyer was certainly going through the terrible two phase even if she wasn't two yet. In fact, Haley had a feeling Sawyer might not grow out of it. Ever.

"Here, Sawyer..." Haley put Charlotte down so the two of them could play and took the drumstick away from her niece for precautionary reasons. There were a couple kid friendly toys that the women kept stocked in the studio for days like this and Haley gave the girls some toys before she walked over to Peyton. "So how's it going?"

Laughing with a hint of sarcasm, Peyton shrugged, "I'm nauseous, I'm tired. Luke's on a book tour. I can't find the list of songs we decided for the compilation album, Sawyer's driving me crazy and...I'm nauseous, did I say that?"

Haley didn't want to laugh but she gave Peyton a half of a smile, "That's what happens when you're pregnant."

Peyton looked down to her small belly and sighed, "Yeah well...I forgot about that part."

"It'll get better." Haley nodded and then walked over to the stereo and saw a piece of paper by one of the speakers. "It's no Pepto Bismol, but this might help." Haley held out the song list and smiled.

"I feel better already." Peyton smiled and laughed as her friend and professional partner handed her the song list. "How's Charlotte's walking going? Did she do it when Nathan was home?"

"No." Haley looked over to the little girls and saw her daughter crawling towards the piano. "We tried but it wasn't happening."

With her eyes on Charlotte, Peyton nodded, "It looks like she's ready though." Noticing that Charlotte had already crawled over to the piano, Peyton glanced to Haley, "Will she pull up on the bench by herself?"

"Yeah, and she'll let go and stand by herself for a while until she falls."

Peyton laughed and nodded, "I remember a lot of face plants for Sawyer. She was a mess."

Both women watched as Charlotte managed to stand by the piano bench.

"Looks like she's gonna do it." Peyton arched her brows and watched for Charlotte's next move.

The little girl let go of the piano bench and it looked like she was thinking over how to walk in a mathematical equation, running the pros and cons through her head before she took her first step. But before she even solved that question, Charlotte felt a hard shove.

"Sawyer! No, don't do that!" Peyton watched as Charlotte fell to the floor at Sawyer's hand.

The youngest Scott girl's eyes started to water and Haley walked over to her. "It's okay, honey." She scooped up Charlotte and looked at her niece, "That wasn't a very nice thing to do, Sawyer."

"Me, here." The two year old looked at the floor and then to her aunt. Apparently she was there first and Sawyer wanted her cousin to move.

Peyton was embarrassed and laughed with a shake of her head, "I think she knows she's not going to be an only child for much longer. Sorry about that."

Haley had gotten Charlotte to simmer and she shrugged, "It's okay. I'm sure she's trying to soak up as much me time before the new baby."

Sighing, Peyton leaned back in her chair and shook her head, "Sawyer, come here." Peyton waited for her daughter to walk over to her. "Play nice, kiddo. Why'd you have to go push Charlotte over?" There was a laugh in her voice and Peyton rolled her eyes.

Haley looked over to Charlotte and saw that she was perfectly fine, "She's okay."

Peyton whispered into Sawyer's ear and put the little girl back on the ground. Sawyer ran up to Haley and looked up to her with blue eyes that matched Lucas'. "Sau-we."

Haley couldn't help but smile and looked at Charlotte, "Sawyer's sorry she pushed you, Charlotte." She looked back down to the little girl in front of her, "Thanks for apologizing."

Sawyer looked to her aunt and then ran over to her mom, "Up, Mama, up." For most children that mean that they wanted to be picked up. Not Sawyer Scott. Nope. She wanted the music on and turned up loud.

Peyton turned on the music and the blonde-headed two year old tapped her foot with her little hands on her hips.

Haley started to laugh and shook her head, "I think I'm gonna be out of a job when she gets older."

Laughing, Peyton shook her head. Sawyer may be interested in Red Bedroom Records, and maybe one day she would work for her mom but she wouldn't take over Haley's position. Haley's experience and actual musical talent was too much to give up. "Thanks for stopping by and finding that list." Peyton glanced at the clock and knew Haley had to pick up Jamie soon. "Call me later."

Haley nodded and looked at the little girl moving with the rhythm, "Bye Sawyer."

"Tell Aunt Haley bye."

Looking up from watching her feet move, Sawyer stuck out her hand, "Aye!"

Haley waved and headed out of Red Bedroom Records and towards the elementary school. She had to wait in a long line of traffic but it didn't take too long for Jamie to walk over to the car. The drive home was pretty short as well.

The afternoon light had started out bright but was starting to fade as Jamie practiced some free throws in the driveway. When he walked back inside he saw his mom in the kitchen and Charlotte sitting on the living sitting in her high chair watching eagerly.

"The game will be on soon and dinner won't be much longer."

Jamie hadn't realized how long he'd been outside, "What time is it?" Before his mom answered he ran into the bathroom to was his hands really well and came back out ready to watch his father play ball. "Can I get Charlotte out of her high chair so we can watch the pre-game and look for dad?"

Haley didn't have a problem with that so she said yes as she dropped a package of noddles into boiling water.

Jamie put Charlotte on the couch and sat down next to her as he turned on the TV. "Dad's number twelve, Charlotte." He held up Nathan's jersey number with his fingers but realized they were reversed in her eyes, "I mean, this way. Twelve. One, two." Jamie looked at his baby sister and then they watched the commentators talk for a few minutes before they saw a familiar face. "There he is Charlotte." Jamie pointed at the screen and knew that the little figures on the screen were probably hard to make out. He picked up Charlotte and walked closer to the TV. "Look, there he is."

Charlotte started to flap her arms and squeal with excitement.

Haley checked on the sauce for their pasta and then looked to her kids. Watching Charlotte get excited in Jamie's arms as they watched Nathan on screen was so sweet.

A few more minutes passed and when Jamie put Charlotte down he went back to the couch to watch the rest of the pregame show. Charlotte started to crawl back towards her brother and used the coffee table to pull herself up. Jamie hadn't been paying too much attention but when he did look at his little sister his eyes got wide. She was still holding on to the table but she was slowly stepping her way around the side.

"Mom! Mom! Come here!"

Haley was a little shocked at Jamie's sudden outburst and hurried over to her kids, "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Look!" Jamie pointed at Charlotte and both mom and bother watched the little girl let go.

Her hand flew over her mouth and Haley knew this was it. Charlotte was about to take her first steps.

They weren't pretty but her little feet took about three steps by herself. She wasn't holding on to the table anymore, she was inching her way across the living room floor all on her own.

"Charlotte, you're doing it!" Haley knelt down and clapped, "You're walking!" Looking at her daughter and then her son, Haley nodded, "Jamie go get my phone. It's in my purse in the kitchen."

Jamie bound towards the kitchen and quickly returned with his mom's phone.

Haley took the phone from her son and pointed the camera at Charlotte. If Nathan couldn't be there Haley would at least get the moment recorded.

For the next twenty minutes Haley and Jamie watched Charlotte walk around the living room and everything was going great. They'd gotten multiple videos and pictures. Charlotte's form was getting better with each step but there was something that wasn't so good.

"Mom?" Jamie looked at his mother with a furrowed brow, "What's that smell?"

"Oh my gosh!" Haley quickly started to run for the kitchen, "The pasta!" She downed down the stove and pulled the pot off the eye. Grimacing, Haley poured the water into the sink and looked at the hard pasta that was burnt to the bottom of the pot. "Um..." She laughed at her forgetfulness but her child's first steps had been a little more exciting than cooking dinner. "How about pizza?"

**OTHOTH**

When the post game press conference was over and Nathan had some time to himself, and the first thing he did was check his phone. He was walking to his car headed for the team hotel. There were four video messages, two text messages, one voice mail, and a few missed calls. All from the same person. He opted to hear the voice mail first.

"Hi." It was a single word that Nathan still loved to hear after all this time. "I know you're getting ready for the game. We can actually see you on TV right now. Those commentators for the pre-show were kind of biased for...sorry." Nathan heard Haley laugh at herself because she'd started to ramble. "I was calling to tell you she did it. Charlotte walked tonight." Her voice had grown a little less enthusiastic because she knew that he'd wanted to be a part of that. "But we got a bunch of pictures and I'm gonna send you the videos we got. She's really cute." Haley and paused to let her blush rise, "As good on her feet as you." Nathan couldn't help but smile at that part but listened to the rest of what his wife had to say. "I wanted to tell you the good news. I love you. Good luck, tonight. Or well you'll be done with the game when you get this but...I love you. I'll talk to you later. Bye Dad! Good luck!" Jamie's yell could be heard and he smiled when he'd heard the rest of the message.

When he got into his car Nathan opened up the first video message and watched his daughter take some of what were her first steps. It was incredible that the little girl they'd met less than a year ago was already starting to walk. There was a dampness in the corner of his eye but he wasn't so much upset that he'd missed it. It was a strange nostalgic feeling that went with watching his little girl grow up. He wanted her to stay small forever but he also wanted the world for her. And that meant walking and talking; everything that toddlers overcame in their early years.

Nathan drove to the hotel in downtown Atlanta and when he got inside he changed for bed and reached for his phone as he got in the covers. It was late so neither of the kids would be awake but Haley would be. He dialed a number he'd memorized.

Haley heard her phone ring and she put her book down when she reached for it. "Hi."

"Hey."

"You played really great tonight."

He never got tired of hearing her say that. "Thanks. I don't think my game was the most exciting thing that happened, though."

Haley shook her head because he was right. "Did you get the videos?"

"Yeah. She looked like a pro."

Nodding, Haley agreed, "I think she's a fast learner." After seeing her daughter walk around the house she knew that Charlotte was gonna take after Nathan, "She get's it from you."

Nathan laughed, "If she's a fast learner she get's that from _you_. Not me."

Haley laughed as well and shook her head, "Maybe so, but I was talking about how she walks. She's tripped a couple times but nothing like me. She definitely takes after you."

"You're not _that _bad."

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Haley shook her head, "You're just saying that."

He smirked, "Maybe so."

"Nathan!" Haley laughed and took a deep breath with a bit of embarrassment in her voice, "I uh..." She laughed once more and shook her head, "I burnt dinner because I got distracted."

"You did? Haley James, cook extraordinaire?"

"Yep." She laughed and her voice softened, "I'm sorry you missed it."

Their playful tone had died down. "Me too." Nathan shifted a little in the bed and rested one hand behind his head, "I don't remember Jamie starting so early."

"He didn't. He stared walking a lot later than Charlotte did. But they say that girls do things faster."

He didn't doubt it. "I almost missed his too."

"But you didn't." Haley remembered the day just like it was yesterday. "You'd just gotten home from practice."

Nathan nodded, "It was almost because of basketball again." He was a little annoyed that basketball was keeping and almost kept him from things.

"Honey, don't worry about missing a few things. Don't you know how much the kids love you? How much I love you?" Haley paused for a moment and smiled, "You're their hero. They were watching the pre-game show before Charlotte started walking. Jamie pointed you out on the TV and Charlotte started going crazy. They love seeing you. He set her down and no more than two minutes later she was taking her first steps."

It was making him feel better knowing that. That his kids were watching him. He knew that they did, whenever they could they would, but there was something about hearing it from Haley that made it a little easier.

"So you might miss some things while you play, but I don't think they'd have it any other way. Watching you on the court is something...I don't know how to describe it. I know you play for us."

"I do. Every game."

Haley nodded, "And I love you for that. I love the person you are when you play and the person outside of the locker room. I love the fact that Jamie has your entire basketball career memorized and that Charlotte thinks the world of you." She took a deep breath and leaned over to his side of the bed to catch a quick smell of his scent, "And I love you, Nathan Scott."

Closing his eyes, Nathan nodded, "I love you too."

"I'll see you when you get home."

He heard her yawn. "Haley?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She nodded, "You're welcome. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Bye."

He heard her say goodbye and he hung up the phone and turned off the light. He smiled thinking about his family and looked at his phone again. He scrolled through his videos quickly and watched and re-watched the ones Haley had sent him. He could hear the random things Jamie would say and Haley's encouragement. Nathan could see the television in the background and knew that they were watching his game. Charlotte's little laugh made him smile every time he heard it and he fell asleep watching them over and over.

It was two days until he returned to Tree Hill and it was probably his most exciting homecoming to date.

Nathan walked inside the front door and put his bag down. "Hales? Jamie? Charlotte?"

It didn't take long for little feet to come out of the kitchen, and Charlotte wasn't walking to Nathan. Charlotte was _running_ to Nathan.

"Hey, you." Nathan smiled and kneeled down to his youngest. "Hi, Charlotte."

Haley had been behind Charlotte and was resting her hands on Jamie's shoulders. "She's really fast."

"Show me again. Go get mom." Nathan put her down and watched Charlotte run over to Haley.

He laughed and held his hands back out. "Come here."

Charlotte turned back towards her father and her feet started moving in his direction.

"Ha, ha." Nathan fell back on his back when she got to him and smiled at her. "You knocked me down you're so fast, Char." The little girl was quick to stand right back up and run around the house.

Jamie walked over to his dad and held out his hand. "Hey."

"Hey." Nathan sparingly pulled his weight against his son and got up to his feet.

"She's pretty fast, huh?"

Nathan looked to Charlotte who was running around the house in every direction and laughed, "Yeah."

Jamie ran after Charlotte and the little girl started to laugh as her big brother was hot on her heels.

Walking up to Haley, Nathan wrapped her arm around her side and smiled. "I'm glad I'm home."

They both listened to their kids laugh and Haley nodded as she turned to Nathan. She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, "Me too."

Standing together, Nathan and Haley watched as their kids ran around the house. Nathan took it all in and knew that this was the kind of thing not worth missing. Charlotte's first steps were huge. They were a milestone every parent should be able to take part in but this was making up for it. With the woman he loved by his side and his childrens' laughter in his ear, Nathan Scott had all he'd want and everything he'd need.

Nobody had it all. Nobody got to have or be apart of everything, but Nathan was pretty close. He looked down to Haley and kissed her forehead. He took a deep breath and nodded. Maybe people _couldn't_ have everything, and that was okay. That was okay, because he had _them_. Haley and Jamie and Charlotte. They, as a family, were all he'd ever need.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys, Charlotte's first steps. I hope you liked it. Send me your creative chapter ideas for the next eleven chapters!**

**My reviewers: Thank you so much for the feedback! Tasha, **

**tasha: I appreciate the feedback and I'm happy you liked the chapter. I take the fact that you cried as a huge compliment.**

**C: I'm glad you liked the older Naley from last chapter. It's fun to mix it up and write them at various ages and I enjoy spanning their relationship over lifetime. Unfortunately school and life did smoother me but I'm hoping I can get past a few hurdles and back to updating regularly.**

**Hana: Thanks for the review! I'm so happy you liked the Whitey stuff from last chapter. That was probably my favorite part when I wrote it. **

**Joan: I'm happy you liked that I had the other secondary characters in the last chapter as well as the part at the cemetery. I think it's a little late for me to go to Wilmy and have anything to do with the finale, lol, but hopefully we'll be surprised with what we get in the final episode of the season.**

**Mazzy: I'm thrilled that you like their relationship portrayed last chapter. **

**KC: Ha, I'm glad you liked the team effort metaphor, lol. I gotta hone it all in somehow. I really liked the quote you pulled. I think it kinda sums up the show as well.**

**2old4oth: I enjoy writing the characters "old" from time to time because I think it helps show the time span of Nathan and Haley's love. Sounds dumb...but...I think you know what I mean. Yeah, I'm sneaky in keeping Charlotte's kids' names hidden but her first baby will likely be named in her next chapter. Keep an eye out for that one. Oh, and about keeping things straight. It's hard. Really hard. I find myself messing up all the time and having to edit and re-edit and edit again. I try pretty hard to keep everything continuous though. All of the stories.**

**Anon: I'm happy you enjoyed the three chapters you needed to catch up on. Ha, as I mentioned above, I'll quit being so mysterious about Charlotte's babies names' after I post her next chapter.**

**Always and Forever: It's great to know you liked the last few chapters. I liked the Whitey part to so I'm glad you did as well.**

**Review Please!  
**


	88. Clean up on Aisle Three

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 88: Clean-up on Aisle Three**

**Disclaimer: After all this time you guys know I don't have anything to do with OTH. I don't own the characters.**

**A/N: Thank so much the patience guys. This chapter takes us back to a time we missed out on when they jumped from season 4 to 5. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was holding Jamie with one arm and he was searching through the cabinets shaking boxes and bags to see what kinds of food they needed. With a college athlete and a growing little boy, Nathan, Haley and Jamie went through more food than anyone should.

"Gol-fish! Gol-fish!" The two and half year old boy's eyes got wide and he reached for his favorite cracker.

Laughing at his son, Nathan got the bag of Goldfish but realized that it was nearly empty. "Looks like the little man has eaten his way through this one, Hales." Nathan nodded at his son and then looked at his wife.

Haley was sitting at the kitchen table with a piece of paper in front of her and pen in hand. "He didn't eat _all_ of those by himself."

She was right. Nathan had snuck in the kitchen on a few occasions and maybe/probably finished off the majority of his son's most favorite snack. It wasn't as if he did it on purpose though. Goldfish made an excellent late night snack. "Maybe you should get two bags this time?" Nathan laughed and gave Jamie the crumbs from the empty bag.

Haley nodded and put two packs of Gold Fish on the grocery list. She scanned over the items they'd need and looked to the fridge, "Will you check and see how much milk we have left?"

Nathan walked over to the refrigerator and opened it up. He shoved some things aside and placed their son on the bottom shelf who started to laugh while Nathan reached around to check their milk. "Yeah, we need some of that, too."

She hadn't been paying much attention but she saw her husband smirking at the boy. "Nathan..." Haley furrowed her brow and shook her head when she saw Jamie inside of the fridge, "...what are you doing?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to see if he could fit."

Haley laughed, "Why?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Nathan crossed his arms and smiled at the little boy. There was no rhyme nor reason why he'd done it, he just saw the opportunity and went for it.

The more concerned mother got up and reached in for Jamie while looking at her husband, "He's gonna start to get ideas." It had only been a few weeks since their little boy had found a way to get inside the dryer, but dryers weren't for nap time and neither was the fridge. Haley picked up Jamie and rested him on her hip. "Daddy was just playing around. This is for food."

"Juice?"

Haley laughed and got the apple juice out of the fridge, "And juice. You're right." She put her son on the floor and watched him run to his toys then looked to Nathan, "Anything else we might need from the store?"

Glancing at his book on the kitchen table he nodded, "A automatic A on my test next week."

Haley looked at him with a laugh and shook her head, "You know..." She poured Jamie's apple juice into a sippy cup and twisted the cap on, "I don't think they sell those at the store." Haley kinked her brow with a smile as she brushed by him, "And if you read a lot while we're gone maybe we won't have to study _all_ night."

Catching Haley's drift his smile turned into his famous smirk. He liked it when she said stuff like that.

"Come on Jamie." Haley walked toward their son and held out his cup. "Ready to go to the store?"

Jamie went running over to his mom with his arms up, "Up, Me go."

Haley picked up Jamie and handed him his juice. She started to head for the front door but heard Nathan call her name.

Seeing the list that was still on the table Nathan grabbed it and followed Haley to the door, "Haley."

"Huh?"

He was holding out the grocery list, "You might need this."

Laughing at herself for forgetting it Haley nodded and took the list, "Yeah, thanks."

"Bye, bud." Nathan pressed his finger into Jamie's shoulder and wiggled it so the little boy let out a mumble giggle.

"Tell Daddy bye, Jamie."

Jamie and finished laughing and looked at his father with a smile before nuzzling his head into Haley's shoulder. Nathan didn't take offense and instead he loved that Jamie had been so coy. It was pretty cute watching their son lean into Haley like that.

Resting her cheek against Jamie's head, Haley raised her eyebrows and opened up the front door, "Bye."

"Bye." Nathan watched Haley walk over to the car and he knew he needed to get to studying.

While Nathan headed back to his book Haley got Jamie strapped in the car seat and she and Jamie drove toward the store. When she was stopped at a red light Haley glanced in the rear view mirror and saw that Jamie was playing with the small stuffed animal they kept in the car. It was a terrapin. The same animal that graced Nathan's basketball jersey. He'd been playing for Maryland since the beginning of the fall semester about five months ago.

The light turned green and the rest of the drive to the grocery store didn't take long. With the list in her pocket Haley parked the car and got Jamie out. He insisted that he walk on his own but he held one of Haley's fingers as they walked through the parking lot. Jamie and Haley walked through the sliding doors and the boy knew exactly what shopping cart he wanted. He'd been to the grocery store enough times to know that the really cool kid carts were the ones shaped like actual cars."

The little boy saw the empty space where the carts should have been and he frowned and looked to his mom, "Gone?"

Haley nodded and pulled out a regular cart, "Somebody else must have them. Here lets get in this one."

Jamie didn't fully understand that the grocery store only had two cool carts and that he had to share with the rest of the community kids. Every time he'd ever gone they were able to get the fun cart. Not this time.

Once Haley had her son situated in the not so cool normal cart she made her way down the aisles and when she had reached for a loaf of bread she saw a mom and her two young kids in the fun cart Jamie had wanted. They passed Haley and Jamie and the little boy pointed with a furrowed brow, "Mine?"

"Not today, bud. We've got this one." Haley pushed the cart and knew that their plain shopping cart wasn't anything fun or special. She tried to make fun race car noises but she wasn't very good at that. That was something Nathan had mastered.

_Nathan, Haley and Lucas were preparing for finals and Nathan couldn't concentrate. His stomach was growling every five minutes and food was much more interesting than academics. He had been studying in the living room and walked into the bedroom to ask Haley if she wanted anything to eat. She was shuffling through papers on their bed while Jamie lay next to her watching Thomas and Friends._

_Haley heard him come in and smiled, "Hey, hows it going?"_

_Nathan laughed and shook his head, "How do you think?" He sat down on the bed and glanced at the television, "My stomach is distracting me. I was gonna go get something to eat."_

"_Oh..." Haley put her books down and pulled her hair up in a pony tail, "I was gonna head to the grocery store later do you wanna go ahead a go now?"_

"_Sure." He nodded and the family of three started for the store. Gilmore's grocery stores weren't as big and their shopping carts were pretty plain Jane but Nathan had a way to make them fun. Haley was like a woman on a mission and knew exactly what they needed while Nathan and Jamie were moseying on down the aisles. When Nathan walked down the canned goods aisle he looked behind him to see if anyone was around and then reached out to his twenty three month old and acted as though Jamie was the ignition. "Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines!" He make a noise with his mouth and nodded at Jamie, "Wanna race, Jamie?"_

_The little boy patted his hands on the handle of the cart and looked up to his father with matching eyes._

_Nathan moved his arms around like he was changing gears and started to quickly move his feet as he pushed the cart down the aisle. He was commentating on the race as they went._

"_Scott and son pull out with the lead but they've got a sharp turn ahead of them, can they make it?" Nathan smiled when he heard Jamie laugh and he started to turn to go down the next aisle, "Errrk." Nathan let the back wheels slide a little as he turned down the coffee aisle, "Now they're on a straight away. Can father and son pick up the pace and pull away from the pack?" Nathan glanced behind him as if there were other racers. "Here comes another turn, one hundred and eighty degrees. They made it through the last one. How will they do this time?" Rounding the corner Nathan gripped the handle bar, "Err...ohmp."_

_Nathan and Jamie's race was interrupted by a cute old lady who was in a collision course for the two racers, so instead of running over the old woman Nathan had to jerk the cart the other way. It would have been a marvelous save if there hadn't been a tall display in the way. All of the sudden a tower of blue boxes fell on the floor and Nathan could only look at the mess he'd made. _

_Haley was over in the diapers section and heard a commotion and could only assume it was her husband. She walked to where the noise had been and saw a plethora of Tampax boxes spread across the floor. Her eyes got wide as when she walked over to them. "Na...Nathan? What happened?"_

_Picking up the tampon boxes Nathan grimaced when he realized what they'd run into, "We drifted a little off course."_

"_Off course?" Haley laughed and started helping him pick up boxes. "They're gonna kick us out of here."_

_Nathan looked around and knew that nobody had seem them. The old lady had but she was so old that she didn't even notice what had happened._

_As the couple quickly tried to clean up Nathan and Jamie's, mostly Nathan's mess they heard someone come over the loud speaker._

"_Clean up on aisle three."_

_Haley looked up to see what aisle they were on and sure enough it was three. "Nathan, come on. Get up." She waved with her hand because she didn't want to get in trouble. That store had the best deals on diapers and she didn't want to take a chance getting banned. The right thing was to apologize but they'd already started to walk away._

_Nathan laughed as he hurried to catch up with Haley and then they heard the speaker again._

"_Sir, please do not run with your shopping cart."_

_Freezing, Nathan looked up and around wondering where the cameras were, and he saw Haley turn around and laugh. He slowly and cautiously walked over to his wife an she looked up to him, "What have you gotten us into?"_

"_Me?" He laughed and shook his head, "You're the one who wants to invade the law."_

_Haley smiled because Nathan was really sexy when he mixed things up. "It's evade the law, not invade."_

"_Whatever." He rolled his eyes at himself and looked at Haley as she walked down the aisle. There was something he'd always love about her correcting him. It would take him back to high school and the beginning of it all, the beginning of them. _

Haley had been taken away from days past when she heard her two and a half year old speak up.

"Mmm, cake."

Looking over Haley saw the boxes of cake mix and she looked at her son with a shake of her head, "Not today, Jamie."

The little boy grunted and held out his hands, "Mama, cake!"

Haley didn't want Jamie to start fussing so she quickly turned down the snack aisle. The goldfish were just around the corner. "Jamie, look. Goldfish."

The little boy's blue eyes were starting to water and he shook his head and pointed to the aisle they'd just come from, "Cake. Loclate cake."

"Mmm, goldfish." Haley picked up a bag and held it out to her son. "Yummy."

The little boys disappointment only heightened when he saw that fun kid shopping cart roll down the aisle. "No! Cake!" He swatted away the goldfish bag and shook his head, "Ugh!"

"Jamie, don't hit the bag."

"Cake, cake, cake!" The little guy really wanted cake.

Putting the goldfish in the cart, Haley took a deep breath and looked at the upset child, "Jamie, shh. We're almost done."

"My cake! My cart!" Jamie leaned his head back and started to cry. But not a soft cry. A flailing wailing chant of a cry that was louder than an amplifier turned up all the way. Jamie's shrill cries seemed to echo down the grocery aisle and Haley looked around hoping no one was too close.

"Shh, Jamie." Haley shook her head and reached to get a bag of chips and put them into the car and Jamie tried to swat the bag away from his mother but caught her on the arm. "Hey... Jamie? No hitting."

Realizing he'd done something really wrong, his cries turned into an embarrassed upset come-apart. He started kicking his feet and crying louder. His fit was becoming a spectacle and some of Haley's fellow shoppers were giving her the 'shut your child up' stare. She knew better than to give him what he wanted so Haley continued to walk down the next aisle hoping his outburst would subside. But what most moms wanted hardly ever happened.

In fact, Jamie only got worse. He was sneaky enough to push his mom's purse out of the cart and all of Haley's stuff scattered on the floor.

A kind woman who looked to be in her forties bent down to help Haley pick up the stuff Jamie had tossed overboard. "They all go through this. Don't worry too much. His mom probably knows how to handle this. Babysitters hardly ever know what to do."

Haley's brow immediately furrowed. Babysitter? She wasn't a babysitter. She _was_ his _mom_. Haley was already embarrassed and now she felt insulted. With Jamie screaming like he feared for his life, Haley quickly gathered up the rest of her things and started pushing the cart down the aisle. "Shh, Jamie take deep breaths." His voice only got louder and now the mom's glossy eyes were matching her son's. Instead of pushing her wailing child around the rest of her store Haley made an executive decision to pick him up out of the cart and head for the exit, and that's exactly what she did. Her grocery cart was stranded in the middle of the cereal aisle but Haley didn't care about the groceries right now. Embarrassed out of her mind, hurt by what that woman had said, and worried Jamie would make himself sick he was being so belligerent that she simply walked out of the store without looking back.

When the fresh air hit her cheeks Haley wiped away a tear and walked straight for the car. Jamie was still crying but at this point he'd started something he couldn't stop. Haley strapped him into the car seat but not before she broke a nail when she tried to buckle it. It really wasn't her day.

Once she got into the driver's seat she cranked the car and looked at her boy. "Jamie? Shh... Honey. you're gonna make yourself sick. Shh." She was trying to sound peaceful but Jamie wasn't understanding.

Haley pulled away from the grocery store and headed back home. They didn't have groceries or anything they'd thought they might return with. Instead it was flushed faces and tear stained cheeks.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had done a pretty good job reading his book for class, a whole seven pages and when he heard Haley walk in the door he slipped his book mark about forty pages ahead of where he was supposed to be.

"Hey..." He got up to help bring in the groceries but Haley had quickly walked to Jamie's room. Nathan hadn't seen her splotchy face but he did see that their son was asleep. He must have fallen asleep on the ride home. While Haley put Jamie in his room Nathan walked out to the car, but to much of his surprise there were no grocery bags. He walked back inside their small place and saw Haley lying down on their bed. "I think the grocery monster took away our food."

Haley laughed but when she rolled over to face him she shook her head, "I didn't finish shopping."

Nathan sat down on the bed and furrowed his brow as he noticed Haley's red eyes and wet cheeks, "What happened?"

Wiping under her eyes, Haley shook her head, "It was horrible." She took a deep breath. "First, we couldn't use the fun shopping cart he likes because someone else had it. Then he wanted cake and we didn't get it so he started to get upset."

Nathan knew Jamie could have his fair share of fits but he'd never been with him when it was in a public place. He watched Haley wipe her cheeks and noticed a little blood on her finger, "What happened there? Did he bite you?"

Haley shook her head, "No, no. I broke a nail trying to buckle him in. It's nothing." It did hurt really bad but she could get over it. It was sweet of him to show his concern though.

"I'm sorry he messed up the grocery trip."

The words that woman had spoken to her resonated in her head and she looked at her husband, "And you know what the worst part was?"

He arched his brow and she continued. "Jamie flung my purse on the floor and while this woman helped me get my stuff she just assumed that I was the babysitter, told me not to worry about Jamie's outburst because the mom would know how to handle it." Haley felt her chin tremble, "I mean, I'm not that incompetent am I? To not even appear like I know what I'm doing?"

Nathan shook his head and laid down next to her, "No. It's probably because that woman didn't think you were old enough to have kids." He looked at her and nodded, "That and because she's a bitch."

Smiling, Haley laughed and shook her head, "I just...hearing that woman say that. Ugh, God it made me feel like I'm the worst mother in the world."

Shaking his head, Nathan leaned down and kissed Haley's shoulder, "You're not. And that woman probably never had kids, and if she does she needs to take mom lessons from you."

"Mom lessons?" Haley smiled and and wiped her cheek. "I'm not sure there's such a thing."

"Yeah there is." He looked into her deep brown eyes and nodded, "I see you everyday with him and I'm a better dad because of it."

Her eyes softened, "Nathan..."

"I am Haley." Nathan wasn't going to let her come up with an excuse because he did learn everything he knew from her. She didn't help him only with math and English. It was more than the school stuff. It was everything.

Taking a deep breath, Haley leaned into his side and rested her head on his chest, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The husband and wife laid there for a while. Haley was able to push aside her memories of the disastrous grocery store trip and fifteen maybe twenty minutes passed before either of them really said anything.

Haley turned her head a little so she could look at Nathan. "So how far in that book of yours did you get?"

"Uh...pretty far?"

Knowing her husband pretty well pretty far meant five, at most ten, pages. "Oh yeah?"

"No." He laughed and shook his head, "It's not exactly anything exciting. Something about something that happens sometime during some major time period or something."

Haley laughed and started to sit up, "Maybe you should get some of that done?" She patted on Nathan's leg and got up off the bed and walked to the kitchen.

It was a Saturday afternoon. There were much more interesting things they could be doing besides studying.

Nathan sighed heavily and winced, "I don't know, Hales. I think I'm feeling feverish." It was all he could think of to put off reading more of that dumb book about whatever it was about.

She laughed at him and walked back over to the bed. Haley leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead. He wasn't warm and she knew he wouldn't be. "You feel fine to me."

"Wh...you didn't even feel my temperature." Nathan furrowed his brow.

"Yes I did." Haley leaned down and kissed his forehead again, "Lips are better than hands."

He'd never noticed before but thinking about days he ever thought he might be sick she did have a habit of kissing his forehead. "Well..." He sat up and kissed her forehead, "_You_ might be a little warm."

She started laughing when his lips moved from her forehead to her jaw. "It doesn't really count if you kiss there."

Nathan didn't care so he moved to up to her cheek, "Here?"

"Nope." Haley was starting to feel her cheeks darken and if he stayed there long enough he'd feel the warmth himself.

But Nathan quickly moved his mouth to the other side of her neck, "How about here?"

"Mmm-ugh..." Haley closed her eyes and was pretty sure Nathan was giving her a fever right now. He'd pulled his shirt over his head and kissed her on the lips next. "Nathan..." Haley laughed and shook her head, "You're never gonna graduate if..."

He cut her off as he kissed her again and shook his head. It really wasn't going to matter if he graduated from college or not. He was going to the NBA and everyone knew it.

Haley felt her heart rate increase and instead of spending time with that book he needed to read it seemed a lot more likely that they'd get this time for themselves.

Nathan's fingers slid across the hem of her shirt and he pulled it over her head before they both got on their bed. Haley looked up to Nathan and pulled him down for a kiss and her stomach went crazy with butterflies when his pressed against hers. Haley kicked off her shoes and heard Nathan's fall to the floor right about the time hers did. And as their luck would have it, the thud of their shoes wasn't the only sound. They heard Jamie too.

"What time is it? Should he already be up?"

Haley shook her head and kissed Nathan, "No. He's only been asleep for thirty, forty minutes max."

Nathan took a deep breath and leaned into Haley's body as his hands found the button of her pants, "Maybe he's just murmuring?"

Tilting her head Haley felt Nathan's mouth roam her neck as she listened for their son.

When they heard Jamie call out Haley's name Nathan rolled over on the bed and groaned, "Why does this always happen? Right when we get something started..."

Haley grabbed her shirt, put it back on and head to Jamie's room with a smirk. "It's a sign telling you to go read."

Leaning back in the pillows, Nathan shook his head and closed his eyes. He would procrastinate until the very last minute.

Just little bit later two little feet came running into the bedroom and Jamie pulled himself up on the bed and crawled over to Nathan.

"Did you have a good nap, bud?"

Jamie laid his head on Nathan's chest and looked to his father all cute like, "Book?"

Nathan started to laugh and looked to Haley who was standing in the doorway, "That's not fair. You can't use him." Biting her lip mid smile Haley shrugged and Nathan arched his brow. "Jamie come here." He whispered into his son's ear and then pointed to Haley, "Go tell that to Mom."

Jamie hurried off the bed as fast as his two and a half year old self could and he walked over to Haley. The mother bent down and the little boy looked at her with Nathan's blue eyes, "Daddy tired, Mama"

"Oh he is?"

Nathan nodded, "So tired." He was going to put up a fight about reading that book, "And my eyes are feeling a little heavy. I think I strained them when I was reading earlier. They kind of hurt."

Jamie looked at his father and hurried back to his father, "Me fix you". The little boy crawled up next to Nathan again and placed an open mouth kiss on Nathan's eye.

Haley felt her heart melt and she knew that Nathan wasn't gonna read anytime soon.

Turning on the television, Nathan changed the channel to one of the kid ones and Jamie perked up, "Ooby Dooby Doooo".

"Ah, yes!" Nathan turned up the volume and looked at Haley, "It's the one with Batman and Robin."

Haley couldn't help but smile as she looked at her boys and knew they would be perfectly fine for a while. "While you two enjoy your cartoons I'm going to go to the S.T.O.R.E." Haley spelled it so Jamie wouldn't want to go.

Nathan nodded and scooped up Jamie so he and his boy could get comfortable. When Haley left the bedroom Nathan pointed at the television, "You see Velma, Jamie? You gotta be careful with the ones who have ugly clothes and are really smart." Nathan laughed and nodded, "You may think you like someone like Daphne but Velma's who you want and the girl you need."

"Shaggy!" Jamie saw the dopy goofball's picture on the screen and smiled.

"And you'll probably have a friend like Shaggy. My high school friend Tim is a lot like him." Nathan laughed again and he and Jamie spent the next thirty minutes watching what they found out was a Scooby Doo marathon.

Haley got back home to find the boys glued to the television but Nathan did get up to help get the rest of the bags out of the car. When she saw that he'd brought the last of the bags in she smiled at him and tilted her head to the bedroom, "Go on, I know you wanna see who the bad guy is."

Nodding Nathan put down his last bag and headed back to the bedroom. When Haley was done putting up the food she walked in the direction of the loud television and loved what she saw when she got in the bedroom. Nathan was on his stomach, one hand propping up his head and Jamie was lying the exact same way just next to his father. It was pretty cute.

"So who did it?" Haley laid down next to Jamie and Nathan and glanced at the television.

"I think it was the circus worker."

"The lion man." Jamie looked at his mother and did his best roar for her.

Nathan nodded, "Yeah, that's who I mean."

The family of three watched as the cops next to the Mystery Inc. gang unmasked the villain. Nathan let out a groan when the perpetrator turned out to be one of the clowns, "Ugh, Jamie how did we miss that?"

The little boy looked at his father and shrugged and they watched the credits for a new episode begin.

"So what should we do for dinner? Chicken?"

"Chicken!" Jamie nodded and repeated the word after his mom.

Haley laughed and proposed another item, "Mashed potatoes?"

"Tatoes!"

"How about broccoli?"

Jamie turned to look at his father and made a frowny face.

Nathan laughed because he didn't like broccoli either, "Do we have peas?"

Haley nodded and Jamie liked that option much better. "Peas!"

With the family meal planned Haley started dinner and it didn't take long for little feet to run into the kitchen. Jamie's attention for multiple Scooby Doos could only last so long. Haley picked up and sat the boy on the counter. He was swinging his legs as he watched him mom cut up fruit. She'd but the pieces of banana and strawberries in the bowl and Jamie would sneakily take them out. Haley probably wouldn't have noticed if the strawberries Jamie had eaten hadn't ended up staining his lips red.

"Jamie?" Haley laughed at the little boy and shook her head, "You fruit stealer, you." She got a paper towel to wipe his mouth and laughed, "You're just as bad as your dad taking your Goldfish, huh?" The kitchen timer dinged and Haley knew that their baked chicken was ready. "Go get Daddy, Jamie." Haley put her son on the ground and watched him run to the bedroom. As she made sure everything else was ready Haley heard two pair of footsteps.

"Smells good in here."

Haley smiled at Nathan when she turned around and laughed, "I thought I might have to drag you away from your show."

He shook his head and walked up next to her, "And miss this food? I don't think so."

After plates were made and after Jamie tried to stick a pea up his noes the family of three ate without much drama. Before Nathan scarfed down his mashed potatoes he had tried to sculpt them into an architectural masterpiece but his Leaning Tower of Piza fell down every time. Like most children, Jamie ended up with a lot of food on his face and a lot underneath him too. Bibs and high chairs didn't catch everything; they hardly caught anything.

"Alright you..." Haley looked at the little boy and laughed, "You needed to get washed up so we can get some clean pjs on."

Jamie's eyes were already getting heavy but considering his nap was minimal he would be hitting the hay early. Haley got Jamie out of the highchair and Nathan finished up his dinner before taking the plates to the sink. Spotting about ten peas on the floor, Nathan grabbed a paper towel and cleaned up Jamie's area and the table. When he'd wiped down the table he made his way to the sink and started on the dishes. He wasn't the biggest fan of cleaning up after everyone but Haley did enough as it was and it sure as hell beat reading that dumb book.

Haley had gotten Jamie in the pajamas with little basketballs on them and he was asleep before she even turned out the lights. When she walked into the kitchen she saw Nathan hard at work on the dishes. They had a dishwasher so he could have done it all the easy way but he was standing over the sink scrubbing away. Walking up next to him, Haley grabbed the dish towel and held out her hand taking one of his clean dishes to try it. They worked as a team for a little while until the dishes were done.

Haley pulled herself up on the counter and smiled at him when he got the broom, "You don't have to do that."

He didn't mind and he swept the floor without thinking much about it, "I don't mind."

There was something sexy about watching Nathan Scott man a broom and dustpan. When he was close enough to her Haley reached out to pull him by the shirt. "I could get used to watching you clean like this."

Nathan smirked and nodded as he leaned the broom against the counter, "I'm a regular Mr. Clean, huh?"

Haley ran her fingers through his hair and laughed, "But I can't see you bald...or with an earring." She shook her head and rested her hand on his chest, "But you did have that horrible nipple ring."

"Yeah. I don't know why I had that." He furrowed his brow and ran his hand over his head, "When we get older are you gonna care if I end up bald?"

Shaking her head Haley kissed him, "You can be as bald as Whitey. I won't care." She rested her forearms on his shoulders and knew that whatever time did to them those eyes would always stay the same.

"I love you." Nathan was staring at Haley and he studied her face before he'd kissed her.

Haley rested her forehead against his and nodded, "I love you, too."

Between kisses one of them bumped into the broom and it slid down counter and landed on the floor with a loud slap.

Haley winced and looked to Jamie's room, "I hope it didn't wake him up."

Nathan shook his head, "I didn't." He kissed her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned into the kitchen counter.

He got to thinking about what he'd said about them aging, and while the thought of him loosing his hair scared him to death as long as Haley loved him it would really matter. He could go bald tomorrow but the world wouldn't stop. As long as he had her, as long as he had Jamie nothing would matter. They were the most important things in his life and nothing could change that.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. For those of you who like the college age chapters I hope you liked it. I hope you all liked it. I was going over what some of you suggested for chapters and I've got a poll question. If you would like to see NHJC or them plus the rest of the gang go on a vacation where would you guys like to see them go? EDIT: Remember that I've had them all do a group BEACH trip (Ch. 38/39), NHJC have gone to DISNEY (ch. 45) and NHJC have been SNOW SKIING (ch. 28) so I don't particularly want to do repeats of those things although a tropical beach trip is not out of the question. Think of some fun places for families. I'm leaning towards Jamaica or St. Barts so far but if y'all have other suggestions then go for it. And if a family trip doesn't strike your fancy please feel free to send me your chapter suggestions. If you already suggestion something and I haven't responded about it tell me again. In a sense, beat it into me, you know.**

**Oh, and so since I'm not nearly as swamped as I have been the last three weeks or so I was thinking about reinstalling an old tradition. Next day updates! You guys know what that means. Get me past a milestone and you'll get a next day update! It's a challenge for me and a challenge for y'all. With the story headed it the home stretch I figured I might as well get back to my old ways.- excluding exam week however. But it's up to you guys.  
**

**I'm so thankful to my reviewers. The other readers are thankful as well because without your support the story would have never gone on as long as it has. So thank you!**

**Hadley: I'm glad you liked last chapter. Writing the kids young is always fun for me. And thank you for the chapter suggestions. I've had an idea about doing one of Jamie's baseball games for awhile now so I may end up doing that next chapter. Maybe. I'll likely do a trip chapter, I just have to figure out where they need to go, lol. A season 8 missing moment will not happen. I've done one of those already (the aftermath of the hurricane ep) and it doesn't fit in with continuity with the general story so it kinda throws things off. Not to mention there are characters in season 8 that I try to avoid mentioning. A season one moment is possible. I really have a hard time doing high school chapters and those often get really low review counts but maybe I'll have a really good idea everyone may enjoy.**

**Joan: Thanks the the compliment about writing kids well. Sometimes its hit or miss so I'm glad you think it's a hit most of the time. About your suggestions: Nathan will have a health scare/problem in an upcoming chapter. Ha, yeah, I need to do a jealous chapter. I feel like I haven't done one of those in a while. Charlotte potty training is on my list of chapters to choose from but I'm not sure if I really am set on doing that for one of the last chapters. We'll see though. If you have an idea about where you want to see the fam go let me know.**

**Blackjack: Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying the stories (whichever ones you read). I'm not sure what my plans for future writing is after LM except for the fact that my other AU Naley story, It Could Happen to You will return from it's way too long hiatus.**

**Bdavis: I'm glad you liked Sawyer and Peyton in the last chapter. Sawyer is one of the most fun characters to write because she so flawed (a lot like her mom) and has that attitude where she can kind of get away with it...and I thought have a two year old version of that would be fun. Your suggestions: Have an idea of where you want a trip to be? I did Charlotte and Jamie both going off to college so I probably won't do their (her) graduation. Season three is my favorite season but high school is hard for me to write. I'll see if I can come up with anything.**

**Anon: Ha, yeah, I can't lie, I loved that Sawyer knocked over Charlotte too. I know you're reading her story so I hope you are liking what's going on with her. Oh man, I don't even want to think about all the epic failure we'll see with Nathan and Baby Scott...it's gonna be depressing that we won't get to see a lot of father daughter interaction. **

**Mazzy: I'm glad you liked last chapter and that Charlotte walked to Nathan when he got home and how Haley burnt dinner.**

**Valerie: You reviewed or chapter 12 so I'm not sure when you'll see this if ever but I'm so happy you are enjoying the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**Tp404: You reviewed as I was re-reading this chapter, ha. Don't forget to check my profile updates. They'll most likely let you know how an update is looking.**

_**Review Please!**_


	89. Sunny Side Up

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 89: Sunny Side Up**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to OTH. The characters do not belong to me.**

**A/N: Okay so I really did try to get this up yesterday but the site was having technical issues, and I apologize for the confusion surrounding this chapter and its original update. Turns out more people ended up PMing me with positive thoughts than negative ones so I really wasn't sure what to do about re-doing it. For those of you who may be confused about what I'm talking about...it's a long story. But...since the majority of you did like it, I re-vamped what I had. Less kids, more adults. You will recognize the first half of the chapter if you read the original but I changed the second half completely. Hopefully that will work better. Hopefully. If you still find something wrong or un-enjoyable please do let me know so I know what to fix to make the next 11 chapters good. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was standing in line as travelers to various destinations walked through security and she couldn't help but think about the countless times she'd done this. With as many games as Nathan had in far away cities, Haley felt as though she was a pro when it came to mastering those pesky security lines. As she watched her nine year old daughter and sixteen year old son take off their shoes, Haley knew that they'd mastered the art as well. But the family wasn't traveling to go to a Bobcats game, they were going on a vacation. All of them.

Fresh off Nathan's ten year run with the Bobcats, the Scott family were heading to Turks and Caicos with their friends and children for some rest and relaxation. The kids were out of school and it was going to be nice to have everyone together in a beautiful, tropical, summer destination

Just a head of Haley in line, Nathan patted his pockets and turned around to face his wife with a worried look, "I...I can't find my boarding pass."

Haley's eyes went wide and she quickly looked around, "What?" His worried look changed into a smirk and he laughed. It worked every time. She rolled her eyes because she realized he was just joking. Haley cut her eyes and shook her head, "That wasn't very nice."

Smiling, Nathan shrugged, "Sorry."

Their short conversation was interrupted when the metal detector started going off.

"I didn't do it!" Jamie's best friend threw his hands up in the air and watched as a security guard approached him.

Nathan looked at Haley and couldn't help but laugh. The sixteen year old was accompanying their son on their trip and Mr. Scolnik was surely gonna make things interesting.

Grabbing one of the gray bins that slid through the other security machines, Nathan slipped off his shoes while Haley did the same. Their height difference was more apparent with their bare feet, and as he looked at her, Nathan couldn't help but smile, "How's the weather down there?"

Haley looked up and rolled her eyes. For the last eighteen years she'd had to deal with his tallness but she'd always loved it. And, her calves had grown extremely tone over the years. Haley raised up on her tiptoes and arched her brow, "It's just fine, thanks."

"Next please." The security officer waved Nathan over and Haley put her purse and anything else that might beep inside her bin. "Good to see you Mr. Scott." The airport employee had grown pretty familiar with Nathan over the years. If Nathan wasn't flying out of Charlotte he was flying out of Tree Hill and most of the staff were well acquainted with the former basketball star.

"Pretty good, Arnie. How've you been?"

"Oh you know..." Arnold looked over his shoulder and nodded at his co-worker. "Medical. Let him through... Hoping the Bobcats can come around next year. The team sure is gonna miss you."

Nathan appreciatively nodded and walked through the metal detector. It beeped but considering he had titanium rods in his back it wasn't all that surprising. Haley stepped through the same arch without problems and the family of four plus Chuck walked towards their gate.

Lucas and Peyton were already there with their two kids and Haley looked around as her eyes landed on Peyton. "Is Brooke here?"

"Not yet. She texted me earlier to tell you not to freak out if she was a little late."

Laughing, Haley sat down next to her sister in law.

"What plane are you flying Keith?" Nathan looked to his seven year old nephew who had his arms out as he looked out the window to the tarmac.

"A big one." Keith turned around to nod at his uncle and then went right back to looking at the planes.

Charlotte sat down next to Sawyer and looked at the crossword book in her cousin's lap, "Are we gonna do those on the plane?"

"_I'm _gonna do them on..."

Peyton turned around and shook her head, "Sawyer, stop. Don't start." Ten year olds were remarkable with their attitudes, and considering Sawyer was born with an extra large one, her ten year old self was more like a snarky seventeen year old.

"Are we late? The plane didn't leave, did it?" Brooke was hustling toward her friends and her heels clacked against the floor in rhythmical patterns.

Haley laughed and shook her head, "No, you made it."

Julian was behind Brooke and he was carrying their sleeping five year old.

Brooke was nearly out of breath and laughed, "We had issues getting dressed this morning. Davis was hardly awake and we couldn't find his shoes. He was no help searching so Julian and I tore through the house looking for them. And you know where they were?"

Haley had an idea. "Next to his bed where you'd put them last night."

"Exactly!" Brooke's eyes got wide. "Remind me to call _you_ next time we have a tennis shoe treasure hunt."

Nathan smiled at his wife because Haley had mastered any and everything mom related over the last sixteen years. It was hard to believe that they'd been parents for so long but one look at Jamie's teenage frame and it all hit Nathan fast.

The intercom at their gate came on and a woman's voice told them all they would beginning boarding shortly. Davis had started to wake up while they were waiting in line and the young boy was leaning into his father.

"Hey, Davis? Wanna do something fun?" Jamie rolled his suitcase behind him towards Julian. "Look what Keith and Chuck are doing." Turning, Jamie pointed at his friend and cousin. Keith was riding on Chuck's suitcase and the older guy was rolling him around the airport. Jamie could see the hesitation in the little boy's eyes and shook his head, "It'll be fun. I'll go slow."

Julian rested his cheek against Davis' head, "You wanna do it?"

"Yeah."

Jamie helped Davis get on the suitcase and both Haley and Brooke looked at each other with the exact same expression and phrase. "Careful!"

"I got it. We're fine." Jamie smiled and shook his head at the older women and rolled Davis around until they had to get on the plane.

Buddied up and as long as they didn't get short with each other, the kids would sit together for the two and half hour flight while the adults sat with their spouses.

"Window seat." Lucas tried to move past Peyton but the skinny blonde sat down with a laugh.

"Ha, nice try."

"Oh come on, Peyt. Let me get the window."

Brooke leaned up and laughed as she whispered to Haley, "Those two are worse than the kids."

"I know." Haley laughed and nodded as she took her seat.

Nathan glanced over to the adjacent seats and saw his daughter and niece looking out the window.

"Thanks for the window seat, Sawyer." The youngest Scott turned to the older and smiled.

Sawyer shrugged and put her headphones on, "Sure. Whatever."

Jamie was sitting directly in front of Sawyer and turned around to look at his cousin. "Pretty sure you're not supposed to wear those yet."

Sawyer narrowed her eyes, "Yeah. I know. I just wanted to tone you guys out." The ten year old had always had a heightened state of annoyance around her older cousin. Mainly for the simple fact that he was essentially the chosen one, the model offspring, and Sawyer was also a grudge holder. For the last ten years- her _entire_ life, _her_ father played surrogate dad to Jamie when her uncle Nathan was on the road. Jamie's interim dad, _her_ dad, helped the teenager fix up _his_ car and took _Jamie_ to the Rivercourt. Sawyer knew that her dad was only trying to step in when Nathan couldn't but it sure made her feel like she was being replaced sometimes. She didn't mind sharing her dad with Keith but Jamie wasn't her brother, her dad was _her_ dad. _Not_ his. The sixteen year old already looked like a young Lucas and was showing signs of becoming a budding writer, so if anyone was happy that Nathan hung up his basketball shoes, it was his niece.

"Hey?"

Turning her head, Sawyer looked at her father and saw that he was holding out an small notebook. The girl took it and noticed that her dad had his finger up to his lips to hush anything she might say. Curious and confused, the young girl took the notebook and opened up the first page. _Mom doesn't want me to work this trip. Keep this away from her._ Sawyer laughed and knew that her dad would always find a way to take his writing places. She thumbed through the rest of the pages and saw the filled lines with notes and a working title, _I'll Be Seeing You_. She wasn't really old enough to be her dad's family editor, Haley still filled those shoes but Sawyer was well on her way to getting there. She shut the book and smiled thinking Jamie hadn't taken everything she could share with he dad away.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome aboard. This morning we'll be flying..."

Nathan looked over to Haley when he saw her struggling to click her seat belt in place. He started to laugh and she looked up with a furrowed brow. "It's stuck. It..." She tried again and shook her head, "It won't go in."

Nathan laughed and reached over to help, "Because that one's mine."

She watched as he reached over her to buckle her belt and Haley looked at him with a shake of her head.

"What?" He saw her glace and furrowed his brow.

Looking in his blue eyes that had grown so familiar over time, Haley simply shrugged, "Nothing."

He leaned back and glanced out the window and then back to Haley. At thirty four she was still as beautiful as ever, and the girl a few feet away with matching brown eyes was quickly following in Haley's footsteps.

The wheels of the plane started moving and Nathan could feel them taxi out to the runway. Haley always got nervous on take off and landing so he clamped his hand over hers.

"I hate this part."

He'd been on a plane more times than he could count traveling with the Bobcats so flying was old habit for him. Nathan leaned close to Haley and gently placed a kiss on her temple, "I know you do." His nosed brushed against her head and he could smell her shampoo. "I'm not going anywhere."

If Haley wasn't already feeling the butterflies because of take off she sure was feeling them when he'd said that. And it was something she'd never get used to. That hold he had on her, they way he made her feel. After all this time they were still the exact same as they had been in high school.

Charlotte was like her mom and didn't particularly enjoy take off but after her eyes roamed the runway she turned to her right and leaned up to look at her parents. Nathan and leaned forward and caught Charlotte's eye. The girl smiled, "Hey Dad."

"Ready, Char?"

Nodding her head Charlotte leaned back into her seat and Haley had watched the whole exchange. She raised her covered hand and kissed the top of Nathan's.

"What was that for?" He felt her lock their fingers and looked at his wife.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Hey, Luke?" Brooke's voice rang out from the chair behind Haley and she laughed, "Why don't you write your next book on _Naley_? They're still so cheesy that it's kinda cute."

Peyton turned around and looked over the top of her chair, "There will be no writing on this trip. I told him that this is a _vacation_." Glancing at her husband Peyton nodded, "We should all just relax. No writing, no basketball, no producing, no designing, no film making..."

Brooke patted Julian's leg and smiled, "He didn't even bring a camera this time."

Davis and Keith were sitting in the seats across the aisle from Brooke and Julian, and the youngest was searching through his backpack for something to keep him occupied. His hand hit a cool metal-feeling something and he pulled it out. He knew it wasn't his and looked at his dad. "Daddy, here's your camera."

Brooke turned to her son and then looked at her husband, "Julian!"

He laughed and flashed her his famous grin, "It was Lucas' idea. He told me to sneak it in with Davis."

"You're a bad influence, Lucas Scott." Brooke laughed as she took the camera from her five year old and handed it to Julian.

Peyton eyed her kids and knew that if Lucas had snuck anything with Keith or Sawyer it would be with their ten year old. And before Peyton could even ask Lucas held out his hands in surrender, "Yes, I admit. I have...something with me to write."

Turning to look at Nathan and Haley, Peyton laughed, "Now I don't suppose you packed a basketball with Charlotte or Jamie, huh Nate?"

"No, I didn't." He shook his head and looked at Haley. He wasn't going to miss the opportunity to spend time with his family basketball free. He would start his new job coaching the Seahawks in about a month but all that was gonna have to wait. This was time for them.

**OTHOTH**

They'd rented a two house estate at Parrot Cay owned by one of fashion's biggest names who also happened to be an acquaintance of Brooke's. Tucked away on the secluded section of the island, they had to get there by boat after their plane ride. The boat ride excited the kids and when they made it on solid ground the group checked in with the main lodge and got their keys. Golf carts took them to the residence and they admired the beautiful home and tropical surroundings.

"Okay, how do we want to do this?" Brooke looked at the estate and knew that there were plenty of bedrooms but there were all kinds of ways they could split things up.

Knowing that Davis would want to sleep in the same house as his parents since he was still young, Haley had a suggestion. "Why don't you and Julian and the younger boys take the smaller house and we'll find rooms in the main house?" Haley looked at the other adults and shrugged, "Does that work?"

Lucas looked to his son, "How does that sound? You and Davis can stay together in there with Aunt Brooke and Julian?"

"Sure." The boy didn't really seem to care if he stayed close to his parents or not. The houses were only separated by a short walkway anyway.

Peyton ruffled Keith's hair and started walking toward the main house, "Well that was easy."

While four of them headed to settle into the smaller house, the others went to claim bedrooms in the main house.

While the girls and Jamie and Chuck went to find their bedrooms the adults stood around the kitchen. Lucas noticed their avoidance of claiming rooms and shoved his hands in his pockets, "So...who gets the master in this house?"

Peyton looked to Nathan who turned to Haley.

The lanky Mrs. Scott stuck out her hand to Haley with a laugh, "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Haley shook her head and declined, "Why don't you guys go ahead and take it."

"Are you sure?" Lucas started to squint.

"Yeah." Haley laughed and pointed at Peyton's hand that was still extended, "I would have lost anyway."

The two couples went their separate ways to find their bedrooms and Nathan brushed shoulders with his wife. "That was very..._Haley_ of you."

She simply smiled up at him but her prompt decision hadn't been as selfless as it seemed. King beds were great and all but a queen would work just fine.

Nathan and Haley found their bedroom and after they'd put their bags down Haley went straight for the balcony while Nathan laid down.

He closed his eyes and rested his hands behind his head, "How long until we go eat? I could lay here for a while."

Opening the doors, Haley took in the stunning view and looked over her shoulder, "Probably about an hour or so." She stepped onto the stone floor and looked toward the emerald green water and lush landscape that filled the island. "Nathan, come look at this." Haley continued to gaze across the picturesque backdrop and turned around when she didn't hear him respond. She walked back into their room and saw that he had fallen asleep on the bed. Smiling, Haley scooted up close to him laying down. She felt her cheeks heat when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Hey."

She leaned her back into his chest and smiled, "I thought you were asleep."

"Mmm-ugh." Nathan took a deep breath and pulled her closer, "You wanted a smaller bed on purpose, didn't you?"

Haley laughed, "You saw through my guise, huh?"

Pressed up against Haley, Nathan laughed, "Kinda reminds me of high school. Being at your parents house on your full size bed." He laughed again and kissed her neck, "We could hardly fit, and that thing was so uncomfortable. It was hard as rocks."

"It was not." Haley rolled over to face him.

"Was too." Nodding, Nathan smirked, "I only ever stayed over because Tim was crashing at the apartment or I needed to see you. My bed was much better."

"Maybe so." Haley arched her brow and laughed remembering the times Nathan had slept at her parents' house. She rested her forehead on his chest and then looked up to him. "Maybe we can just stay like this for a while?"

Pulling her close, Nathan nodded and they were able to lay like that for a while. Untouched and simply just the two of them, Nathan and Haley dozed off in each others arms.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed until someone came in.

"Knock, knock..." Brooke walked into the bedroom with the Parrot Cay amenities binder in her hand not realizing the couple was sleeping, "We're all starving. There's this cool little place..." Brooke looked up and saw that Nathan and Haley were tangled together and she started to smile. Quietly walking out of the room, Brooke whisper yelled, "Julian grab your camera. Luke come here."

Instead of only the two men, just about everyone came to see what Brooke was wanting the guys for and they all walked to the bedroom. Swirling her finger in the couple's direction, Brooke nodded at Lucas. "This is your new book and that..." She pointed at the bodies and nodded, "...is your cover art. We already know the story but other people would read that in a hot second."

Charlotte looked at her parents and then to her raspy voiced aunt, "Aunt Brooke, they're always like that."

Being a bit of a hopeless romantic, the brunette furrowed her brow in a sweet manner, "That's adorable."

"What's all the commotion?" Peyton stuck her head inside and looked at her family.

"I want to be like that after almost twenty years." Brooke looked from the duo to Peyton and then to her husband. She knew that she and Julian were built to last, same with Lucas and Peyton, but watching their high school friends still in love as they had been when Hot Shot was covered in acne and Tutor Girl wore ponchos that looked liked old rugs was something to admire. Not everyone could maintain something like that. But then again, not everyone was Nathan and Haley.

Charlotte walked over to the side of the bed her mom was on and leaned close to her mom's cheek with a smile and a whisper, "Everyone's looking at you."

Haley cracked open an eye and could see that she and Nathan had an audience. She started to shift and blinked a few times. "Hey, what time is it?"

"Time to eat."

Not knowing who said that Haley laughed and started to sit up. She nudged Nathan and looked at everyone in their room. "So what's the plan?"

"Well that's what I was coming in here to talk to you about but you and Boy Toy were all sweet and cuddled up." Brooke smiled at her friends.

Nathan was awake now and he folded his hands behind his head.

"So..." Brooke put down the binder and pointed at the restaurants page. "Here are our choices."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Why don't we order in? We've had a busy day."

"Works for me." Peyton agreed with her husband and knew that the younger kids would probably hit their jet lag wall relatively soon.

"Can I get chicken fingers?" Keith looked to his mom and squinted like his father.

"Me too?" Davis nodded and turned towards his parents.

"Chicken fingers sounds good to me." Charlotte agreed with her cousins and nodded.

Haley laughed because it didn't matter where in the world they went as long as the place had chicken fingers their kids would be set.

"I think ordering in, it is." Julian nodded and around to the rest of the group who seemed to agree.

Figuring out what everyone wanted to eat had taken longer than the actual delivery. When two men showed up with five full bags of take-out boxes, the older guys and teenage boys helped bring their food into the kitchen.

All of the younger kids scrambled into the kitchen and Haley ushered them right back out. "Hold your horses, guys. The food's not going anywhere. Sit down at the table and we'll bring it to you."

The women had started an assembly line more or less and quickly found out which food belonged to whom.

"Davis do you want ketchup?"

"Yes please!"

Brooke tossed in a few packets and handed her son's box to Julian. Peyton checked the island cheeseburger that Sawyer got and was surprised that it had mustard. She grabbed a fry to scrape the yellow sauce off because her daughter had a strange relationship with the condiment. Sawyer could drown a hot dog with the stuff but put in on a hamburger and it nearly made her gag.

"Luke, here. This one is Sawyer's and this one is Keith's." Peyton handed her husband the food and then Haley got to work on her kids stuff. Charlotte, Jamie, and Chuck were given their food and then the adults were able to get theirs.

With the kids sitting around the kitchen table, the adults wandered outside on the patio and had a good view of their munchkins thanks to the large glass window that gave them a perfect lane for observation.

Peyton poked her now cool pasta and laughed, "The price you pay for kids, huh?"

Haley laughed and nodded and she cut into her grilled chicken, "It's still good though."

Nathan had gotten a Caribbean pizza with jerk beef and agreed, "Mine's really good." He took a fresh bite and nodded, "Very islandy."

Lucas laughed because he knew that islandy wasn't a word. After taking a sip of his wine, Lucas sat back in his chair and took a deep breath glancing to the sky.

Haley saw her best friend looking to the stars and she smiled, "Looking for a comet, Luke?"

Brooke nodded and looked at Peyton, "I'm pretty sure she's already here."

"Us and anyone else who went to that wedding knows that." Nathan laughed because the Lucas and Lindsay wedding seemed like so long ago.

"To bad I wasn't there to see that one." Julian bit into his food and shrugged.

Peyton took a sip of her wine and shook her head, "It really wasn't memorable."

"Oh, burn, P. Scott." Brooke laughed and looked at her old friend.

Laughing, Peyton shook her head and turned to Lucas, "I didn't mean it like that. I just...I wanted it to be me up there."

"And look at you now." Brooke nodded and tilted her glass towards the couple, "Married with kids... who knew?" She laughed because that had been sarcastic. "Not much of a surprise there."

"But what about you guys?" Julian looked at Nathan and Haley, "Didn't you throw everyone off guard when you got married?"

Haley nodded and turned to Lucas, "When I told Lucas I think he was thinking we'd done something else."

Nathan had a smirk and nodded, "We did."

Haley felt her cheeks turn red and rolled her eyes.

"Well you came walking out of the bedroom with just Nathan's sweatshirt." Lucas' brow rose and he shook his head, "What else was I supposed to think?"

Peyton laughed nodding her head, "Bow chicka bow wow."

"Which was really more of Brooke's department." Nathan looked to their raspy voiced friend and smiled with a laugh.

"Hey! I grew out of that. I ended up being the SGA president who ended up marrying a mathlete."

"You were a mathlete? How did I not know that?" Haley looked at Julian surprised and a bit jealous, "I always wanted to do that!"

Lucas looked to his best friend and furrowed his brow, "Yeah? Why did you never get to do that?"

Haley glanced to Nathan and shrugged, "Because there was this one kid I tutored who ended up taking _all_ my time. Math, English, all of the subjects, really."

"Not _all_ of them. I was the one helping you with P.E." Nathan wanted to make his case.

"Okay, not all of them, but I didn't really have a lot of free time."

Julian smiled and shook his head, "Being a mathlete wasn't all that fun. I think you probably ended up spending your free time wisely."

Setting down her wine glass, Haley nodded and looked to her husband, "He ended up with a C average and I got a husband."

"C _plus_, actually."

The group started to laugh but Haley caught Nathan's eye and knew that her tutoring him had absolutely been the best thing that could have ever happened to them.

**OTHOTH**

Day three of their two week trip was just beginning and Haley was enjoying a grapefruit on their secluded balcony. Thumbing through the pages of her book, the warm morning breeze was blowing through her hair and she tugged at the cardigan that was around her shoulders.

The door opened up and she heard Nathan's footsteps and saw him hold a coffee cup in her direction.

She smiled and closed her book as she took the coffee, "Morning."

"Morning." Nathan took a seat next to Haley and looked out across the blue horizon. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them and for a while they sat enjoying the landscape and each others presence.

"So do you think you guys can handle the kids today?"

Nodding, Nathan felt pretty confident that between he, Lucas, and Julian they could keep the boys under wraps while the girls had their spa day. "Jamie and Chuck are old enough to look after themselves and Keith and Davis will be easy."

He might not want to be so sure of himself but Haley nodded hoping that the husbands would have a fun and easy day with the boys.

"What about you? I've heard the spa can be really _grueling_."

Haley laughed and nodded as she took a sip of her coffee, "_So_ grueling."

Laughing himself, Nathan smiled at his wife, "You're gonna have fun. I bet Charlotte and Sawyer will have a good time, too."

"I think so. I hope so." Haley thought the same thing and new that the younger Scott girls were in for a treat. While the boys enjoyed the sand between their toes, the girls would get theirs painted. "I should probably go see if Charlotte's even awake. We've got to catch the boat to the other island." Haley got up and grazed her hand over his shoulder before she walked inside, "Thanks for the coffee."

"Yeah, sure."

Haley made her way into the house and walked to the kitchen where Sawyer was looking through an island magazine. "See any cool things in there, Sawyer?"

"This parasailing thing might be fun." Holding out the magazine Sawyer showed her aunt the picture of what looked like a parachute being pulled behind a boat.

Eyes wide with the thought of any of the kids dangling from a long cable, Haley let out laugh and tilted her head to the bedroom, "Is Charlotte up?"

Sawyer shook her head and watched her mom walk into the kitchen. "Hey Mom, look at this..." While the two blondes discussed the potential parasailing, the darker haired Mrs. Scott when to wake up Charlotte.

"Who's ready for some fabulous girl time?" Brooke walked from the other house dressed and ready with a tote around her shoulder and everything. "I mean I was all about some snorkeling yesterday and seeing those colorful fish but this...this is going to be where the good stuff is."

Peyton and Sawyer could only humorously smile at Brooke because she was so...Brooke.

Charlotte came walking into the kitchen with her pajamas still on and smiled at the women.

"Charlotte, chop, chop. We gotta get a move on so those pretty little fingers and toes can get some color on them."

Peyton was still laughing and shook her head, "Give them a second, Brooke. They just got up. We are not all as perky as you in the morning."

While the younger girls ate breakfast and went to change clothes, the husbands and boys walked into the kitchen.

"Who wants to be in charge of sunscreen?" Haley had a bag full of every SPF ever made and looked at the older men.

"I think I can handle it." Nathan stepped up and glanced at the lotions and oils that were available.

"And Davis, anytime you want to go in the ocean, go with one of the adults." Brooke knew her five year old could swim okay, but swimming in a pool was nothing like swimming in the ocean.

"I will."

"He will." Julian nodded at his wife and put his hand over Davis' shoulder.

Peyton knew that Lucas could handle Keith. Their seven year old wasn't much of a hassle. Nothing compared to his sister at least. "If he wants to change bathing suits because the sand starts to bother him he knows where his other ones are."

"Alright."

"Any instructions for me?" Nathan looked at Haley and smiled. Jamie was more than capable of taking care of himself but she might have had something to say.

"Just remember the sunscreen."

Charlotte and Sawyer walked out of their bedroom and were ready to leave with their moms.

Nathan turned to his youngest and smiled, "Have fun today, Charlotte."

"You too, Dad." The nine year old leaned toward her father before they left and before any of them knew it the two groups were on their way.

Jamie had already changed into his bathing suit and held up a football, "Who wants to play?"

"Me!" Keith ran over to his cousin and tried to jump and get the ball. "Can I be on your team?"

While the men got changed and headed to the beach, the women golf carted themselves over to the pier where a boat was waiting for them to go to the adjacent island.

Peyton got aboard and pulled her sunglasses from her hair in front of her eyes, "So should we wager anything about how long it takes before one of them calls us?"

Brooke laughed and nodded, "Three hours."

"At least the kids are out of diapers." Haley smiled at her daughter and nodded, "He used to put yours on backwards."

"And your dad, kiddo, he never strapped them tight enough so they would fall down. You'd be running through the house half naked."

Sawyer started to smile because she was pretty sure she'd seen pictures of herself with her diaper around her ankles.

"Julian was actually really good at diapers. I think all the time he spent with Sylvia instilled a bit of a maternal instinct in him."

"Careful, don't run, guys. You might fall." Julian was exploring his inner Mama side when he watched the two younger boys barrel down the path toward the beach when everyone was ready.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Keith looked over his shoulder and the five remaining guys looked at each other as if they were waiting to see if anyone was gonna make a move.

"Well that's not gonna be me!" Jamie ran down the walkway and could hear a heard of footsteps behind him.

"Me either." Lucas took off after Jamie with Chuck on his heels leaving Julian and Nathan fending for last, but poor Julian was no match for former NBA star Nathan Scott.

Jamie dove into the crystal blue water and Keith and Lucas went in next. The surf was calm but created small waves and Davis was a little hesitant about going in.

"Come on, Davis!" Nathan ran past the little boy and dove into the water while Chuck did a belly flop into a wave.

As the water brushed up against his toes, Davis felt arms wrap around his body. Julian lifted his son and ran into the water with the little boy laughing hysterically.

While the boys were all laughing on the beach, the girls were sharing the same experience as they walked to the entrance of the spa.

"You looked like Frankenstein?" Charlotte looked at her mom with a cute giggle.

"I did. I had a green mask on my face when..."

"She ripped that blackhead strip off my face so fast I was surprised I had skin left." Brooke laughed and remembered the high school argument they'd gotten into.

"Why were you so mad that you had to rip it off, Aunt Haley?" Sawyer was laughing trying to imagine her aunt with a green face.

"Uh..."

"We were just young...and mad about...things." Peyton didn't want to particularly tell the ten year old that they were arguing about her snorting cocaine, Haley hanging out with Chris Keller, or Brooke having sex in Haley's bed. It was best if they kept it vague.

"I bet you looked funny with green stuff all over your face, Mama."

"She did, but she was prettiest green faced girl in Tree Hill." Brooke nodded and nudged Haley in the side.

The women and young girls walked up to the reception desk where they were told where to go and where to change into their fancy, fabulous feeling robes. Sawyer and Charlotte's were obviously a little big but Brooke had rolled their sleeves so they still looked cute.

But rolling sleeves weren't the only things that had been rolling around. After Jamie tackled his dad to the ground after catching a pass, Nathan thought he could make things more interesting.

"I see how you want to play." He started to laugh and rolled over so he could pin his son to the ground like he had.

"Phzzz." Jamie tried to spit the sand that had gotten in his mouth out and knew that his dad was in some sort of way trying to challenge him to a wrestling match. "Dad, you don't want to mess with me." Jamie laughed and tried to wrap his dad in a headlock and the duel between father and son when on until both of them were nearly out of breath.

Nathan was on his side pinned pretty well by his son but Nathan had the upper hand. The father had Jamie's cheek in the sand.

"Truce?" Jamie was having a good time he was ready for an amnesty.

"Truce?"

"Yeah? On three?" Jamie counted down and both of the Scotts let go of one another.

Nathan was first to get up and offered Jamie a hand. Smirking with the smile he'd received from his dad, Jamie laughed. "I mean I didn't want to hurt you. You're kind of getting old."

Shoving Jamie playfully, Nathan laughed, "You just hope you're in as good of shape as I am when you're my age."

Jamie looked to his dad and nodded with a wholesome truth. "Yeah...I do."

"This kinda tickles." Charlotte felt a soft brush go over her face and closed her eyes as the bristles brushed against her jaw line. The girls were getting rejuvenation masks put on.

Sawyer wasn't worried about the tickling so much, "It kinda smells funny."

"But you guys are gonna look as young as you do now when your our age." Brooke enjoyed the life of luxury as she hoped this miracle cream could turn back the clock on her crows feet.

"Oh, Brooke you've aged better than any of us." Peyton lifted a cucumber off her eyes and laughed at her raspy voiced friend.

"Well I appreciate the compliment but that's not true." Brooke turned to Haley and nodded, "Tutor Mom has skin that I would die for." Turning to the youngest Scott, Brooke smiled, "Remember to thank her when you're older, Charlotte."

Having nice skin wasn't just good luck or even nicer genetics. Haley had always tried to take care of her skin, which is why she'd been so adamant about someone being in charge of sunscreen duty.

The three grown men who had played themselves to near exhaustion were all lounging on chairs with an afternoon nap in the near future. After swimming, a football game, a father son wrestling match, more swimming, lunch and more running around the older guys had worn themselves out. Lucas was the first to go. He fell asleep with his arms by his side and his face turned toward the sun. Nathan was the long day's next victim and Julian tried to fight it, he really did. He knew the younger boys needed to have supervision but when he watched Jamie and Chuck with Keith and Davis he knew that things would be okay and he zonked out just as hard and heavy as the other two.

"Dad, look what I got." Keith had a few shells in his hand and ran up to his dad but realized that his father and uncles were asleep. He ran back to the other boys and shrugged, "They're asleep."

"What?" Jamie looked over to the lounge chairs and started to get an idea. It was just a little after one o'clock and the sun's most powerful rays would be shining down during the rest of the afternoon. Maybe he and the other boys could go have a little fun with their dads.

"Lotion?" One of the women who was about to paint the girls toes held out a bottle and nodded.

"Yes, please." Haley nodded and turned to her daughter, "What color are you gonna get?"

"What color are _you_ gonna get? I want whichever one you get."

Haley held out the two choices she was considering and figured whichever one Charlotte liked more she would get, but before they could settle on color choice a hilarious cackle came from two chairs down.

"Bhahah, ahh, haha." Sawyer had never really thought she had ticklish feet until some stranger started touching them. She'd been fine when they pained the mask on her face but her feet were totally different.

"Sawyer..." Peyton winced and started to laugh as her daughter started to squirm around.

"I..ah! Hahaha, stop...haha. Ha, please..." Sawyer instinctively kicked her feet and the woman's lotion was kicked to the floor. "Oh, sorry!" Sawyer put her feet down while the woman went to go fetch her lotion that Sawyer had kicked across the room like a field goal. "I'll just watch. I don't need my toes painted."

Looking and the woman who was only dong her job, Peyton apologized, "Sorry about that." She turned to her oldest and tried not to laugh, "At least you didn't kick _her_."

Brooke nodded, "That would have left a permanent mark."

It was funny that Brooke had said that because when the women got home they couldn't help but notice the dots and lines on the front side of their husbands legs.

At a little past four o'clock, the girls made it back to the house with rejuvenated skin and perfectly polished nails, but their spirits had come alive too. But this was for an entirely different reason- the men had been pampered with some high-end skin care as well.

"What happened to you?" Haley pushed her sunglasses into her hair and noticed Nathan's polka dotted legs.

Jamie started to laugh and Nathan cut his eyes. The sixteen year old walked up to his mom and smiled, "We had art class on the beach today."

Peyton but her bag on the counter, "Art class, that's cool. Wish I would have been here for that."

Lucas shook his head, "It wasn't art class."

Davis walked up to his mom and smiled, "We drew on Daddy, Uncle Lucas and Uncle Nathan."

"With sunscreen!" Keith found it really funny and bent over laughing.

Brooke's eyes got wide and laughed, "Oh you did not?"

Julian nodded and lifted up his shirt. His red chest had a tan smiley face right in the middle. "Yes they did."

Lucas lifted up his shirt and shook his head, "Keith Picasso went a little crazy." There were lines and zigzags all over his stomach. Lucas turned to his brother and laughed, "But Nathan has it worse."

"Show us, show us." Charlotte was eager to see what had happened but Nathan wasn't in the mood to show off his ridiculous chest.

"I think I'm gonna take a shower."

"Oh, boo!" Peyton furrowed her brow, "Come on Nate."

Nathan walked towards the bedroom and Haley looked at Lucas and Julian. "So...how did this happen?"

Jamie laughed and crossed his arms, "They fell asleep, and we wanted to make sure they had adequate sun protection."

Haley laughed and rolled her eyes. "What did you draw on your dad?" Thinking the worst, Haley only imagined that the sixteen year old thought a penis might be funny but she really didn't want that to be the case.

"It's not that bad. It's just since Dad was so pasty his polka dots really stand out."

Lucas nodded and laughed, "Yeah, it kind of looks like he has a disease."

Haley grimaced and knew she probably needed to go talk to him. He'd already taken his super fast shower and was standing in gym shorts in the bathroom looking at his chest. She leaned in the door frame and knocked on the wood, "You're not contagious, are you?"

"Hales..." Nathan sighed heavily and shook his head.

She laughed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Haley walked further into the bathroom and got a good luck at her husband's chest and stomach. He was terribly sunburned and the small dots all over his body were so white that it really did look like he had some kind of horrible skin rash.

"I look ridiculous." He let out a huff and tossed the hand towel on the counter.

Haley eyed Nathan and knew he looked far from ridiculous. A shirtless Nathan Scott was never a sour sight. "It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Nathan looked down to his chest and shook his head.

"At least they didn't get it on your face." Haley bit her lip and shrugged, "And I think the boys had fun."

He knew that they had but he just wished he didn't look like a leopard. "I look dumb and the sunburn really hurts."

Haley nodded and walked over to her travel bag. "Here." She squirted some of the green gel in her hand and walked back to him, "This won't take away the spots but it should help with the sunburn." She ran her aloe covered hands over his chest and the cool gel was quick comfort for Nathan.

He stayed pretty quiet while she ran her hands over his abs and down to his waistband.

"Does it feel better?"

"Yeah." He looked down and saw that she had a new color on her nails, "How was the spa?"

"It was good. We had a nice time."

"I like your color." He'd looked down at her nails and nodded.

She loved it when he noticed things like that. New nail polish, a hair cut, the little things that most guys don't pay attention to. Haley looked up to his red chest and placed her hands around his sides, "I like your color, too."

He started to roll his eyes but Haley got on her tiptoes and kissed him. Nathan started to smile after he pulled away and shook his head.

"What?" Haley didn't know why he had that look. Nathan was just smiling but Haley answered his silence. "I love you, too."

It was times like these where Nathan felt like he was a lucky man. To have someone like Haley who knew him inside and out was more than most people could account for. It was their looks, those silent conversations, and the years gone by that only solidified exactly what everyone knew. It didn't matter if they were sixteen or thirty four with polka dots, Nathan and Haley were as good together as good could get.

**OTHOTH**

**Hopefully this revamp was more along the lines of what you guys wanted to see. If not, don't shy away from criticism. Your opinion matters. The next 11 chapters gets us into the homestretch and right now the last two (maybe one, I might mash it together) are written, and I've got outlines for Nathan's health scare, Naley's 25 year anniversary, a high school chapter, and I think I'm gonna have all the adults (NH,LP,BJ) go up to New York at some point. Of those four ideas, you guys can let me know which one you'd rather see first or come up your own LM idea. **

**My reviewers are my source for inspiration and drive. Thank you all for the patience with updating. **

******Kelly****: Thank you for the suggestions. I added to my author's note at the bottom of last chapter about they things/places they've already been (Disney and skiing, chapters 45 & 28) so check those chapters out if you want to read about those. Your road trip idea was interesting but I'm not so sure it would be **_fun_** with kids.**

**KC****: I'm glad you think I write the college age well because that is one of the times I struggle with the most...at least in my opinion. It was so great to read how the random/insignificant help the story and or characters seem more real to you. Great compliment. AND in response to what you said about the original chapter 89: I did manually take it down. There was no glitch. Over half of the average hit count only had 4 reviews and that reflected really poorly on my writing so that's why I decided to take it down. It was up for about 10 hours and then I took it down. Sorry for the confusion.  
**

**J****: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Mary Garland****: I appreciate the feedback. I'm happy you liked the last chapter. Hope you liked this vacation chapter!**

**Annie****: Ha, I feel like a lot of people deal with procrastination issues. I think it should be a certified legit disease, lol. I'm glad you liked Nathan in the last chapter. The cousins were all together in this one so hopefully it was what you were wanting.**

**Finley****: I had a fun time writing the part where Nathan got in trouble at the grocery store so I'm glad you liked that part. Your suggestion about having all they young teens was good but with the age difference with all the kids it wouldn't have really worked. If Sawyer and Charlotte had been teens then Jamie would have been away in college doing is own kind of thing...so it was a good thought but I couldn't execute it. I have done a chapter were Charlotte sneaks out though, ch 72.**

**Megan****: Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know you enjoyed the college time frame. Maybe I'll do one more before the end of the story.**

**Satcher****: I have to agree. Jamie is pretty cute around 2 years old. I think most kids are. And like you said, even if they are misbehaving, lol.**

**Amy****: Nathan's health scare is coming soon. I did a cancer scare for Haley before, so I don't think I'll do that to her again, ch 65 . Jealous Nathan was supposed to appear in this chapter but I cut it short. He'll come back in an upcoming chapter though. About a fight. I've had them fight before and those aren't the most well received chapters. I did one when they were in college and Jamie was young so check that out, ch 67. For a while I had a hurricane planned but since the show did that this season I feel like it would be too repetitive. Thanks so much for the suggestions!**

**Laura****: Ha, lol, yeah, I could see Nathan putting Jamie in the fridge just because too. I mean obviously since I wrote it but it just seemed Nathan like. Thank you for the good luck wishes with ****school. I'm gonna need it when finals start Monday!**

**Joan****: Thanks so much for the nice things you had to say about the previous chapter. I had a fun time writing it. The health scare is coming up soon so you can look forward to that, and I really appreciate your thoughts on the vacation chapter!**

**Merle****: I'm glad you know that you enjoy young Jamie and the college years. Thanks for the feedback!**

**C: I'm glad you liked the college chapter. I had fun writing a lot of that chapter. I'm also happy you liked Nathan's words of wisdom to Jamie when they were watching Scooby Doo. There are some important life lessons that can be made out of that cartoon, lol. About the original chapter 89: I took it down after the worrisome review count to hit count ratio. It made me think I'd done something horribly wrong so I took it down and tried to re-vamp it. Hopefully it's better. But I did keep the Brooke stuff you liked.  
**

**Review Please!**


	90. Muddying the Waters

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 90: Muddying the Water**

**Disclaimer: For the ninetieth time, I don't own One Tree Hill or any of Mark's characters. **

**AN: Finally, I know. It's been quite awhile since I've updated. I know, I hang my head in disappointment but what can you do when life gets in the way? For those of you who keep up with my profile you know I got super busy then sick, then busy again. But I'm back. For real. My mini semester this summer is done and I promise to get back on the updating train full speed ahead. I'll still have two other classes but I won't have to go everyday. Whew, looking forward to that. So back to the story. I know forever ago I said the next chapter will be a health scare. Well, I changed my mind. I didn't think that would be a good chapter to come back with from this long hiatus, so I'm doing a lighter, fluffier one. It's a missing moment from season 2. Yep, way back then. More specifically around 2.12. Hopefully I haven't lost my mojo and you all like the chapter. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley walked out of the apartment with a heavy sigh and a sneer. There was only so much she could take. Her older, less mature, more aggravating sister, Taylor, was in town and she needed to get out of the house. She also needed to go to the store.

Pulling out her cell phone, Haley dialed Nathan's number. She waited a few rings and then heard his voice.

"Hey, Hales."

"Where do you buy fire extinguishers?"

"What? Why do you need one of those?"

Haley laughed out of frustration, "Because Taylor is a fire hazard. Haven't you noticed how many candles she's been burning? What happens when the apartment goes up in flames?"

Nathan laughed and looked around the auto shop. He'd been working there as a temporary job and it was just about time to go. "I don't..."

"Maybe I can spray her so she'll leave?"

Nathan tried to stifle his laughs, "I think that stuff is really dangerous."

Haley's eyes got wide, "Well all the _more_ reason to get one. A _big_ one."

Keith walked up to Nathan and wasn't keen on his employee having his phone out but it was five minutes till quitting time. He put his hand on Nathan's shoulder, "If I were Dan I'd probably kick your ass for this." His grin got wide and he smiled, "So I guess it's a good thing I'm not him." Kieth tilted his head toward the parking lot, "Go on. Get out of here."

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Nathan nodded at his uncle, "Thanks, Keith."

The older man nodded and Nathan headed for the car as he raised his phone back to his ear, "She probably won't be staying here long."

Rolling her eyes, Haley knew that her sister would be able to weasel her way into staying much longer than she was welcomed, "And may I remind you that you're the one who told her she could stay."

Nathan grimaced as he heard her say that, "Well..." He didn't have a very good reply so he changed the subject as he opened the front door of their blue two door hatch back, "Where are you now?"

"Walking...around."

He laughed getting in the car, "Walking?"

Haley's eyes bugged, "You didn't think I would get Taylor to drive me, did you?"

"Well no...but..." Nathan cranked the car furrowing his brow, "You wanted to _walk_ to the store to get a fire extinguisher and _walk_ back? Those things are heavy Ha..."

"Nathan..." Haley didn't want a lecture on how illogical her plan was. "I just needed to get away from her."

Trying not to laugh, Nathan pulled away from Keith's garage. "I can tell."

She rolled her eyes and walked across the crosswalk, "Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah." He'd gotten into the car and was in the middle of pulling away from auto shop.

Haley stopped at a crosswalk by the apartment and looked both ways, "Alright, I'll see you in a little while."

"Bye." Nathan said goodbye and heard Haley say the same. He pulled on to busy street and made his way home. As he watched the Tree Hill scenery pass him by, he couldn't help but notice the golden band on his ring finger. It had been such a spontaneous moment that was turning out to be a lifetime. The cool metal rubbed against the steering wheel, and as he stopped a red light, Nathan couldn't help but spin it around his finger. It was habit he'd picked up since Haley had placed it on his hand, and now, unknowingly, he couldn't stop from messing with it. A constant reminder of the girl he loved, Nathan stared at his finger until the honk behind him stirred him from his thoughts.

Wincing, Nathan looked in his rear view mirror and held up his hand apologizing. He turned toward home and drove through town until he saw something familiar. Slowing down, Nathan pulled closer to the curb and leaned over to crank the window down. "Wanna ride?"

Haley looked over her shoulder and saw their junky Honda hatchback. She got into the passenger seat and turned to see Nathan's smirk. She felt her cheeks turn red and Haley curled her mouth into a smile simply shaking her head.

"What?" The dark haired basketball star turned toward Tutor Girl with arched brows.

He knew what. It was a simple look. A smirk paired with those eyes and he had her in a pile of lovesick mush. Taylor had slipped from her mind and nothing else seemed to matter. Haley turned to Nathan asking him a question in return. "How was work?"

Letting out sigh, Nathan pulled away from the curb and shook his head, "Dad came by..." His sigh turned into a laugh, "But you should have seen it. Every time he turned around Keith would make faces or give him a one finger salute."

Haley laughed imagining how that went. "Brotherly love, huh?"

"Yeah...something like that." Nathan nodded and turned away from the apartment.

Noticing the change in direction, Haley looked out the window and then back to her husband, "Uh, babe, the apartment is back that way. And I don't really need a fire ex..."

Shaking his head, Nathan looked at Haley with a sweet smile, "I was gonna take you to dinner. The Riverwalk?"

"Oh." She sat back in her chair and felt herself smile.

"I figured we could eat out..."

Haley looked to Nathan and nodded with a sweet smile, "Yeah, that'll be nice."

The duo drove downtown and found a place to park. Walking into a restaurant they could nearly call home, Nathan and Haley ate dinner with peaceful conversation, and after resting his fork on his plate, Nathan sat back in his chair and started to reach for his wallet. Thing was, he was still in his mechanics outfit.

"Your wallet's still in the car, isn't it?" Haley knew that the dark blue jumpsuit didn't have butt pockets.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Nathan started to get up but saw Haley shake her head.

Haley pulled out some cash and put it on the table, "You don't have to go to the car. I have fire extinguisher money, remember?"

"Right." He laughed and they both started to get up from their table.

Nathan and Haley made their way toward the water and Haley was glad she had her jacket. The night was cool but it was nice. The Riverwalk was lit from the moon, and close to the Diligence, trees were draped with strings of lights that, from a distance, looked like fireflies. Step for step and hand in hand, the high school sweethearts walked parallel with the water.

"Thanks for dinner." Nathan looked at Haley and smiled with a hint of humor.

"Thanks for bringing me."

One of his famous smirks started to spread across his cheeks and he raised Haley's hand to his mouth. "You're welcome."

Haley could felt her stomach flip, her cheeks darken, and her temperature rise. He had the best way of saying things. But it wasn't just what he'd say. It was how he'd say it and the small gestures that followed. She stopped walking and put her hands on his biceps, leaning into him for a kiss. Nathan felt her hand rub against him and when they pulled away he knew it wasn't enough. With the starry night above them, Nathan watched Haley lose her tip toe height and moved in to kiss her again. He cupped her head and met her lips with a softness that had surprised her. When they moved apart Haley felt the bounce in her step and couldn't stop thinking about him. It was his touch, his smell, the way he looked in that outfit, his kiss; Nathan Scott was perfectly irresistible.

They stayed relatively quiet for a little while as they continued to walk across the wooden planks. Nathan could tell that Haley was still blushing and since he loved that look so much he thought he might help it stay there. "It's the outfit right?"

Haley's eyes got big, "Wha..."

"Don't deny it, Haley. You know you like it." He started to slowly tug at the zipper showing more of his white undershirt. It didn't go down but a quarter of an inch but he could see her reaction in those big brown eyes.

With scorching red cheeks raging like a wild fire in high winds, Haley opened her mouth, "I...you...wha..."

"Haley James at a loss for words? I don't believe it." He couldn't help but egg it on.

Her mouth still hung open and she was trying to reason why he was asking. Was it because they'd kissed again? He'd initiated that. "You're the one who kissed me."

Nathan couldn't lie. She was sexy when she got flustered and defensive. "I don't know Hales."

"Nathan...you started it. You...you kissed my hand."

He tried not to laugh but she'd in fact started this. "You're the one who knew I didn't have my wallet. You knew I didn't have pockets. Get a little lost staring at the goods?"

The goods? Had he really just said that? Haley laughed and crossed her arms, "Well if you have to know..." Yes, of course she'd noticed Nathan's butt. He did have a nice one, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. "Who does the laundry, again?" She let out a laugh because that idea had just come to her.

His little game hit a roadblock. His ego had gotten the best of him because he'd just assumed she knew about the non pockets due to his good looks. Nathan was wrong. It was laundry. She knew because she did the laundry. At least that was what Haley was letting him believe. "Oh."

She laughed again and they continued to walk and talk for a little while. When they got back to the apartment the nauseating spell of fingernail polish remover lingered in the air and Nathan swatted his hand in front of his face.

"Taylor..." Haley had forgotten about her sister but then quickly remembered when she saw the candles burning. Looking around their empty place, Haley rolled her eyes, maybe she should have gotten that fire extinguisher. "She's a walking disaster."

"Luke told me you call her Hurricane Taylor."

Pointing to the mess Haley nodded, "Well as you can see...it kinda fits."

He laughed and watched his wife put the top on the nail polish remover as he started to blow out candles. Haley walked over to the counter and held back her hair, "Jeez, why does she use all these?" She blew one out and then watched Nathan get the last one.

The apartment grew dark and it was just the two newlyweds and the darkness. It was strange how they could go from annoyed with Taylor to instantly drawn to eachother.

Nathan let out a goofy laugh, "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here." Haley's voice echoed tones of seduction and he reached out where he thought she might be.

His eyes were slowly adjusting, and the moonlight outside gave objects inside a mysterious silhouette. They hadn't been far apart so when Nathan's hand touched her jacket he was able to pull her close. "Hey."

"Hi." Haley put her hands around his waist and looked up. Since they couldn't clearly see each other, Haley knew her smile wouldn't give her away. "When you asked me about this outfit..." She tugged on the material and he started to laugh.

"It wasn't because of laundry." He knew from the beginning.

She rose up on her tiptoes so her words buzzed his lips before she kissed him. "Not at all."

In the middle of the kitchen surrounded by darkness and each others arms, Nathan and Haley kissed until their lungs ached for air. They were alone, they were married, they were teenagers. What young couple wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity?

Suddenly the lights flickered on and a voice interupted them. "Well, well, look who's getting kinky in the kitchen. Looks like I did rub off on you, Hay."

Quickly turning around, Haley looked at her sister halfway embarrassed and halfway mad that she'd interrupted them. "Where did you come from?"

"Well one night Mom and Dad got a little frisky, and then nine months later..." She laughed at herself and shrugged her shoulders, "I was in the back. That bed is really comfortable by the way."

"You were in our bed?" Haley suddenly felt like she needed to change the sheets.

"I was only sleeping. But what does it matter? It's not like Nathan and I haven't shared a..."

"Stop." Nathan shook his head and didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear it and he knew Haley didn't want to hear it. They'd already gotten over that and he didn't particularly want to talk about it again. He was gonna be out of luck though. Nathan would deal with jokes and comments about that for years and years to come.

"Well it's all yours now." Taylor held out her hand towards the bedroom and watched them both walk passed her. She laughed when he saw Nathan following directly behind Haley and she couldn't help herself. "Oh, and Nathan...I saw that you got _excited_ to see me, but I'm busy tonight."

"Taylor!" Haley shouted out a warning call and then shut the bedroom door with a thud.

"This is not because of her." Nathan sat down on the bed and shifted his weight to make himself more comfortable."

Haley laughed at him because of his defense and then laughed at their situation. She knew he wasn't excited to see Taylor. Haley sat down on the bed next to her husband and leaned into his side. "I'm sorry."

Hey looked at her and shook his head, "For what?"

"For having a crazy family."

Falling back on the bed, Nathan laughed and put his arm around her, "Mine's not normal either."

She shook her head into his chest with a smile, "We'll be okay, though."

"Yeah, we'll be fine."

The couple laid in bed with a lighthearted demeanor about their less than perfect relatives. In the big scheme of things none of that really mattered. The only things that they needed to worry about were themselves, and as the two teenagers fell asleep next to each other, things were seemingly fine.

No matter what Taylor did or didn't do she wasn't going to mess up an unbreakable bond. But that didn't mean she couldn't break something else.

**OTHOTH**

There was something about the quiet serenity of the high school library that Haley liked best. Aside from being next to Nathan, it was probably her favorite spot in the world. Surrounded by the likes of Dickens and Fitzgerald, Austen and Poe; Haley could study, she could read, she could bask in the stillness of pages that hadn't been touched since they'd first been placed on shelves. The library was her fortress, but today it doubled as her cafeteria.

Going over math equations while munching on a handful of grapes, Haley quickly worked on her homework while she waited for her tutoring session to begin. Her homework wasn't due until tomorrow but she couldn't get much done at the apartment lately. Nathan was a welcomed distraction but Taylor was still in town. Those two combined meant very little time for anything school related.

Checking her watch, Haley knew that Lyle would be walking in anytime. He was kind of like Nathan, an athlete who needed to keep his grades up, but he wasn't nearly as cute or captivating. When she had three problems left she could tell someone had walked over to her table, and when she looked up she saw two blue eyes staring at her. He was supposed to be in class. "Hey, what are you doing in here?"

Tilting his head toward his teacher, Nathan looked down at the piece of paper in his hands, "We're doing some project on short stories for class."

"Oh, sounds fun."

He laughed because he knew she wasn't kidding. "But I've got a question."

Placing her pencil down, Haley looked up to him with arched brow, "Okay, shoot."

"Where do I find short stories?"

She had figured he might ask as much so she got up from her chair and started walking toward shelves across the room. Turning back around, she flashed him a grin, "Follow me." Haley led him in the right direction and pointed out a few books he could use. "Think you can handle it from here?" As much as she'd like to visit with her husband there was a tutoring session calling her name.

"Uh, yeah. I think so." With a handful of books, he leaned close and kissed her head, "Thanks."

"Mr. Scott..." Nathan's English teacher walked down the row of bookshelves with a stern look, "...Mrs. Scott this is class, not your home."

"Bye." He whispered to Haley before he walked toward his teacher. "Sorry. I was just getting my books."

The teacher wasn't so sure that's what they were doing as he watched Nathan walk passed him, "Mmm-huh."

Haley couldn't help but role her eyes at the teacher as she returned to her table. She really was just helping him find books, but it was just as well.

"Tutor Girl! There you are. I need a favor." Brooke spotted Haley and went hurrying toward her. "Okay so this may seem like a stretch and totally out of the blue, but I'm gonna run for student body president and I have to write a speech. And you're like the most smartest person I know, so how about it? Wanna help me out?"

It had come out so fast and so grammatically incorrect that Haley started to smile. "I would love to, Brooke, but I've got my crazy sister in town and I doubt you want your speech to end up more like hate mail."

"Oh." The disappointment was written all over Brooke's face.

"Ask Lucas. He'll do it. He loves writing."

The raspy voiced brunette wasn't sure Felix was going to like that idea but Lucas was almost as smart as Haley and he did write pretty well. He used big words, that was a plus. "You think that's a good idea?" Their history together wasn't exactly flawless.

"Yeah. He'll be happy to help, I'm sure."

"Alright. I'll do that." Brooke got up from her seat and tapped the table, "Thanks."

Haley smiled at her friend and then went back to her math problems. While she was punching in the numbers on her calculated she noticed Lyle walk into the library. She moved away her books and smiled at him when he sat down. "Hey."

"Hey." He dropped his backpack on the table and pulled out a chemistry book. "Are you any good at this stuff?" She didn't have to answer because everyone knew she was good at everything. Haley pulled the book closer to her as Lyle got out his notebook.

They started working on chemical compounds and a certain blue eyed guys across the room couldn't help but notice how close his teammate was to his wife. Nathan started to skim his first short story book but the words on the page blurred together in a mess of consonants and vowels. Quickly looking over his shoulder, Nathan took a peek towards Haley and Lyle and didn't like how close Lyle was leaning toward her. He scooted back his chair and started to walk over toward them.

Haley was watching Lyle balance a chemical equation when she saw Nathan get close. "Hi."

"Hey." He didn't have a reason to be over there except for the simple fact that he wanted to send a message to Lyle. "Would you say these are fiction or non-fiction?" Impressed that he even thought of that question, he looked at Haley with a confused face.

"Well that depends. If they are made up stories from the author's imagination then they will be fiction. If the stories are more like journal entries or about real life events then they'll be non-fiction."

"Oh." Nathan didn't even listen to what Haley had said but he kept his eyes on Lyle. He wanted to make sure that his eyes were glued to his paper and not Haley's chest or any other part of her body for that matter. "Alright..well...thanks."

"Yeah, sure." She couldn't help but notice how strange that encounter had been but looked back to Lyle and watched him confuse two elements. "Wait a second..." She started to tell him the easy way to get everything to equal and asked him to re-do the problem. They worked on a few more equations and moved on to the his study guide. They weren't two questions in whe Nathan walked back up. Haley looked to her teenage husband and then back to Lyle again. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." Lyle didn't even look up from his work.

Nathan and Haley walked in between a set of shelves and Haley laughed, "Nathan, you don't have to keep checking on us."

"I'm not checking on you."

Haley crossed her arms and arched her brow. She didn't even need to argue her point because they both knew she was right. "He just needs help with Chemistry, and Lyle's your friend, anyway."

They weren't exactly friends, more like acquaintances but they knew each other from basketball. "I...have another question."

She smiled at his attempt but she could see right through it. "Ask your teacher. He's probably gonna get mad at you again for talking to me."

"I don't care." The seriousness in his voice made Haley's heart race. Why did he have to be so sexy when he got jealous or a little bit upset?

"Nathan..."

"When you site a short story is it the same as a book?" He had to come up with something.

"Yes, if it's written in a book, cite the book like you normally would."

Haley looked over to Lyle and started to walk back towards to table. "I gotta get back."

He watched her start to walk away but stopped her. "Hey, Hales?"

"Hmm?" She turned around to face him.

"I love you."

Haley's heart jumped through the roof and she started to walk back towards him. "I know you do. I love you too." She could have kissed him but knowing their his teacher may catch them she just looked at him with kind eyes. They were still relatively knew in their relationship and understood Nathan's insecurities but he had nothing to worry about. Lyle was no Nathan Scott.

"Mr. Scott..." Nathan's English teacher walked toward him and pointed over toward his class. "We're over here if you've forgotten."

Nathan started to walked towards his teacher but Haley stopped him and put her hand on his chest, "I'll see you after school."

They went their separate ways so Haley went back to finish her session with Lyle and Nathan went back to working on his short story project. Neither of them saw much of each other until the final bell of the day and then together they had to face Taylor.

Nathan opened the door for Haley and as they walked inside their apartment, the first thing they saw was Taylor walking toward them with yellow rubber gloves. She looked at them and shook her head, "First off, it's not as bad as you think. Second, don't get mad. I was trying to do something nice."

Haley spotted the brownie mix and she arched her brow, "Were you trying to make your famous brownies?"

Nathan looked at Haley and then to Taylor, "You bake?"

"You'd be surprised. They are actually _really_ good. Haley Bob scarfs them down like we're going to have an apocalypse."

Haley put down her backpack and looked around, "Well what happened?"

Taylor walked by the sink and grimaced. I dropped a fork down the sink and when I went to turn on the overhead light it wasn't the light."

Haley was starting to realize what happened and then when she saw the stopped up sink she closed her eyes. "The disposal? You hit the disposal?"

"How was I supposed to know that's what that switch did?"

"Is it completely stopped up?" Nathan walked close to the sink and saw a pond of murky water sitting in their sink.

"Yes, boy not-so-genius, from the looks of it I'd say yes." Taylor's tone was sarcastic because couldn't they already tell? There was standing water in the sink.

Haley grabbed a piece of chalk and scribbled down a message. _Call Dave about disposal_.

"Who's Dave? Another one of your husbands?"

Haley rolled her eyes at her sister, "He's the maintenance guy for the complex."

"I can probably fix this." Nathan but down his backpack and looked at their sink. "It can't be that hard."

He took off his shirt so he wouldn't get it all wet and dirty. Haley gave Taylor a dirty look when she saw her checking out Nathan's body. She turned to look at Nathan and reached out when she saw him start to stick his hand in the water. "Nathan, don't!"

"What?" He turned around and looked at his wife confused, "I've got to see if I can get the fork out."

"What happens when it turns on and you cut off your hand?"

"Nobody's gonna turn it on." He laughed at her and shook his head.

Haley immediately turned to Taylor and arched her brow. She held out her hands and laughed, "I'm not _that_ cynical."

Nathan stuck his hand in there and tried to fish out the fork and whatever else was causing the blockage. She felt around and hit something and just for the fun of it started yelling. "Ah! Ah! Ah, my hand!"

"Oh, my God! Oh my God!" Haley was starting to go into panic mode just as he started to yell. "Are you okay?"

He pulled his perfectly fine hand from the water and laughed at his wife. "Gotcha."

"Oh...you're...you're horrible. Horrible." Haley grabbed a dish cloth and swatted it at him. "I thought something was wrong."

Wiggling his fingers he couldn't stop from laughing.

"You're as bad as her." Haley looked at her sister and still remembered the horror she felt when she got her first period. Taylor had so graciously told Haley that she was going to die. Die!

Realizing that Haley was a little upset, Nathan apologized and stuck his hand back in the water. "I think I'll be able to get it this time." He dug around and fumbled with the fork until he managed to get it out. A squishy, wet paper towel also came out which seemed to be the biggest of the problems because once it was gone the water started going down without a problem.

"Well look at that, Nate's got a few more talents than basketball and marrying young." Taylor took off the rubber gloves and tossed them in the sink. "Nice work team."

"Team?" Haley laughed out loud.

"The brawn, the brain, and the me." Taylor was convinced that she helped in someway.

Haley laughed at her sister and didn't even want to argue her logic. Instead, she started to clean up the mess. Nathan washed off the fork but when he realized how bent it was he chunked it in the garbage. Taylor was allergic to cleaning so left the husband and wife to fend for themselves.

Using the dish cloth to wipe off her hands, Haley turned to Nathan and saw that he had a splash of water on his stomach. "You have a little..." She brushed the cloth against his skin and looked up to him.

"Thanks." He took the cloth from her to wipe off his hands and then leaned against the counter looking at his wife.

A disposal dilemma was nothing compared to the storm they were going to face in the coming months, but even in that moment they knew that fixing something as simple as a clogged drain was better when they were in it together. It was a simple concept. Two was better than one. It was how it was now and how it would be in the future. It was for now, it was for always, it was forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Not a health scare, but we got a little sliver of jealous Nathan. The idea came to me after I saw a cap from season 2 with a message about a disposal written on the chalk board in NH's apartment. So for anyone who noticed that and wondered what happened...I tried to fill in the blanks.**

**My reviewers are still hands down the best reviewers on this site. Your constant prodding kept the story in the back of my mind even when I got sick or was to busy to write. I'm looking forward to getting back on the update train, so thank you all for your patience.  
**

**J, kutebloo, C, Ashleigh,Whitney, and Molly: Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate the feedback!**

**SJ: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and especially reading about a young Sawyer. She's always fun to write. Thanks for the well wishes after all tornado damage we suffered down here. People are slowly getting back on their feet. Thanks for review the 2nd version of the chapter as well. **

**KC: I'm glad you liked how I referenced past memories from the show last chapter. I always try to tie LM into the show as best as I can.**

**Kate: I thought that having the other couples in the last chapter might deter some readers away, but I'm happy that you didn't mind everyone together. Sometimes it's nice to write them all as friends when they are older. About your suggestion for a health scare for Haley. I did one a while ago. Chapter 65, I believe. I have not done a chapter about a hurricane. I was going to but since the show did that I won't do it. As for a blizzard, I've had them go skiing but no blizzard. That's a potential idea. Maybe I'll throw that scenario for people to vote on at a later date.**

**2old4oth: Yeah, all those kids was hard to write so I think changing the original version of last chapter made it better. At least I hope it did.**

**Joan: I've always been a fan of their height difference, LOL. Sometimes I can't help but put it in there, haha. I appreciate your compliments about how I write Naley. You're right, they were hardly ever together this past season and I doubt it will get much better next season. And you know...maybe I won't stop at 100. Depending on how the story goes when I get to 99 we'll see. If need be, maybe I'll end it next January and stop it when OTH picks back up? Just a thought I had.**

**Review Please!**


	91. Pain in My Heart

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 91: Pain in My Heart**

**Disclaimer: !HTO ot detaler gnihtyna nwo t'nod I. I bet you all still know what that says even if I did type it backwards, ha!**

**AN: No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is an actual update! Here we go y'all. This is the chapter a lot of you have been asking about. As some of you read in my profile updates, my grandfather passed away about five weeks ago and it's been a really tough month or so. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to write this (or write it well, anyway) since I've just recently gone through this, but I think it has helped with the healing process. It's not going to be perfect and those of you who've dealt with something like this will probably know and understand more than I'm able to put on the page, but here we go. Oh, and y'all, just because my family's situation ended in tragedy...that doesn't mean this will. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Aches, pains, arthritis; all the ailments that came with age were never fun but they never phased Nathan Scott. Only one of them did. As he stood in front of the sink and picked his fingers through his hair, he took a few deep breaths. The soon to retire coach of the UNCW Seahawks didn't mind the wrinkles or the fact that he was sure he'd lost an inch from his stature, it was the color of his hair that seemed to get him the most.

At sixty five he wasn't supposed to sport dark hair like in his high school days, but he couldn't help but miss it. The reflection in the mirror showed the white in his sideburns and the gray that was spreading elsewhere. He still had a fair amount of color and a significant portion of gray, but these white patches were like a stitch in his side.

He still looked good though. Nathan was a handsome man. He aged like Paul Newman had and he was one of the lucky ones. Not everyone aged well but he did. So did Haley.

She was leaning against the door frame and watched him stare at himself in the mirror. He was dressed for the basketball camp the university was sponsoring but Nathan's mind was obviously far from the sport he loved. She would never know why he was so self-conscious about his hair. His wife of forty nine years would have loved him if he were bald, and she'd even told him that before. It wasn't the way he looked that got her in the first place. Well...maybe that had helped.

Haley walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You know it happens to everyone."

He turned around and smiled. She'd said the same thing to him when she found him in the bathroom looking at his hair thirty years ago.

"_You know it happens to everyone." She spoke quietly running her hands over his shoulders_

_Still silent and oblivious to the fact that she was expecting a response, Nathan kept picking through his hair._

"_Just think. You won't have any of the young girls hit on you anymore." Haley let out a laugh but quickly became aware that this was a serious matter in Nathan's eyes._

_Again no response. No quick laugh at her previous joke or a mere shoulder shrug, nothing. Haley rubbed her hands from his shoulders down his arms and it was then that he acknowledged her presence. Nathan turned around so he was facing her and she could tell that he was visibly upset. _

"_I'm not even thirty five yet, Hales. At this rate I'm gonna be white headed by the time I'm forty. They just popped up. I didn't notice them yesterday." His face crinkled with worry and he stared back to Haley._

"_Honey, it's fine. A couple gray hairs are not going to be the end of the world." Trying to reassure her husband that everything was going to be okay, Haley tried to be the voice of reason._

"_Yeah well just wait till the guys start giving me a hard time about it."_

"_Oh they won't care. They might say a few things at first but I guarantee you that it will happen to them too. Luke already has a little gray in his beard. Even though he says that it's blonde, we all know it's gray." Haley laughed as she thought about Lucas' graying facial hair._

_Nathan gave Haley a pleading look. He knew that she was trying to help him, but the simple fact that his hair was changing was scary to him. _

_Noticing that her remarks about Luke failed to change his demeanor, Haley looked up to Nathan and playfully teased. "And besides, I think you'll look sexy sporting the salt and pepper look."_

_He couldn't help but smile at her last comment. She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes._

"_Really it is nothing to worry about. I mean I'd bet I have a few here and there, it just comes with the territory of getting older. We've been together nearly twenty years and I think you look just as good now as you did then."_

_Nathan realized that he was being a little silly for worrying about the sudden color change of a few hairs and reached for Haley's hand. "Twenty years huh?"_

"_Almost, and I really don't care if your hair turns white tomorrow or if it all falls out. I won't care if you turn out to be as bald as Whitey was, I won't. As long as you are a good husband...and a good father, nothing else matters." He smiled and leaned down then kissed her softly._

Nathan looked into the same brown eyes he'd come to know and love and sighed. He wasn't in his thirties anymore and instead of worrying about the gray he'd started to worry about the white.

Smiling, Haley sweetly touched his cheek. "Nathan, we've been together nearly fifty years, and I think you look just as good now as you did then."

He saw the laugh lines and the wear and tear of age written all over Haley but felt the exact same way. He loved her with the heart of a sixteen year old and the soul of a man close to seventy. "Fifty years, huh?"

"Mmm-huh. Almost." She started to smile thinking about their life together thus far. "Two kids, half a dozen grand-kids...who knew?"

Nathan kissed her forehead and smiled. "I did."

The way Nathan was and the way he still is sent a rush of color to her cheeks. Even after all this time he still had her heart. It was the jock and the tutor. They were for now and they were for always. Nathan Scott loved Haley James and she loved him.

Hearing the door open and close, Haley looked to the bathroom door and knew that someone had just come inside. "I bet that's Liza and Claire." Haley slipped out of the bathroom and went downstairs to greet their daughter-n-law and oldest grand-daughter.

Talking one last look in the mirror, Nathan took a deep breath. He'd just have to get over his white hair. There were other things in life worth more of his time. His family who were downstairs was one of them.

He made his way down the steps and walked past pictures that told little stories of their own. Little moments of their life that reflected kindness and love. There was the family trip to Utah they took when the kids were little. One from Jamie and Liza's wedding. Hattie's christening picture, which was particularly funny since Graham's face was bruised from a rescue mission gone awry. Then about halfway down the stairs was one of Nathan's favorites. It wasn't a family function or special occasion. It was Charlotte. She'd been three or so. Haley, Jamie and Charlotte flew up to New York to watch the Bobcats play the Knicks and his little brown eyed girl was wrapped in the hotel sheets, splayed out on the bed laughing. He could still hear the way she sounded just by looking at her expression.

"_Hales...I can't find them." Nathan wasn't really allowed a partner in hide 'n seek. He was it and he needed to find the kids on his own. Haley was sitting on the couch of their suite listening to the game go on behind her and laughed. He was the most adorable dad ever because she knew he knew where they were. He was just saying that to get Jamie or Charlotte to come out of their hiding places._

_Haley shut her book and rested it on her lap. "Did you look under the bed?"_

_No he hadn't. Walking toward the big bed, Nathan pulled up the dust skirt and didn't see either of his kids. He did see two feet sticking out from under the curtains, however. Nathan got up, walked over to the window, and pulled back the fabric. _

_Jamie held out his hands and his blue eyes got as big as the moon. He shook his head and pointed to the bed. He mouthed his sister's name and looked at the lumpy pillows._

_Nathan started to smirk and tiptoed over to the bed. "Haley? Did you mess with the bed? It looks a little strange?"_

_She got up off the couch and walked into the bedroom. Haley could see their pillows constantly rise and fall and she knew is was someone's steady breathing. Biting her lip, Haley shook her head and knew that Nathan was about to find Charlotte. "I can't say that I have."_

_Poking around, Nathan furrowed his brow until he heard a giggle. "Jame? Are these fancy pillows? Do they always laugh?" He leaned down and pressed his cheek to something hard. "And they smell...like a little girl."_

_The three and a half year old started to shuffle around because she knew her father had her caught._

"_What is this in my bed?" He started poking around again and when he knew he had Charlotte's side, Nathan started to tickle her._

_The laughter that came out of Charlotte's mouth was contagious. Haley thought it wise to grab the camera and she snapped a few photos, but the best one came when Charlotte threw the sheets over her head with a doe eyed grin that melted both the adults' heart._

"_Daddy, don't get me!" She laughed and tilted her head with the cuteness that only a child could._

"_Don't get you?" Nathan shook his head and scooped Charlotte up and blew raspberries on her cheek. "What do you mean don't get you?" Nathan smiled at the little girl and saw his wife in her eyes. "You're already mine, aren't you?"_

_Charlotte nodded and threw her arms around her dad. Nathan caught Haley's glance and knew he never wanted this to stop. One day Charlotte would grow up, but not now. Not for a while._

Nathan found himself at the bottom of the stairs and checked his watch. They were expecting him at the coliseum in a little while and he knew it was going to be a long day. Holding a youth camp for pre-teen and teenage basketball players was exhausting. Regardless of how tiresome it was, Nathan Scott wasn't the kind of guy to quit something when he was able. Body willing, he'd probably coach another ten years.

Haley and Liza were standing in the kitchen chatting about Claire's upcoming graduation from Tree Hill High.

"First day of camp?" Liza turned to her father-in-law and smiled at Nathan as he made his way over to them.

He nodded and was about to say something but Claire stole all the attention. She slid down the hardwood from the hallway and held out her hands. "How do I look?" Her cap had tilted a little and she tugged it back in place.

Haley looked at the blue cap and gown and couldn't believe their oldest grand-daughter was graduating high school already. "You look college bound."

Claire smiled and walked over to them. "What do you think, Grandpa?"

Looking at the eighteen year old, Nathan started to smile. "I think you look like your grandmother the day your dad was born."

Haley shook her her head and reached out to touch the gown. "You look much better than I did. I looked like a big blue blimp."

"No you didn't." The teenager laughed because her grandmother looked far from a big blue blimp. She'd seen the pictures and shook her head. You couldn't really even tell she'd been pregnant from the chest up or from behind.

"How's the speech coming?" Nathan looked at Claire and was curious. "Is your dad helping you write it?

Shaking her head, Claire took off her cap and put it on the counter, "I wrote it...like last week." She eyed her grandmother with a smile. "But no surprises. I won't go into labor or anything."

Liza's eyes went wide with a laugh. "I hope not. That's a conversation I'm not ready to have with your dad."

Nathan laughed remembering their graduation like it was yesterday. The basketball coach looked at the three women in the kitchen and grabbed his keys knowing he had better leave soon. "I'll see y'all later." He kissed Haley on the cheek and told her he loved her.

"I love you, too." She smiled at him and then called out before he reached the door. "Don't forget to go by the cleaners." He needed to pick up their clothes for the ceremony tomorrow.

"I won't." Nathan walked to the car and drove toward Trask Coliseum. He felt his chest start to ache but he attributed to a bit of heart burn or reflux from his coffee he'd had earlier. It wasn't uncommon for him to feel that. He'd actually been experiencing it pretty regularly and had meant to ask Haley to switch to a lighter brew. He'd have to put that on his mental checklist right up there next to picking up the dry cleaning.

What Nathan didn't know was that this feeling in his chest wasn't the coffee. It was the beginning of something else. Something else entirely.

**OTHOTH**

A gym full of kids ranging from about eight to fourteen bounced balls in almost perfect unison and it was music to Nathan's ears. He was walking up and down the rows of players and switched dribbling hands. The kids followed his actions and Nathan nodded his head. There was a little boy on one of the end of the rows and Nathan walked over to him.

The boy looked around eight and the old coach could tell he was struggling.

Noticing that Coach Scott had walked over to him the boy picked up his ball and shrugged. "I can't dribble with this hand."

Nathan nodded and bounced his ball in front of him. "Sure you can." He looked at the leather ball the boy was holding and smiled, "Show me what you got."

Huffing as his non-dominant hand sent the ball bouncing every which way, the brown eyed boy sighed. "See? I'll never make it to the NBA." His eight-year old dreams and aspirations consisted of achieving what the man in front of him had.

"You'll get the hang of it." Nathan slowly dribbled in front of the boy, but had a feeling the eight year old was right. He wouldn't make it to the NBA. He was bound for something else, but Coach Scott wasn't going to stop helping him. "It's all in the fingertips. Remember what we've practiced."

Nodding, the boy tried again. "Like how we do on the Rivercourt?"

Smiling at Charlotte's youngest, Nathan nodded at his grandson. "Yeah, bud. Like we do on the Rivercourt."

Nathan patted the baby of the family on the shoulder and walked over to another struggling player. They did a few more drills for awhile and then split up the older and younger kids. Nathan helped ref some of the four on four games and then it was time for lunch. Some of the camp counselors and coaches took the kids to the student center to get food while Nathan took to his office. He was working on a few plays that the kids could run and saw someone walk through the doorway.

"I know you don't wanna eat lunch all by yourself."

Nathan looked up and saw a twenty-two year old who resembled Jamie to a near perfect T. He put aside the things he was working on and smiled. "When did you get in town?" Nathan got up and hugged Bennet.

"A little while ago. Mom said I wasn't allowed to miss Claire's graduation."

Laughing, Nathan shook his head, "And you shouldn't. This a big milestone for her."

Jamie walked in with a bag full of sandwiches and put them down on his father's desk. "How's the camp going?"

Taking a sandwich from his son, Nathan smiled. "Good. First day and the kids are doing really well."

Bennet unwrapped his sandwich and smirked, "I was a standout when I did this thing, wasn't I?"

Nathan laughed nodding, "We had to move you up an age group." Considering his father was a standout athlete in high school, his mother played collegiate soccer, and that his grandfather was in the Bobcats hall of fame with most career assists, Bennet was bound to be good at sports. "And what's this I hear about you and the Hawks, Bennet?"

The blue eyed Scott smirked and wiped the mustard away from his mouth. "What was I supposed to do? That's an internship you can't turn down." He'd majored in public relations and when he left Athens he choose Atlanta to try and see where his degree might take him.

Jamie shook his head, "I told him to at least go with the Braves. I mean we've got family on this side who at least like them." He looked at his son and shook his head with a sarcastic look of humiliation. "Your mom's side of the family got you to go to Georgia and now you're working for the Hawks." Jamie was incredibly proud of what his son had accomplished but he was just giving Bennet a hard time.

Bennet held out his hands trying to defend himself. Sure, the Hawks may have been the Bobcats arch rival but it wasn't like he was doing it out of spite. "Georgia has a _ranked_ PR program and the Hawks are _paying_ me to do this." Even as little kid, Bennet had the personality for PR so when it came time for college the University of Georgia was a simple choice.

Nathan sat back in his chair and started to smile. "Well I think it's great."

"You do?" Bennet looked at his grandfather sure he'd have a different opinion.

"Yeah, of course." Nathan took a sip of his drink and nodded, "You could play for the Hawks and I wouldn't mind." As long as Bennet was happy doing whatever it was he was doing, Nathan was happy. "I'm proud of you Bennet. Making a name for yourself for all the right reasons." He brushed some stray crumbs away from his desk and shrugged, "Maybe I'll pull for them this season?"

Both Jamie and Bennet looked at each other with a funny look.

"Okay. I won't."

All three Scotts started to laugh and they finished their lunch with more talk about basketball and what Bennet had been up to. Once their food had settled Bennet couldn't help but pick up one of the basketballs Nathan had in his office.

"Still have it in you, old man?"

Nathan was not a guy who would back down from a challenge. "Old man?"

Jamie started to laugh and shook his head. "You better remember who your going up against, Bennet."

Spinning the ball on his finger, Bennet smirked the smirk he'd inherited from the retired pro-basketball player. "Let's see watcha got."

Following his grandson onto the court, Nathan felt at ease when his shoes met that hardwood.

"I'll even give you an advantage. Dad, you play with Grandpa." Bennet made it to the top of the key and bounced the ball with a natural rhythm.

Jamie started to smile as he walked out on the court because no matter how good he or Nathan were, a twenty something would run circles around a senior citizen and close to fifty year old.

"I hope your Depends are strapped on tight, gentlemen." Bennet whizzed by his grandfather then pivoted left and leaped toward the goal with a ferocity a young man would only have.

"Alright. Alright. You don't have to show off." Jamie got the ball from under the goal and tossed it to his son. "It wasn't that long ago that we were the ones showing you what to do."

_The asphalt that was cemented next to the Cape Fear had seen better days. It had been painted with signatures, song lyrics, all sorts of things but nearly everything had faded away. It had been used to host more games than most regular gyms and it had been used as the place where Nathan and Lucas taught their kids the sport they loved, and now their grand kids._

_Nathan was bouncing an old ball around when he saw Jamie's green FJ-40 pull up. Bennet was three and a half and while it wasn't his first trip to the Rivercourt, it was the first one where he could actually play. _

_Once Jamie got the boy out of his car seat, Bennet's small tennis shoes ran right over to his grandfather. He was clinching a little rubber orange ball and held it out to Nathan. "Look what we got!"_

_The forty-eight year old grandfather knelt down to the boy and smirked. "It's just your size."_

"_Yep. Daddy said he had won like it." The boy looked up to the man who towered over him flashed him a sweet smile. His speech wasn't perfect but he sure was cute.  
_

_A twenty-nine year old Jamie walked up to his father and started to smile. "He's been talking about coming here all week." He held his hand out and brushed it against the boy's blonde hair._

_Nathan stood up and watched as the little boy started to run around the two men. Jamie chased after his son and scooped him up. Bennet just laughed and laughed but still wouldn't let go of the ball he cherished. Placing him on his shoulders, Jamie walked over to one of the goals and stopped short of it. "Shoot, bud."_

"_Grandpa, watch me!"_

_Smiling, Nathan nodded, "I'm watching."_

_The little boy shot with all his might but his aim wasn't exactly perfect and it didn't come close to the goal. "Aw maaan!"_

_The way Bennet drew out 'man' was cute and Nathan walked over to get the ball. "Come here. Let me show you something."_

_Jamie put the boy down and those little feet ran straight over to Nathan. His blue eyes were as bright as the afternoon sky and he had a grin on him that seemed like it could last a lifetime._

"_You teach-ed me?"_

_Nathan couldn't help but furrow his brow at the boy because he was too darn adorable. "Yeah, bud. I'm gonna teach you." He gave Bennet the ball and held out his own. "See how I'm holding this?"_

"_Mmm-huh." Bennet tried to hold his ball like he was supposed to._

_The duo spent a little while going over the proper and best ways for Bennet to shoot, and then Bennet was sure he knew what he was doing this time. He ran over to his father and raised his arms, still clutching that coveted ball. "Daddy hold me. Hold me!"_

"_Alright. Alright." Jamie laughed at Bennet's eagerness and put the young boy on his shoulders again._

_Nathan stood next to Jamie and nodded at the boy. "Remember how we practiced."_

_Bennet stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth wondering if that would help him concentrate and he geared up to shoot just as his grandfather had told him. He took hold of a chuck of his father's hair and leaned forward. "Can you be still, pwease?"_

_Jamie started to laugh but remembered that he was supposed to be still. "Sorry. Okay. Better?" The young dad stood perfectly still and waited on his son's response._

"_Tanks." Bennet appreciated his father's stillness and lined up to shoot again. He reared back and tossed the ball toward the hoop._

"_Oh...oh...ohhhhhh!" The little orange ball fell through the net after it danced around the rim and Jamie flew his arms in the air. "That a way."_

_The little boy wrapped his hands around Jamie's forehead and started smiling._

"_High five, Bennet." Nathan held up both of his hands and the little boy smacked his little hands against his grandfather._

_Jamie got the boy off his shoulders and held him like he was a basketball. He started running around the court making Bennet laugh. "Scott has the ball. He goes out to the wing." Jamie extended Bennet like he was going to pass him to the imaginary player beside him and tucked him close. "No one's open. He's gonna take it to the goal himself." Breaking to the goal, Jamie hustled to the basket and then threw Bennet up in the air. "The shot goes up."_

"_Ah! Haha! Ha!" Bennet closed his eyes hoping his dad would catch up._

"_And..." Jamie caught Bennet and looked at the boy in his arms. "The basket's good!"_

_Nathan watched on with an endearing heart and a fond memory. He'd done the same thing with Jamie when he was a baby. The only difference was that Jamie had been in a stroller._

"Your ball. Lets see what you got?" Bennet passed his grandfather the ball and walked to his position on defense.

Nathan started bouncing the ball and thought about his options. He was a little too old to break to the basket and slam it home and he wasn't sure if his three point range had deteriorated with age, but that seemed like the easier route. Bennet gave him plenty of room to shoot so Nathan shot the ball towards the hoop and knew it wasn't anywhere close.

"Whoa, what?" Bennet saw his dad get his grandfather's rebound and banked it against the glass.

Jamie handed Bennet the ball and smirked, "I told you. Better remember who your playing with."

Rolling his eyes, Bennet gave Nathan the ball and figured that was a one time thing. "See if you can do that twice."

Nathan laughed and started to dribble and this time he did break to the wing. He wasn't as fast as he used to be and he'd lost a little bit of the bounce in his step but he was still agile. Pump faking, Nathan acted like he was about to shoot but bounced a pass right between Bennet's legs. Jamie caught the ball and made the basket.

"Oh come on!" Bennet threw his hands up in the air and frowned.

Jamie couldn't help but laugh and when he picked up the ball he walked by his son with a smirk. "Don't be a poor sport."

Nathan was feeling young again. Playing ball with two Scott boys was something he'd never want to stop. He got the ball back and decided to test his old knees. He dribbled to the left and then broke to the foul line. Bennet was hot on his tail so Nathan had to shoot a fade away.

Bennet watched the ball swish through the net and she put his hands on his hips. "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" He looked to the floor and shook his head. He knew now not to test Nathan Scott on the basketball court. Bennet couldn't beat Nathan when he was younger and it didn't seem like that was changing anytime soon. It wouldn't matter how old his grandfather was, when, or where; Nathan Scott was never going to lose touch with his sport.

After the boys finished up their game and when the camp dismissed for the day, Nathan started home. He remembered that he needed to stop by the cleaners so he headed downtown. The streets of Tree Hill had changed over the years but for the most part it was still the same old town he'd lived in his whole life. He'd been fortunate enough to travel a lot due to the Bobcats schedule but none of those cities ever felt nearly the same as Tree Hill. The big lights, the fancy restaurants; none of it measured up to Tree Hill. There had been a reason they stayed there, raised their children there, made a life there. It was home.

As Nathan got closer to his destination he suddenly couldn't remember where he was going. He knew he was going to pick up clothes, but for some reason the name of the shop and its address escaped him.

Picking up his phone he dialed Haley who answered on the second ring.

"Hey."

"Hey...where is the cleaners?"

Haley furrowed her brow. "Hangers Williams? It's on Seventeenth Street."

Nathan laughed into the phone. "That's right. Thanks. I'll be home soon."

Something about the way he sounded and the fact that he forgot where the cleaners they'd been using nearly their entire marriage startled her. "Nathan? Are you okay."

"Yeah. I'm fine." He shook it off and shrugged as he turned right. "Bennet and Jamie came to have lunch and we played a little afterwords. I think I just exhausted myself into forgetting. But I'm fine."

"Okay...well, I love you. I'll see you at home." Haley suddenly felt nervous.

"I love you too."

Haley hung up the phone and felt her own heart to race. This wasn't normal, was it? No. It couldn't be. Nathan had been to Hangers Williams so many times that he had that place memorized. Tomorrow was Claire's graduation but the only thing on her mind was Nathan. If anything happened to him. If he was starting to loose his memory, or get Alzheimer's...she couldn't even think of that. A lump was forming in her throat as she imagined worse case scenarios. They were still young, or relatively young. Too young for him to be forgetting things and she wanted it to be a fluke. Maybe he really did just tire himself out playing today? That must have been it.

Haley could think that all she want. She could convince herself that was the case but it wasn't. Nathan was starting show signs of something, but it wasn't what she thought.

**OTHOTH**

The next day went by relatively quickly and after all of the graduation hoopla, Haley found herself in the kitchen. They'd had the family over celebrating Claire's accomplishments and she was tidying up. Liza and Charlotte had been nice enough to do most of it for her but she couldn't help but clean. It was what she did when something was on her mind, after all.

Nathan had been fine all day. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing as strange as him forgetting the cleaner's address. For all intents and purposes he seemed fine. It was just another day. But Haley couldn't help but worry. It was in her nature.

Having come downstairs from changing, Nathan walked into the kitchen wondering what his wife was thinking about. She had the silverware laid out out on the counter and he walked up behind her. "What's on your mind?"

Haley leaned back into his chest and sighed. "Nothing."

"Come on, Hales. What is it?" He didn't buy her answer.

Feeling a warmth inside her chest when she heard him say 'Hales', Haley turned around. "I'm worried."

"Worried?" He furrowed his brow and put his hands on the sides of her shoulders. "About what? Claire? She's gonna be fine up at school."

Haley bit her lip and looked into blue eyes that could make a bad day better. "Not Claire. _You_."

"Me?" He tried to think about what she could be worried about. "Is this about yesterday?" He took a step back and shook his head with sincerity. He didn't want her to worry about that. It was a one time thing. "I told you I was fine." Nathan looked at her with a nod. "It was a random slip up. I over-exerted myself playing basketball."

"I don't want you to just be saying that." Haley felt her heart grow weak and she tried not to get upset.

Nathan saw that she was tearing up and he hugged her. "Haley. I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you. I am." He kissed the top of her head and took a deep breath. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Well...if...if you feel anything. If something feels off can we at least make an appointment?"

Nodding, Nathan smiled because she sounded like she had when she'd worried about his back years ago. "Yeah, sure."

Taking a deep breath, Haley rested her head on his chest and told herself that she was acting crazy. Everything was fine. He was fine. He was here with her now. Everything was okay.

"Mom? Dad?" Charlotte walked through the door and saw her parents in the kitchen. "Hey, sorry. I left my purse."

"I saw it over..."

"...on the table. I know. I walked right by it when we left." The forty year old laughed at herself, but it wasn't that uncommon considering she had a whole car full of kids, plus a husband she always put before herself. "Sometimes I think it's a miracle I don't walk out of the house with my clothes on backwards or inside out."

Nathan started to laugh and bumped Haley's side.

"What?" Charlotte looked at her parents as she walked toward them with a curious look.

Haley started to laugh and it was just the kind of thing she needed to hear to change her mood. "Charlotte, you're too put together for that to happen."

Nathan glanced at his wife and smirked, "But apparently you weren't."

"That was _one_ time." Haley laughed at herself rolling her eyes.

Charlotte was interested in this story. She hadn't heard it before. Taking a seat on one of the stools, the brown eyed forty year old started to smile. "Mom. Ha. You did that?"

Haley took a deep breath. "Yes."

Nathan wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and kissed her head, "And she only had _two_ kids."

"It had been a _long_ day." Haley started to laugh at herself remembering how everything had happened. "I'd been up late talking to your dad since he was playing on the west coast, and I slept through the alarm, or it didn't go off, and I had about twenty minutes to get your brother dressed for school. Not to mention you were about eighteen months."

Charlotte's eyes went wide and she smiled, "But I was such a cute baby."

"Yes, but that didn't help me in a time crunch." Haley laughed and kept on telling the story. "I hurried into your brother's room, who was already up, had made his bed, and came out of the bathroom with toothpaste on his cheek to tell me good morning."

"That's just like him." Charlotte could only roll her eyes because Jamie would do something like that.

"He was ready but I wasn't, so I ran back into our room and threw on some clothes."

Nathan started to smile and smirked at his wife. "Later that night she came to get me at the airport and..."

Haley interrupted and finished his thought. "Instead of kissing me or giving me a hug. He raised his eyebrow like he does sometimes and said, 'Hales. Your shirt's on _backwards_.'"

"Dad. Of all people to notice." Charlotte started to laugh and looked to her father.

"Hey. Don't count me out. Brooke isn't the only person who knows what looks best on your mom. I take notice."

"Obviously." Charlotte laughed as she got off her stool. "Well I better go get back to my crew. I don't wanna stay up late talking here and oversleep in the morning."

Shaking her head, Haley rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha."

Nathan walked Charlotte out of the kitchen and opened up the front door. "Just a little while longer till we'll be doing this for Hattie."

"Oh gosh I know." Charlotte got on her tiptoes to hug her dad and realized that her oldest wasn't that far away from graduating herself. Only four more years. "Don't remind me." Charlotte pulled away and bit her lip not knowing if she should bring it up or not. "Dad...when I came in. What were you and Mom talking about?" It wasn't really of her business but she knew something was up from the glossy sheen in in mother's eyes.

"Uh...nothing. It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Dad..." Charlotte had already experienced a health scare with her mom and didn't want it to be happening again or to her father.

"Everything's fine, Char." Nathan nodded and looked out into the summer night sky. "If something was wrong we'd tell you."

Not sure if she should question him further. Charlotte took her father's word and started walking to her car. "The boys were talking about going to a Bobcats game when the season starts."

It was while till the pros started playing but he knew how basketball crazy his grandsons were. "I think I can manage that." Nathan nodded and watched his youngest get into her car. "Bye, Charlotte."

"Bye, Dad. Love you."

Nathan said it back but Charlotte had already closed the door. He watched her drive away and then walked back inside.

The kitchen lights were off and he knew Haley must have gone upstairs. He double checked the locks downstairs and then made his way to the bedroom. She was reading one of Lucas' books. He'd already changed so he slid into the sheets and propped himself up on a pillow. He watched Haley's eyes run across the page and he shook his head. "What is this? The twentieth time you've read that?"

Haley set down the book and shrugged. "It's my favorite." She opened up the leaf and saw the note Luke had written her. _Thank you for editing this. She would have never let me publish it_. On the next page was the dedication and it made Haley smile. _For Sawyer_. Setting the book on her bedside table, the room whet dark when Haley turned out her light and she moved closer to Nathan.

"It was a good day, huh?"

Nodding against his chest, Haley yawned, "Mmm-huh. We've had a lifetime of good days." She made a noise after she yawned and then her breathing got quiet and calm. Nathan moved his fingertips up and down her arm and soon he fell asleep too.

When Haley woke up Nathan was already out of bed and she found him dressed in kitchen making coffee.

"Are you going in early today?"

"Yeah. I'm meeting some of the team who are gonna speak to the campers today." He started to stir in his milk as he grabbed for a packet of sugar. He tried to tear the corner but Nathan had a hard time opening it.

Haley watched him struggle with the simple task and walked closer to him. "Here. I'll get it." She tore open the packet and handed it back to him.

He laughed and rolled his eyes at himself. "Thanks." Drinking the cup in a few quick sips, the warm liquid provided him the caffeine he'd need to keep up with the young kids. "I'll see you later."

Haley nodded and used the counter for support when she rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nathan's stare in Haley's eyes lasted a little bit longer this morning but he turned to head to the coliseum like always.

It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky but Nathan was feeling a little down. He'd probably had his coffee too fast so he drove to work not thinking about it. Three of his current players were waiting for him in the gym.

"Morning Coach Scott." One of them with a basketball on his hip nodded at the older man.

"Morning, guys. Let me put my stuff down and we'll go over a few things about today." Nathan walked into his office and turned on the lights. His eyes squinted when the light came on and he felt like he was starting to get a headache. Sitting down, Nathan looked around the room and closed his eyes. He pulled at his tie but quickly realized he didn't have one on. His breathing became deeper, heavier, and more sporadic. What was going on? Next time he'd remember not to drink coffee so fast.

Swallowing hard, Nathan got up from his chair but had to hold on to his desk to sturdy himself. He could feel his heart pound beneath his skin, and he took a step towards the door and then suddenly it hit him. Like a pain he'd never felt before, Nathan's hand flew to his chest and his world started to fade. He fell to his knees and tried to get up. Flinging the contents of his desk on the floor, Nathan started to loose a sense of what was going on and fell on the floor completely.

The ruckus and noise caught some of the players attention and they hurried into Nathan's office.

"Coach Scott? Coach Scott!"

His hearing was fading because all he could hear was a buzz of sound as his players swarmed around him. The one time he'd felt like this had been in high school, but this wasn't a reaction to drugs. This was a reaction from his heart.

The only thing he could think about was his family as he lay on the floor. Time seemed to stop and everything stood still. There were people calling his name and pushing on him, but he couldn't do anything. He couldn't respond. He couldn't talk. He couldn't do a single thing.

A series of images flashed before his eyes and then suddenly, sharply, and unexpectedly everything went dark.

**OTHOTH**

Haley was looking through the photos on her camera of Claire's graduation when she heard the phone ring. She was expecting Brooke or Peyton but it wasn't either of them.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Scott? This is Rachel West with Tree Hill Memorial. Your husband was just brought in to our emergency department..."

She dropped the phone. Haley dropped the phone, and as quickly as the back shattered and the batteries flew out, she grabbed her keys and hurried outside. Her car seemed like it was the slowest on the streets and it felt like forever until she made it to the hospital. She ran into the ER with as much spirit in her step as a teenager and all but sprinted to the nurses station.

"My husband...Na...Nathan Scott."

"Yes ma'am they're working on him right now." The young nurse looked over her shoulder and saw a team of doctors working on a patient.

"Oh my God." Haley shut her eyes and shook her head. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

The nurse knew that this was a terrible situation for the older woman and tried to reassure her. "Why don't you come sit with me. Is there anyone I can call?"

Haley watched the nurse walk from behind the desk and guided her to the waiting room. "Uh...no. I'll...I'll call." It was surprising that she was forming full sentences. Pulling out her phone, Haley's hand trembled with trepidation as she dialed Jamie's number. He didn't answer and neither did Charlotte. She tried and tried again but everyone seemed to have their phones off. Lucas didn't answer, Brooke didn't answer, Peyton didn't answer. No one answered.

"Open up an O.R. We're going in now!" One of the doctors ran out of where Nathan was and hurried to the closest phone. "We're got a severe cardiac patient down here. Somebody get Dr. Hutchings. He's gonna have to do emergency bypass."

Bypass? That was bad wasn't it? Haley was lost in a fog of medical lingo and the worry that she may never see her husband alive again. The doctor who was on the phone nodded to something the person on the receiving end had said, and Haley waited to see what he was gonna say next.

"They found a pulse in the ambulance. It's weak, but it's there."

He had a pulse. That was good news. Nathan was alive. All of the emotion from the last ten minutes spread over Haley's face and she couldn't help but cry. She didn't know how long it had lasted. She cried for what seemed like hours.

The doors of the ER opened and footsteps were walking directly for her. She didn't have the strength to take her head out of her hands until she heard his voice.

"How is he?"

Haley looked up at a squint that made her cry harder. "Luke..." She got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him. "He...he..."

Lucas didn't want to cry but this wasn't easy. He had to be strong for Haley because she couldn't be strong for herself. "He's gonna be okay, Hales."

Stepping back from her best friend, Haley closed her eyes and bit her lip shaking her head. "It's bad. They found a pulse but it's week. I overheard the doctor say he's gonna have emergency bypass."

It was a lot to take in and Lucas took a deep breath. "Has a doctor come out to talk with you?"

"No. Not yet."

"Mom..." Charlotte had gotten her message and saw her mom and uncle standing in the waiting room, and the tears rolled off the woman's face in rapid motion.

"Charlotte." Haley hugged her daughter and held on tight.

"How's Dad?"

Haley had to take a minute to prepare herself because looking into the eyes of her youngest and telling her that her father was in what she believed to be critical condition wasn't going to be easy. "He has a pulse but their gonna do emergency bypass."

Charlotte wasn't familiar with the lingo of hospitals and shrugged as she wiped away a tear. "What's that mean?"

Lucas looked at his niece and answered. "It means there are blockages and they have to go in and repair the arteries." There was more to it than that but that would be enough for them to both get the gist.

"Is Jamie here?" Charlotte looked around for her brother and wondered where he might be.

"No. I left him a message."

Charlotte felt her eyes well with tears and she sat down. Thinking about losing her dad was bad but the worst part was thinking about her mom. What was Haley going to do without Nathan? They'd been married since they were sixteen years old. _Sixteen_. How does anyone get through that? It wasn't fair. Haley was a good person. She didn't deserve this.

Haley sat down next to her daughter and held Charlotte's hand while both of them cried. Nobody could really say anything to help ease their suffering.

It took another five minutes until Jamie got there and he and Liza walked through the door as fast as the automatic door would let them. Jamie went straight for his mom while Liza hurried to the nurses' desk. She'd worked at the hospital in the pediatric wing and knew all the doctors to ask for. She also knew that Jamie and his family were going to have questions and similarly, want answers.

A doctor walked toward the family with Liza and Jamie's wife introduced him. "This is Paul VanMeer. He was working with the team who brought him in." Liza could see the questions pool in Haley's eyes and Liza stepped next to Jamie taking his hand.

"Right now we're taking him to an O.R. in the C.C.U. Apparently he had a massive heart attack while he was working. A few of the players heard him and got to him quickly. They may have saved his life." Dr. VanMeer looked hopeful and nodded. "Triple bypass isn't that uncommon. We know he has a family history of heart problems, so as long as we can get in there we're going to do everything we can."

"How...how long does something like this take?" Haley would stay forever if she needed to, but she was wondering.

"Anywhere between three to six hours."

Charlotte felt like throwing up but she looked at the doctor with a brave face. "Is this something that most people get through?"

"It is but there are always complications that could arise. When it comes to the human heart it really takes a life of its own. Now considering Mr. Scott is relatively young we feel as though this will be a smooth operation but you should prepare yourself in case something does come up."

Haley felt like her own heart was going into episodic rhythms and she took a deep breath. "Thank you."

Dr. VanMeer nodded and looked over his shoulder. "I'll send someone out here with updates when I can."

"Doctor..." Jamie looked at the guy who was probably just a few years older than he was. "Who's gonna be operating on him?"

"Doctor Hutchings. He's our finest cardiologist."

Jamie was starting to feel helpless and looked at the man with a blank face. "Would you trust him with your dad's life?"

"I did." Paul nodded and reassured the family with his personal experience. "My father had surgery two years ago."

That was a hopeful sign and the family thanked Dr. VanMeer for his time and information. The first thirty minutes of waiting went by fast but no news came. Haley was starting to get antsy and she stood up. "I'm gonna go to the cafeteria. Does anybody want anything?"

"I'll go. You stay." Liza stood up and knew that Haley would want to be there if a doctor came with an update.

"No... I want to. I can't sit around waiting." She smiled kindly at her daughter-in-law but wanted to go on her own. Charlotte didn't feel like eating and nobody else wanted anything. Haley got up from the waiting room and then made her way to the cafeteria. She wasn't really hungry but she couldn't sit around that room any longer. Every minute, every second she sat there she could only think of Nathan and that wasn't helping her through this because it only made her cry.

Haley wandered through the halls with a blank expression until she found what she was looking for. It wasn't crowded and there were mostly empty chairs staring back at her. She sat down in the closest one. Haley rested her arms on the table and then laid down her head. This was a dream, wasn't it? This was a horrible dream?

Ten minutes passed, maybe fifteen and Haley looked at her watch. She got distracted by the ring on her finger and started to twist it. If Nathan didn't make it she couldn't see herself taking it off. Some people did that but Haley wasn't going to be one of them. That ring had been given to her for always and forever, and it was going to stay there. Flashes of their second wedding started penetrating Haley's mind and she started to tear up thinking about a life without Nathan Scott. Was there a life without him?

Three friends stood in the doorway of the cafeteria and saw a broken woman sitting at a table by herself, and the raspy voiced one felt her eyes prickle with tears as big as the ocean. "We have to go sit with her." Brooke reached out for Peyton and pulled on her shirt with Lucas following.

Brooke took a seat next to Haley while Lucas and Peyton sat down on the opposite side.

There were no words said. It was silent. Not a single noise was in the air except for Brooke and Peyton's constant sniffing. Lucas reached out and put his hand over Haley's and she felt a tidal wave of emotion run through her body.

"He has to be okay."

Brooke furrowed her brow and put her arm around Haley. "It's gonna be okay."

Shaking her head, Haley wasn't so sure. "Forty nine years. I don't know what I'll do if I lose him. I won't know how to do our morning routine..." They'd gotten it down to a science. Brushed teeth, mouth wash, face wash; everything had a time and place with them. It was easy. "I won't have anyone to lay my head on when I sleep..."

"Haley..." Peyton shook her head and moved her hand to where Lucas' had been. "You won't have to. He's gonna make it."

"How...how do you know that?" Haley choked out her sentence and her teary eyes blurred her vision. Someone once told her there were no guarantees in medicine and now that was her biggest fear. There was no guarantee that he was going to be alright.

Brooke leaned into Haley and had the answer. "Because you're Haley James and he's Nathan Scott."

Hearing that made Haley's brow furrow with sadness. Of the five of them she never expected that he might be the first to go. She hadn't really thought _who_ would go first, but she never imagined it would be _him_.

Peyton knew that Haley needed to stay positive. "What did the doctors say? Most people make it through this. That's something to think about."

"I knew something was wrong. I could tell and I didn't stop him from leaving."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Lucas shook his head and started to squint. "Don't say that. You couldn't have prevented this. If he had blocked arteries you couldn't have helped him, Hales. It's in our blood. We have bad hearts in the family." Lucas wanted to make sure that she didn't blame herself. "You wouldn't have been able to stop this."

She'd started to cry again but Haley knew her crying wouldn't help much of anything. "I just need him to be okay."

"He will be." Lucas looked at his oldest, best friend and nodded. "He will."

Haley sighed and then thought about the kids. Jamie and Charlotte were still waiting on news and she wanted to be with them. "I'm gonna walk back."

As soon as Haley got up from her seat Brooke covered her mouth so people couldn't hear her sobs. This couldn't happen. Not to Nathan and Haley.

Peyton leaned into the side of her husband and sighed deeply. "He's gonna be okay, right Luke?"

"I hope so." Lucas didn't know for certain but that's what he wanted.

Haley quietly walked down the eery hospital and hated the way the place smelled. Something about it gave her an uneasy feeling. She approached her kids and looked hopeful. "Any news?"

Charlotte bit on her thumb fingernail and shook her head. "No. Nothing." She looked like a wreck. For being there less than an hour, the whole family felt as those they'd been at the hospital all day. Every passing minute felt like an hour and the clock seemed to move only when it wanted to.

Haley was sitting in between her two kids and Charlotte was leaning against her with her eyes shut. Haley saw someone come through the doors and nudged her daughter. "Charlotte..."

Looking up into the brown eyes that mirrored her own, Charlotte saw her mom look toward the door. She did the same and one look at him and Charlotte started to cry. She got up and walked over to her husband a babbling mess.

"Is he okay?" He held Charlotte in his arms and rested his chin on her head. The way that Charlotte started to shake with her cries told him all he needed to know. "Shh...shh." The forty-something year old man pulled away from her and brushed his hand through her hair. "He'll be okay." His eyes locked with her brown ones and he looked at his broken wife not knowing what else there was to say. A few years ago they'd had to deal with an untimely death coupled with a funeral in Tennessee, but this was different. This wasn't a friend. This was family.

Charlotte didn't want to think about her dad because it only made her cry. "Where are the kids?"

Her husband started to smile. "With Sawyer."

"_All_ of them?" She laughed and tired to think of Sawyer with a houseful of kids.

He nodded and could see her mood lighten. "Yeah." He kissed her forehead and then saw a doctor walk up to her mom. He led them both back to their family and heard what the doctor had to say.

"Right now things are progressing well. We've fixed one of the arteries and have two remaining. It will probably be another three hours until he's in recovery but right now he's doing great. Strong heartbeat. Active brain function."

"Thank you." Haley smiled at the doctor and watched him walk away as Lucas, Peyton, and Brooke walked up to her.

"What'd they say?" Brooke looked at Haley hoping it was good news.

"Everything's going well. They've got two more arteries to go but everything is going well."

"That's great news." Brooke still had tears running down her face but she couldn't find that button that turned them off.

Nathan Scott's family was something else. They were strong, resilient, and true. They had their moments of weakness but if anything they were being strong for him. He was the center of their whole world and none of them were going to let that slip away.

When they got the next update it was more of the same. Good news but they still had to caution everyone that he wasn't out of the woods yet. Bypass was an extensive surgery that had more complexity to it than even Haley James could understand.

The group patiently waited for another hour and then a man Haley hadn't seen started to walk up to her. "Mrs. Scott?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Doctor Hutchings, your husband's cardiologist."

"How is everything?" It was the first question out of her mouth and she couldn't have said it faster.

"Well. Nathan's out of surgery. We ran into a little bit of trouble with the third artery but we were able to stabilize him. We've stapled his chest back but since it's still a significant wound he won't be allowed visitors for a few more hours. His anesthesia will wear off then, and after we move him to the ICU you'll be able to see him. One visitor at a time. Two once he is moved to a general room."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." There was nothing Haley could say that would represent the gratitude she had for the man standing in front of her.

Jamie held out his hand and nodded toward the man who'd saved his father's life. "Thank you."

Charlotte was crying because she was happy everything had gone well but managed to thank the doctor as well. She moved away from from her husband and hugged her mom. "He's gonna be okay."

Haley nodded and hugged her youngest like she never wanted to let go. "He's gonna be okay."

Those who didn't need to stay left and it was just Haley, Jamie, Charlotte, and Lucas waiting in the hospital. Lucas took off his glasses and pinched his nose between his eyes thinking about what they'd all been through.

Charlotte and Jamie were both exhausted, Haley was exhausted. Lucas was exhausted. Their five hours at the hospital were starting to wear on them but it would be worth it once they knew he was awake.

More time had passed and then some more, then a small nurse with a clipboard made her way to the four Scotts. "Mrs. Scott?"

Haley stood up and held her hands together.

"We've just taken the breathing tube out. He's a little groggy, and in a lot of pain, but I can take you back to see him now."

Charlotte got up and hugged her mom before she got to go back and see her dad. "Send him my love."

"I will." Haley smiled at her family and then followed the nurse to the room where Nathan was.

He was quiet but the heart-rate machine did the talking for him. Haley's eyes started to well when she saw him. Pale as a ghost but breathing. He was alive and she took his hand and felt the warmth of his skin against her own. "I'm here. Nathan, I'm right here." She wasn't sure if he was still out of it or what but she wanted him to know she was with him.

Turning his head, Nathan winced and groaned with every move considering they'd cracked open his chest hours ago. His blue eyes met her brown ones and he tried to say something but he couldn't. The breathing tube was out but left him unable to speak for the time being and he squeezed her hand.

She didn't need words. She didn't need much. All Haley needed to know was that he was okay. She felt herself laugh-cry when he'd squeezed her hand and she kissed the top of his hand. "I love you, Nathan Scott."

He tried to say something again but couldn't. His fingers found her wedding band and he started to twist the ring on her finger. It wasn't much, it was hardly anything but Haley knew what it meant. He was telling her he was okay, that he loved her.

Hearts were a wonder of the human body. A symbol for love and a sign of comfort. Sometimes they were broken, sometimes they needed mending, and sometimes they ran their course. Nathan's was worn and tired but it was still beating. And it beat for her. Haley was everything to him and he wasn't letting go. Not yet. Not now. They still had years together. If something tried to take him again he was gonna put up a fight. Haley, Jamie, Charlotte, the grand kids and rest of the family were people worth fighting for and Nathan wasn't going to let anything stand in his way when it came to spending time with them.

He wasn't ready for this. They weren't ready for this.

As he looked into the brow eyes he'd seen for the last forty nine years he knew things were going to be okay. Forty nine years together and they weren't finished yet.

**OTHOTH**

**So...he's okay. I'm sure that seemed a little worrisome at times but I wasn't about to split those two up. Not yet, anyway. The next chapters should be more light-hearted and fun. Suggestions are always welcomed in that department.**

**My reviewers are the reason I keep doing this. Knowing there are people out there who like my stuff and encourage and support me is something I will always be grateful for. Thank you!**

**Loyalfan: I'm not sure where my thoughts are about continuing after 100 but it's not completely out of the question. I'll just have to see how the story does in its home stretch, but I know that all good things must come to an end.**

**Hadley: Writing about season nine spoilers wouldn't really fit in _this_ story but it is something I've considered writing about, actually. The only problem is that I don't have time to make another story, ha. But believe me, you know I've got my own little ideas spinning around in my head after each time I read a spoiler. Who knows. If this comes to an end before OTH comes back on (which seems like the case) then maybe I'll write a few one-shots about what I'll think will happen. Eh, I don't know though.**

**BDavis: Haha, yay! I'm glad you are a LM nerd and jumped up and down when you saw the update for ch. 90. I appreciate the compliment about wishing season 2 has been as cute as the last chapter. That is probably one of my least favorites of the first six and it could have used some cuteness for sure. And I totally smiled when you quoted Peyton, ha. Thanks.**

**Anon: I'm glad you liked the chapter with the added Taylor drama. I always find her fun to write because she's such a...character. I hope you enjoyed the health scare!**

**Joan: I have to agree. Early marriage Naley, without the kids, is always a plus. I feel like we got a lot of that in the show but then again we didn't. Does that even make sense? I appreciate your compliment about continuity. That is something I always try to do with the show and my own stories. I don't always do it well but I try.**

**Whitney: Thank you for the other health scare options. I appreciate the help. **

**C: Old school Naley is fun to write but it's also hard to write, but I'm glad you liked it! Ha, I'm glad you read my profile about those signs. LOL I probably sounded like such a NERD. I appreciate the feedback!**

_**Please Review**_


	92. Field Trip Fiasco

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 92: Field Trip Fiasco**

**Disclaimer: You guys already know this, but I'm inclined to type it anyway. I don't own anything related to OTH. This is for fun. I write for you guys and I love doing it!**

**AN: Hey all. First off, sorry for the delay. This really was ready last night but as per usual, something had to crap out and it happened to be the internet. So I lugged my computer to campus before my 9:30 class just so I could get this out! Sorry for the delay! This chapter of LM will be far less dramatic than the last one, and it's a missing moment from season 6. There's a lot of Nathan and Jamie but I haven't had a whole lot of chapters based on the boys and I thought I'd see how you guys liked it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley had a rhythm. There were certain and appropriate ways in packing a school lunch. The twenty three year old mom had had a few years of practice since she had a five year old. She'd learned that there was also a right and wrong way to cut a sandwich. Jamie liked his cut in half but Haley knew that it all tasted the same. She was going for efficiency. Working as a teacher made her mornings a little rushed but she managed. Haley always did.

"Mmm, is that for me?" Nathan walked up behind his wife and snagged a grape from Jamie's lunch.

Haley turned to him and smirked while shaking her head. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you."

"Why not?" Nathan didn't see the harm in taking one of his son's grapes, but he also didn't see Jamie sitting at the counter.

Clearing his little throat, the boy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Hey...that was mine." Like a tiny member of the grape police, Jamie looked at his father with an adorable stare that was more cute than intimidating.

Nathan looked to Haley but she'd gone back to fixing Jamie's lunch, smiling about her husband and son's exchange. The SlamBall player picked a grape from the bag on the counter and put it into the Ziploc that was going to school with Jamie. "Better?" He watched Jamie nod and then Nathan pulled out another grape that wasn't from his son's stash. Tossing it up in the air, Nathan caught it in his mouth and raised his brows.

Smiling, Jamie opened his mouth. "Dad. Dad. See if you can get it in my mouth."

Plucking a few more grapes from the stem, Nathan took aim for Jamie's mouth and winced when he smacked Jamie on the cheek. "Oops, sorry."

"Try again." Jamie didn't care if he'd gotten a grape to the face, he was eager to get one in his mouth.

Haley sealed the bag she'd just put Jamie's sandwich in and shook her head. "If you two keep missing I'm the one who has to pick all the grapes."

"Nah, we'll get them." The twenty-three year old father shook his head and took form to toss a grape Jamie's way. He shut one eye and lined up his arm ready to throw the purple grape.

It didn't go in.

"Aw man! So close!" Jamie used his fingers to show the margin of error and opened his mouth again.

"Alright. One more time. Then you gotta brush your teeth after this."

"Kay." Jamie nodded but was eagerly awaiting his father's shot.

Haley brushed the crumbs off her hands over the sink and then turned around to watch Nathan and Jamie. She couldn't deny the fact that they were kind of adorable together.

"Here we go." Nathan tossed the grape Jamie's way and watched it float towards his son's mouth.

Jamie had his eyes closed and then suddenly felt something cool land in his mouth. He cracked open his eyes and felt the grape with his tongue. Pointing at his open mouth, Jamie started chomping down on the juicy grape. "You got it!"

Nathan smirked and crossed his arms with a confident smile. He looked to Haley and laughed. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

Haley's big brown eyes widened and she nodded with a smirk and sarcasm, "Mmm-huh, It's the only reason I married you." She sipped her coffee with a laugh and watched Nathan roll his eyes.

The dark haired husband shook his head with a smile and looked to his son. "Alright, bud. Go brush your teeth." Nathan kicked his head toward the stairs and watched Jamie hop off his chair. Walking over to Haley, Nathan picked up Jamie's lunch and furrowed his brow. "So I don't get one?"

Shaking her head, Haley looked to him. "I thought you'd come have lunch with me? You don't have to be at the school for the field trip until one."

He nodded at her plan and then thought about the field trip she'd mentioned. He was pretty excited about it. It wasn't often that opportunities to help chaperone a bunch of five and six year olds popped up, not to mention help out with a field trip as cool as going to the battleship. "Yeah, alright. You want me to pick us up something?"

Looking over toward her purse, Haley shook her head. "I'm taking leftovers."

He wouldn't have wanted left over chicken and rice casserole but whatever floated her boat was fine with him.

Jamie came bouncing down the stairs and flashed his parents a million dollar smile. "How do they look?"

"Perfect." Haley smiled at their son and walked toward him with his lunch. "Ready?"

"Mmm-huh." Jamie took his lunch box from his mom and looked to his father. "See you later, Daddy."

"Bye, Jamie. Bye, Hales." He watched his wife and son walk to the door and knew that he'd be alone for the next few hours until he met back up with Haley for lunch. He had a few options: chill and do a whole lot of nothing; head to the Rivercourt and shoot around for a while; play NBA Live; or lend a helping hand and finish the morning dishes and fold whatever was in the dryer. His twenty-three year old self would have been perfectly content with playing video games all morning but Nathan Scott wasn't the average twenty something. He had responsibilities which meant those dishes and laundry would come first. Then maybe, probably, he'd sneak in a game or two of computer generated basketball.

Turning for the sink, Nathan stepped up to the counter and took a deep breath, but before he got started something caught his eye. It was the container that held Haley's lunch. She'd forgotten it so it looked like he'd be picking up something for the both of them after all. Before he got to leave and have lunch with his sexy wife, there were dishes that were calling his name.

Lathering up with some dish soap, Nathan tackled the dishes in no time with the help of the dishwasher and then made his way to the laundry room. He pulled out the heap of clothes and laughed at the sight of Jamie's tiny underwear. When he sat down on the couch he held up a pair of Batman themed briefs and tried to remember a time when he was that little. His dad probably only let his mom buy underwear that was basketball themed but it was all the same - tiny little briefs, and Nathan had to laugh.

After the underwear was folded and separated, Nathan looked down to a pile of socks and sat back in the couch. Matching socks was the worst. Haley probably had some kind of trick to it all but Nathan didn't know it and matching them was gonna take some time.

But to make it a little less agonizing, he pulled all of the socks on the couch and pushed the basket full of folded clothes to the other side of the room. One pair matched and Nathan shot them toward the basket and nodded at himself when it went in. Between tossing grapes in Jamie's mouth and making matched socks in the basket, Nathan knew his basketball comeback was on the brink. He'd be playing for a team in no time.

He'd gone twelve for thirteen on his sock percentage and when he was done folding laundry he had a little time to himself. NBA Live wasn't as appealing as it had been earlier and instead he got on the computer to look up a few of the minor league basketball teams for kicks. He did a little research and realized that there were open tryouts for the Charleston Chiefs coming up and he wanted to make sure and mark his calender. Maybe it could be his big break?

Once he finished his basketball studies Nathan realized that his morning had flown by and it was nearing time for him to head to the high school.

After stopping to pick up something for lunch, Nathan walked onto campus feeling a wave of nostalgia pass over him. It happened every time. Tree Hill High School hadn't changed one bit. There had been a few cosmetic changes to a few buildings but more or less, everything was the same.

Classes had gotten out just a minute ago and he made his way through the sea of teenagers towards Haley's room. She was marking on some papers when he walked in and he set down the to-go bag in front of her. "How about a cranberry almond salad with grilled chicken?"

She looked up and smiled. "Thank you so much. I can't believe I forgot my lunch." Laughing at herself, Haley wasn't entirely sure she hadn't done it on purpose. It was always endearing to see her husband walk through the doorway of her classroom with food for her. "Where do you wanna eat?" She looked around her room and didn't know if he wanted to go somewhere else.

"Doesn't matter." Nathan didn't really care and he started to pull out their food. Haley got up to get them two bottled waters and then walked back in and shut her door.

He turned around and couldn't help but smirk. "Uh-oh, you shut the door. What did I get myself into?"

His comment had been jovial but curious, and Haley hadn't thought anything of it until she saw his smirk. Her cheeks turned bright red and she shook her head as she took a seat. "No, _Nathan_..." She kinda hissed his name and looked around her class as if someone might still be in there. "You can't say stuff like that."

Laughing, he knew it was leading toward inappropriate but it was funny to see her so flustered so he kept pushing. "What...you can't say you haven't thought about it."

At that her cheeks got as red as a tomato and her temperature rose about one thousand degrees. She bit her lip and shook her head,"...stop it." He laughed and arched his brow but Haley swatted at him while she opened up the lid of her salad trying to focus on her chicken, not her husband. "So..uh, what, what did you do at home?"

He bit into his sandwich and smiled as he chewed because it took her longer than normal to ask. "Nothing really." He wiped his mouth and twisted off the top of his water. "Folded some _underwear_..."

Haley's cheeks turned violently red again and she swallowed hard. "You have to stop saying stuff like that."

Smiling, Nathan shook his head laughing, "It wasn't _yours_. It was Jamie's. Those superhero ones."

Feeling kind of embarrassed that she'd assumed he'd kept playing up the classroom tryst that wasn't gonna happen, Haley hung her head and laughed. "The ones he runs around the house in with just his cape."

Nodding, Nathan laughed. "Yep."

She shook her head and pictured their young son running through the house with only his underwear and cape. It didn't happen often but when he got something super sugary for an after school snack there was no telling what could happen. "Thanks for doing that. You didn't have to fold that stuff."

"It wasn't much. I didn't mind."

It was moments like this that Haley looked at her husband and sometimes wondered how he'd come so far. The Nathan Scott she'd fallen for, the Nathan Scott she'd married had become more of a man than she ever dreamed of. He had his pit falls and that hot headed jerk came out from time to time but she loved him nonetheless, and looking into his blue eyes made her heart skip a beat.

"What about you? Anything fun happen in your first few periods?"

Shaking her head, Haley shrugged. "Just vocab quizzes."

Nathan looked at the papers she'd been grading and pointed. "Are those them?" He watched her nod and picked up one of the papers. "Picayune?"

Haley couldn't help but smile at his mispronunciation. "Pi-ca-yune." She sounded out the syllables and looked to her husband with a cute grin. "It means of little value or importance."

He loved the way she sounded, all smart and tutor-ish. It threw him back in time. "What is it? Say it again."

"Pi-ca-yune." Haley took a bite of her salad and could see something going through Nathan's mind through those blue eyes of his.

"What are the other ones?" Nathan could listen to her call out vocabulary words all day. Something about the way she said the words and the way she told him the meanings made Nathan feel like they were kids again.

So that's what they did. For the majority of her lunch break they talked about her vocab until she looked at the clock and realized he had somewhere to be. "It's quarter till. You should probably get going."

He nodded and crumbled up his trash into the bag.

"Thank for lunch."

Smiling, Nathan leaned across the table and kissed her. "No problem. I'll see you at home later." He picked up their trash and was gonna toss it out on his way to the car. "Bye."

"Bye."

Nathan walked out of Haley's classroom and was surprised to see three girls standing around the lockers by the door. Apparently they'd had an audience at some point. Nathan knew the teenagers probably found him attractive and looked to them when he threw away his and Haley's trash. "Mrs. Scott your teacher?" The girls nodded and he smirked lowering his voice. "You've got a pop quiz on vocab. I'd study if I were...

"Nathan! I can hear you." Haley's door was open and she shook her head with a laugh.

Smiling as he turned away, Nathan knew he might catch some flack for that when they saw each other back at home but he had another group he had to worry about. There were twenty five youngsters ready for a field trip.

**OTHOTH**

The battleship was always so much bigger up close than it looked across the Cape from downtown. Even at the Rivercourt the ship seemed small, but as the class bus got close to the the U.S.S. North Carolina, Nathan could tell just how mammoth it was.

"Mr. Scott. Mr. Scott. Did you bring your cape?"

Nathan turned to Jamie's frienemy and shook his head. "No, not today." He laughed and shook his head.

"Chuck, you're not supposed to leave your seat while we're still moving." Ms. Lauren looked at her student and shook her head.

"But we're here." Chuck pointed at at the giant gray boat and felt the bus stop.

The kids and adults made their way off of the bus and headed for the ramp to get on the boat. A tour guide dressed in a vintage sailor's uniform greeted the class with a smile.

"At ease, sailors." He saluted toward the little kids and smiled at the teachers and adults. "Who's ready to step aboard?"

All of the kids raised their hands and Nathan couldn't help but smile at their attitudes. He felt Jamie bump into him and the boy looked at his father with a nod. Apparently Nathan was supposed to raise his hand too, so he did.

"Good. Good. We've even got an excited dad." The tour guide nodded to Nathan and clapped his hands together. "Let's get started."

Ms. Lauren motioned for the parents to spread out in the line of kids and Nathan figured he could bring up the rear, making sure no one strayed behind.

The group made their way inside the boat and Nathan was surprised at how small the quarters were. He had to duck in all of the corridors and learned the hard way that he needed to pay attention to the ceiling. The first and last time he hit his head on a low hanging pipe had all of the kids laughing.

The tour guide first led the group of students and adults into the bridge, the place where all of the controls are, and one of the kids ran up to the brass looking object in the middle of the room.

"Is this the gas pedal?"

Smiling, the tour guide laughed. "Sorta. It's the throttle for engine two, but it does control the speed of the boat. And actually can I get three volunteers?" Every hand in the room shot up and the man picked one girl and two boys. "Climb up in that big brown chair, little lady. You're our captain."

"What about me?" Chuck's face fell and he seemed disappointed.

"You're gonna be our first mate."

"Is that important?"

"It's very important." The tour guide nodded and patted the brass throttle. He looked to Jamie and pointed at engine two's throttle. "Man that one, skipper and when she tells you two full speed a head, pull this thing as hard as you can." He patted on the lever and walked toward the little girl who doubled as a captain.

"Cool! Are we really gonna move?" Chuck was excited now.

They weren't going anywhere but the tour guide didn't tell the kids that. He wanted to give them a little bit of excitement. Walking toward the captain's chair, the tour guide whispered in the girl's ear the signal that would give her permission to yell to the boys.

When she saw the tour guide touch his nose she held onto the sides of the captain's chair and gave the orders to the boys. "Full speed head!"

Jamie and Chuck tried with all their might to pull the levers on their throttles down but nothing was happening.

"I can't...get it." Jamie was using all of his weight to try and help him get it down but it wouldn't budge.

"Me...either!" Chuck yanked as hard as he could but nothing was happening. Nathan was leaning against the back wall watching Jamie and Chuck struggle.

The tour guide walked over toward the engine controls and pressed the red button and a loud siren and flashing lights started to light up the room.

Chuck threw his hands up in the air and bugged his eyes. "I didn't do it!"

Nathan nearly jumped out of his skin when the horn started going off and he wasn't sure what to make of what was going on. He saw the tour guide press a button on the main panel and everything turned off.

The tour guide looked to the group of young kids and smiled. "Anyone know what happened?"

"You push-ed a button." A little boy with glasses pointed to the red button the tour guide pressed and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"You're right. But what would this mean if we were fighting in a war?"

Jamie thought he knew. "We got hit."

"Exactly." The tour guide wanted the children to know how sudden something like a bomb or torpedo could interrupt something. He went on to describe what it was like for sailors to be on the boat when they were hit with enemy fire, elaborating on protocol and life boats.

When Nathan walked out of the room, he smiled at his son as they walked together. The grown man held out his fist for a pound. "Nice answer, bud."

Jamie gave his father a pound and hurried to catch up with his friends as they made their way down the steps below deck.

"Now as we get in here, you'll see that this was an gun turret, which we can call an artillery room. The crew would load up the torpedoes in here during World War two, controlling the ship's defense." The tour guide walked over to a strange looking viewfinder and pressed his face against the lens. "This thing here was used as a scope so the officers could look out all the way around the ship." The man in the sailor uniform stepped away from it and let the kids look through while he continued talking about the ship.

There was a step stool for the shorter kids but even with the extra foot, not all of them were tall enough.

"Here..." Nathan stepped by the kids and picked up the first little girl who was about three inches too small. "Can you see now?"

"Mmm-huh." The little girl looked through the lens and could see the outside of the boat and Nathan put her down when she was done. "Thank you." The little girl looked up to the tall man and smiled.

"You're welcome." Nathan nodded and picked up the next tiny tot. He was like a human assembly line with little kids.

Jamie walked over from looking at something with Andre and glanced up at the scope. Nathan laughed at his son and picked him up. "One of these days you'll be tall."

"That's what Mama says." Jamie peered his blue eyes through the scope and saw the water of the Cape Fear. "I see the Rivercourt."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It looks small."

Nathan laughed at his son and then put Jamie down to see if anyone else needed help looking through the old thing. All of the kids had had their turn so Nathan pressed his face against the device and saw the same thing Jamie did. The Rivercourt looked so tiny through the lens and Nathan pulled away from the viewfinder to see the group headed to the next room.

There were about one thousand little rooms hidden within the battleship, and when the group got to the lower deck, Nathan watched the kids climb on the bunks that were separated by less than a foot. Talk about cramped spaces. While they walked around the living quarters, Nathan winced at the size of the bathrooms but couldn't help but laugh at the _CONSERVE WATER_ sign posted on the walls. The Navy wasn't letting anyone get off easy.

"Dad, Dad. Come here. Look!" Jamie found his father looking around the showers and tugged him toward the name of crew members on a nearby wall. "Look at all of these. We have the same last name" The little blue eyed boy looked up to his father curious about the twelve men whose last name matched their own. "You think we're related?"

"I don't know, Jame." Nathan knew that Scott was a pretty common last name but didn't want to crush Jamie's hopes. "Maybe." He looked at the names but none of them stood out. He saw a John F Sawyer, seven men with James for a last name, and about twenty with Davis. Apparently he and his high school friends had popular names.

"That's so cool." Jamie went off to tell his friends that he could have had a relative on the boat and Nathan wandered through the rooms with a curiosity that mirrored his son's. He must have ended up in the media room because there were a handful of radios mounted to the walls with headphones. They were playing songs and programs from the forties and Nathan couldn't help but listen. He listened to the first one for a little while and the woman's voice made him think of Haley. Moving on to the next headset, Nathan shook his head trying to figure out how he could have been out at sea away from his wife and son for months if not years at a time. Basketball and SlamBall took him away from time to time but it was never anything compared to what the men in the military sacrificed.

After the fourth headset, Nathan knew he better get back to the group, but when he stepped back into the room with all the bunks, he didn't see any familiar faces or hear the tour guide's voice. There were a few tourist roaming the corridor but they weren't a part of his group. His group had gone to the next place and Nathan had been left behind. Thanks to those entertaining radio programs Nathan found himself lost in the battleship and he didn't know where to go. Did they come in from the left or the right? Did all the corridors lead to the same place? Hopefully that was the case and Nathan took a deep breath as he walked out of the living quarters and down a narrow corridor with green arrows.

"Arrows are probably good." He hadn't meant to say it out loud but he had. He came to a door and tried to open it but it was locked so he kept on walking. And walking. Nathan turned a corner and saw a blank wall staring at him and he knew that he'd come up to a dead end. Turning around, Nathan took a deep breath and tried to remember the way he'd come. On his way back he saw a stairwell that said outer deck port and took it thinking outside was the best place to be. At least out there he wouldn't feel confined in a small space and breathing in dirty air that smelled like old people and rust.

The steps creaked with each step and Nathan made it to the next floor and opened the door. He looked around and realized that it hadn't taken him outside but to another floor and to another intersection. With another choice, Nathan decided to go left and thought he remembered that the exterior of the boat was left but at this point he was so turned around that he couldn't trust his instinct,but he went anyway.

While Nathan was wandering the halls trying to find an exit or the group of kids he was supposed to help chaparone, Ms. Lauren looked behind her and then to Jamie. "Where's your dad, Jamie?"

Jamie looked around and didn't see his father and shrugged his shoulders.

One of the mom's who'd been with them suggested that she go back and look for him in the living quarters and headed that way. She had to take a few turns to get back to where they'd been but it had been easy enough. Looking around, the woman didn't see Jamie's father and headed back to the group and approached the teacher. "I didn't see him."

"Oh gosh, okay." Ms. Lauren let the tour guide finish his spiel on the kitchen and pulled him aside. "I think we've lost one of our chaperones."

The man laughed and nodded. "Happens all the time. Let me call the office and tell them we've got a stray."

Jamie kept checking over his shoulder to see if his dad would walk through the door but he didn't and went over to Ms. Lauren.

The teacher could see that the boy was a little worried and shook her head looking to the tour guide. "He's gonna get someone in the office to find your dad."

Jamie looked up to the tour guide very seriously. "He's really tall. Dark hair and blue eyes like me." The boy bugged his eyes wide so they could get a good look.

"Alright. Don't worry, champ. He's around here." The tour guide pulled out his radio on his belt and let the office know they needed to keep an eye out for someone.

While the distress call went through the thick walls of the battleship, Nathan was absolutely and completely lost. He'd go up a flight of stairs thinking he'd reach the top only to be proven wrong. Dead ends and locked doors seemed to outnumber ones that led anywhere. Everything looked the same and Nathan was frantically trying to find a way out, but every step he took pushed him further and deeper into the battleship.

When he found a room with a chair he sat down and tried to think his way out of this unsolvable maze. But bless his heart, Nathan had never been much a thinker. Getting out of this place was going to be a task far too complex for his mediocre skills.

He saw a little map of the level he was on stuck to the wall and he studied the thing like it was life or death. Just about ready to take on the confusing hallways and corridors again, Nathan heard footsteps coming down the hallway and a man dressed in a blue polo stuck his head in the room.

"Mr. Scott?" Nathan nodded and the guy smiled. "Let me take you back to your group."

Laughing at himself, Nathan followed the employee out of the room, and then, when fresh air hit his skin, he couldn't help but be grateful. Nathan was definitely not a battleship man."It would have taken me forever to figure out how to get outta here."

The employee laughed with Nathan and nodded. "You'd be surprised how many people get lost."

That comment was probably supposed to make Nathan feel a little better about getting lost not and losing the group, but it didn't. Finally, he saw the group of kids walking on the deck and he thanked the guywho had escorted him back. He hadn't been to terribly embarrassed but as he made his way toward the class he couldn't help but feel like a bit of a failure at chaperoning, and who fails that?

"Dad...!"

"Hey." Nathan put his hand on Jamie's shoulder and smiled at his son. He hadn't meant to miss the last thirty minutes of the tour but he hoped that the class and his boy had had a good time. Nathan was about to ask Jamie how the rest of his tour went but the blue eyed boy asked a question first.

"Did you get lost?"

Jamie's voice had a certain quality in it that shattered Nathan's ego. The twenty-three year old nodded and sighed. "But I'm glad it was me and not one of you."

"Well I wouldn't have gotten lost." Chuck had his smart-ass smile on his face and shrugged. "I have this place memorized."

Nathan looked at Chuck and could easily see how Jamie didn't always get along with the kid. He had a mouth on him and he didn't know when to shut it sometimes. Nathan let Chuck's comment role off his back and they all walked down the platform toward the bus.

On their way back to the school Nathan could only spend the bus ride shaking his head at himself forgetting lost. As they neared the school, he realized his biggest hurdle of the day hadn't been finding his way out of the battleship,but owning up to his mistake and telling Haley.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan and Jamie were in an intense battle of NBA Live when they heard the front door open. Jamie pressed pause and hopped of the couch, sprinting for the door. Haley watched her son slide toward her on white socks and she smiled.

"How was the field trip?"

"Fun. We got to see the whole battleship, and guess what?"

"What?" Haley walked into the kitchen and Jamie followed her like a little duckling.

Nathan was almost positive that he was about to spill the beans about him losing his way but was pleasantly surprised that he didn't.

"There were a bunch of crew members who had our last name. Daddy said that we could be related to them."

Haley's brows rose and she nodded. "That's neat."

Nathan made his way into the kitchen and helped Haley pull things out for dinner. "It was pretty cool..."

"And guess what happened to Daddy?"

Turning to her husband with a funny look, Haley arched her brow, "What happened?"

Hanging his head, Nathan felt the sting of shame. "Jamie, don't you have some homework?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure you aren't supposed to read or something?"

Haley could see that Nathan was avoiding talking about what happened in front of their son. His obvious diversion wasn't stifling her curiosity, though.

Jamie shook his head and looked to his father. "Mama's gonna read to me tonight."

"Well...I bet Chester's lonely. Why don't you go say hey to him.

"Okay." Jamie walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, forgetting whatever it was that he was going to tell his mom..

"What happened, Nathan?" Haley walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out some vegetables. Haley hadn't forgotten what Nathan was trying to dismiss.

He stammered and then Nathan let out a heavy sigh. "I got lost."

"You got lost?"

Nodding, Nathan shrugged. "One minute I'm listening to the radio with these headphones on and then the next I look around and I can't find Jamie and the others."

Haley didn't want to laugh because she could see that he was embarrassed about it. "I'm sure it happens to a lot of people."

"Hales, I got lost in front of a bunch of five year olds. Jamie probably thinks I'm the lamest dad ever."

She shook her head and walked toward him. "No he doesn't. He thinks the world of you."

As true as it was, Nathan couldn't help but feel like he let Jamie down a little bit. Their little boy hadn't done anything to make Nathan's thoughts concrete, but the dad couldn't help but feel bad.

Haley knew that her husband's ego was probably a little bruised so she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "If it makes you feel better I called one of my students by the wrong name all day." That got Nathan to laugh and she got up on her tiptoes. "See, we're human. We can make mistakes."

He knew she was right and nodded before kissing her. Nathan pulled away and took a deep breath. "Thank you."

She didn't need his thanks because it was the truth. They messed up sometimes. Both of them. They weren't perfect and never would be, and Nathan didn't need to think one field trip gone awry would mess things up.

The pitter-patter of Jamie's feet thumped down the stairs and his parents both looked at him. Jamie smiled with that familiar orange ball in his hands.

Looking to Nathan with a hopeful grin, Jamie smiled from ear to ear. "Wanna play?"

Haley felt her heart melting and rubbed her hand on Nathan's back, kicking her head towards the door. "Go on. I've got dinner under control." Haley watched her two boys head outside and knew that she would be watching them play together for years and years to come. It was endearing and Haley loved the fact that they'd always have basketball to keep them close.

As Nathan and Jamie played around outside, Haley got dinner going and it didn't take long for everything to be ready. The young mother walked to the porch and opened up the door. "It's ready."

Jamie looked at his mom and nodded. "One more shot." He turned to his father and bounced the ball a few times before taking aim. "Nothing but net."

Nathan laughed at Jamie's large assumption but watched the ball float through the air towards the hoop. It wasn't exactly a swish but it went in.

"Nice shot, Jame." Nathan got the ball and he and his son headed inside for dinner.

"I did it like you." The boy glanced to his father and nodded with a smile.

The family of three ate their dinner with Jaime taking control of the conversation. He felt the need to tell his mom every last detail about the field trip to the battleship, but Jamie made the stories interesting and funny. He had a way with words that made even the dullest of topics cute and fun. Jamie was animated in the way he spoke and he even had Nathan interested in hearing about a trip he'd been a part of all over again.

When things started to quiet down, Nathan offered to clean up the kitchen and Haley got Jamie upstairs and ready for a bath. The boy grabbed a toy ship that looked like the one he'd visited earlier in the day and Haley grabbed a stack of papers to go through.

Between bubbles, splashing around, and explosion noises that came out of Jamie's mouth, Haley didn't get a whole lot of grading done while she supervised Jamie's bath but she hadn't expected a lot either.

Nathan put the dishes in the dishwasher and was wiping down the counter when he heard those familiar footsteps come down the steps. Dressed in pajamas with dump trucks and back-hoes, Jamie walked toward his father.

"Can I have a glass of water?"

Turning to his son, Nathan nodded and got out a cup Jamie could take upstairs. "What's Mom doing?" He put a few cubes of ice in it and then filled it with water.

"Putting on her pajamas." Jamie slurped his water and bit into an piece of ice. "She's gonna read me the bear book."

Nathan watched Jamie head back upstairs. "Night, Jamie. I love you."

"Love you, too." The little boy turned but his momentum caused a little bit of water to slosh out of his cup and land on the floor. "Oops."

Laughing, Nathan got a paper towel and wiped up the water. "Night, you goof."

Jamie held his cup tightly as he started to climb the stairs. "Night."

Nathan stayed downstairs for a little bit longer. When he figured that Haley would probably stay upstairs after she finished reading, he turned out the lights and headed that way. Before going into the bedroom, Nathan stopped by Jamie's door and heard Haley's voice.

"...Mouse says, 'Too damp, too dank, too dark.' So he lights wee twigs with a small, hot spark. The coals pip-pop but the wind doesn't stop..."

He didn't need to see them to know that Haley and Jamie were both lying in his bed with Jamie eagerly looking at the pictures and listening to Haley's voice as she told the story of Bear Snores On. Nathan walked to the bedroom and saw a heaping pile of papers laid out on Haley's side of the bed and he couldn't help but sit down and reach for them. He looked at the vocabulary words and repeated the one he'd learned earlier. "Picayune, of little value or importance." Nathan scanned over the test for a little while and then heard Haley walk in the bedroom.

"Jamie wants you." Haley moved her papers so she could slide into bed to get ready to grade.

Nathan got off the bed and walked into their son's room. He sat down on the bed and looked at the boy. "Whatcha need, Jamie?"

Shaking his head, Jamie shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just glad you came to my field trip today."

Feeling like his heart exploded because his son was so sweet, Nathan nodded. "Well I'm glad I could come too."

Jamie reached over to his shelves and held out his red cape. "And I thought you could take this for a little while. I know you have one, but mine might be better."

Taking the cape, Nathan laughed. "Hopefully it'll keep me from getting lost."

"That's the idea."

Laughing out loud, Nathan got up off the bed and turned off the light. Leaning down to Jamie's head, Nathan kissed his son goodnight. "Thanks, Jamie." Nathan made his way to the bedroom with a smile and tied the cape around his neck.

Haley was working on one of the vocabulary tests when she saw her handsome husband walk into the bedroom with a cute smirk on his face. "Nice cape."

Nodding, Nathan laughed and untied the thing so he could change clothes. He set it down on the bed while he walked to the dresser and pulled out something more comfortable to sleep in. Slipping his legs through the sweat pants, Nathan opted for no shirt and got on the bed next to his wife.

"So what was this about?" She looked at the cape and furrowed her brow.

Nathan laughed and picked up the red material. "Jamie's letting me hang on to it for a little while. I think he thinks it will help me not get lost."

Smiling because that was on the adorable side of cute, Haley put her pen down and watched Nathan tie the cape on again.

He looked down and shook his head. "I think it's a little small though."

Haley's eyes landed on Nathan's bare chest and she couldn't help but stare. Looking up to him with a burning fire in her warm chocolate eyes, she shook her head and reached out for the string of the cape pulling him close for a kiss. "It looks good on you."

"Oh yeah?" Nathan smiled and kissed Haley feeling his heart start to race.

"Mmm-huh." She nodded and kissed him again and felt her back hit the pillows as Nathan hovered over her. Haley tilted her head toward the door and felt his lips on her neck but she was starting to wonder if they should stop this thing they'd started. Jamie might still be awake. "Nathan..."

"Mmh?" He leaned down and kissed her, locking eyes.

"What if he's not asleep?"

"He is." He wasn't sure of it but was sure enough to kiss his wife and move his hands down her sides. "And besides, that's picayune." Nathan laughed and nodded at Haley. "Of little value or importance."

The way he'd said that was sexy and Haley couldn't deny it. It did matter that Jamie might not be asleep, but not enough for them to stop. At least the door was closed, and they could be quiet. "You're right." Her fingers dove through his thick hair and she pulled him closer to her.

For a while Nathan and Haley only heard their hot breaths one each others skin and Haley pushed Nathan over on his back and straddled his hips slipping off her top.

His hands rested on her sides and they looked at each other for little while before doing anything further. When she leaned down to kiss him, Nathan moved his foot and sent the vocabulary quizzes she'd been grading to the floor. Neither of them looked up and Haley didn't even care that her paperwork had probably gotten out of alphabetical order. At the moment she was focused on Nathan and that's all she was thinking about. His lips, his chest, his abs, his ass. Haley couldn't deny she was a lucky woman.

Both of them were lucky that they loved each other as much as they did, and in a few short moments they would _actually_ get lucky.

**OTHOTH**

**So how many of you could see Nathan going on a field trip and getting lost on the battleship? Me. Ha, I could totally see that happening, hence the chapter. I hope you all liked it. I originally thought I was gonna do a hurricane themed one like I did with Charlotte's latest chapter and an upcoming one of Sawyer's, but I kinda felt burnt out on the subject. But, here's where you can tell me if you wanna see a hurricane chapter or not. How do y'all feel about it? I kinda informally asked about this before but not in here so I'm taking the opportunity to do so. Leave me a review or PM letting me know if you'd be up for a hurricane chapter and what ages you want NH or the kids to be. That would help a lot.**

**My reviewers continue to encourage me, so thank you. All of you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!**

**Anonymoususer: Thank you for such a long and detailed review. That was a nice surprise. I have to agree that I think it's kinda beautiful that NH love each other more than ever as they get older. Something about that is so sweet, but it's true. The older couples I know have said that they love their spouse more now than they did when they were younger. I guess time does that to you? I'm glad you liked the Rivercourse scene with the three Scotts. When you requested that I thought I could have it in here and that it would fit well in the context of things. It's funny that you say that you'd never thought about which of the core five would go first, because I never thought it would be Nathan, but we _will_ find out later in the story who goes first. The Tennessee funeral and your question about Sawyer and kids will all be answered in time. I really appreciate the feedback! Thank you so much!**

**: Thank you so much for the compliment about the story! I see what your saying about there being too much Naley, but that's kind of the point of the story, you know. All of these missing moments and one-shots are _supposed_ to be about Naley and their kids. The other couples happen to pop up from time to time (and they will next chapter) but it's not listed as a Nathan and Haley story without reason. I'm not nearly as confident a writer to write strictly for LP or Brulian (yet at least) so that's why I limit myself to Nathan and Haley. If you're looking for chapters about Jamie and Charlotte spending time with the other Tree Hill kids check out their spin-offs. There is a lot of interaction with the kids (more so in Charlotte's and Sawyer's) in those so try those out if you're interested. No need to apologize for your English, a review is a review and I really appreciate your feedback and critique. **

**2old4oth: Haha, you're right. There were a lot of clues, and I'm sure if I were reading this instead of writing I'd be the kind of reader who would take notes so I could try and figure everything out in the spin-offs...it probably would help a lot, if not go ahead and let you know what happens. Yes, the Charlotte's youngest was the boy at the basketball camp. I'm so happy you're enjoying the whole LM series! Thanks for the review!**

**Joan: You know I can't answer anything related to the funeral in Tennessee, but I will say that the "answers" are in Lucas' book. That's gonna be important later on. _REALLY_ important, hint hint. Your questions regarding Graham will also be answered later. Sorry I have to be so vague. I'm so happy you liked the flash back with the kids playing hide-n-seek with Nathan and that the core were with Haley at the hospital. I didn't really get any involvement of the core when I had Haley's cancer scare so I made sure to include them this time. Thanks for the luck on the new semester!**

**Astalavista: I'm happy you liked the build up to the heart attack. I was a little worried it would be too much build up but after reading it a few times I felt like it gave background info people would want without dragging. I so appreciate your kind words about my writing and the luck with classes!**

**Tp404:**** Haha, you're recent review made me laugh. It's good to know you'll read with or without errors. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! UPDATED reply: The chapter really was ready last night, my internet just crapped out! Next time maybe I'll just upload and edit later. That way it will at least be up and I'll deal with the mistakes when I can. Sorry for the timing problems.**

**Riley: Hope you liked the chapter. I apologize for the delay!**

**Please Review!**


	93. Bound for New York

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 93: Bound for New York**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to OTH. Simple as that.**

**AN: Next day update for the win! Good to have these back in action, huh? I wasn't so sure we'd get to 2700, seemed like the story was stuck on 2698 for a while yesterday, but you guys pulled through. This next day update thing will be in play again when and if we pass 2800- such a big number guys, it's so exciting! This chapter will feature the core as adults without the kids, but it should provide for a little excitement, and who doesn't like protective Nathan? After someone suggested I do something similar to the paparazzi chapter, I thought this might be an interesting one. Hope you guys like it! Enjoy**

**OTHOTH**

The sound of the airliner's engine provided a nice backdrop for Haley's mind while she read a new book with a smile on her face. As the plane made its way to New York, Haley had been entertained by the novel in her lap; the characters, the story. It was a one she knew well.

Pencil in hand, the thirty two year old mother of two read through the lines of a book about two souls destined to be together no matter what came between them. It wasn't about her and Nathan, though by description alone it could have been. Instead, it was her best friend's latest work in progress that told _his_ story. Again. Haley looked over her shoulder, and a few rows back she saw the Lucas and Peyton chatting about something. This was their story. Another one of Lucas' finest that reiterated the truths of a relationship that was and always had been meant to be.

With eyes haphazardly tracing over the book, Haley couldn't help but think about her own relationship. She'd been with Nathan sixteen years now. Sixteen years. They had a fourteen year old and a seven year old, but time and age hadn't changed anything. Her brown eyes glanced out the window to early December clouds that looked like cotton balls, and Haley knew she'd love him thirty thousand feet in the air or thirty thousand feet below sea level. It was how they worked and how they loved. Nathan Scott and Haley James had one of those rare finds; a devotion for one another that was unyielding and true. It was why she was so eager to land in New York.

Nathan would be there, or if not there, at least en route. The Bobcats had just played the Philadelphia 76ers and were due to play the Knicks in a few days. And conveniently enough, Brooke had invited the whole gang northeast for the unveiling of her new spring line. So not only would she get to explore a city with her friends but she'd get to see her husband for a few days before he was off to _another_ city to play _another_ team.

It wasn't always easy, him playing in the NBA. He was in his eighth year, and every time they were apart it was hard. Hard on all of them. Jamie and Charlotte missed their dad, but it was part of the job description. September to April and he was bound by contract to jet set across the country, but when he could get home and see the three people he loved most in the world, he did.

The kids weren't with Haley this trip, though. None of the kids were. Brooke and Julian left their two year old with Mouth and Millie. Skills was tackling Lucas and Petyon's two. And that was gonna be a handful considering their eight year old had the attitude of a teenager, but Skills was gonna have their five year old son on his side. Two were better than one, right? Well, hopefully. _Hopefully_ when the blonde Scott husband and wife got home their house would still be standing and Skills won't been tied up. Nathan and Haley had been pretty lucky on the babysitting front. Nathan's mom had come into town and was gonna have it easy with Jamie and Charlotte. Jamie was fourteen and the hardest part about controlling him was his appetite. It seemed like the boy just couldn't stop eating. But apparently that's how most teenage boys were. Charlotte was probably the most well behaved of them all, and Deb wasn't gonna have to worry about her granddaughter too much. She'd given Haley a bit of a sob fest when she found out that she couldn't come to New York and see her dad, but that's how Charlotte and Nathan were. She adored him and he adored her. It made sense for their seven year old to want to come.

"Ma'am we're about to land. If you could put your things away." The flight attendant smiled at Haley and nodded toward the manuscript and pencil.

Haley happily complied, because as she thought about the plane descending, her heart started to swell with excitement. She'd have to call him when she landed. Haley wasn't entirely sure what his schedule looked like for the afternoon or when his plane landed, but she knew she wanted to see him.

The fasten seat belt light flashed on and the captain came over the plane's speakers letting them know they were gearing up to land at LaGuardia. Normally she'd take Nathan's hand if they were flying together. Haley had never been a fan of take offs or landings, but since he wasn't there, she could only think about him as she held on to the arm rest with white knuckles.

The wheels of the plane skidded on the runway as the aircraft slowed down, and Haley looked out her window and saw New York on a bright December day. The window was cool and she knew that the weather was gonna be chilly.

"Welcome to New York, folks. It's nearly three thirty here this afternoon, and the temperature is thirty six degrees. Bundle up and stay warm out there. Thanks for flying, Delta."

Haley got up out of her chair and grabbed her purse looking toward Lucas and Peyton. Her blue eyed best friend walked toward her as they headed out of the plane, and he looked to the manuscript in her hand with a squint. "How do you like it so far?"

"I love it."

Peyton couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was pretty sure that he'd exhausted his readers with the same old story time after time. Don't misunderstand her though. She loved his books. They were her favorite and she'd read them the rest of her life, but Peyton couldn't help but think his fans wanted something new. "I think his next one should be about you and Nate. You're due for some cute literature." Peyton smiled as she tucked her iPod in her purse. She held out her hand like she was holding a book. "_Always and Forever _by Lucas Scott."

Haley laughed while they walked off the plane and shook her head. "Oh gosh."

Peyton nodded and looked to her husband. "What do you think, Luke? Change it up a bit?"

"Maybe. Yeah." Lucas was open to the idea. He'd have to find other stories to tell eventually. As he slung his bag around his shoulder he couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't already done one about Nathan and Haley. Maybe he would one of these days? That might be worth looking into. Aside from the hideous idea of potentially writing a sex scene featuring his brother and best friend, he was up to it.

"And speaking of..." Peyton turned to Haley as they walked through the crowded terminal headed toward baggage claim. "Where is Nathan? Have you talked to him?"

Haley shook her head. "I was gonna look at the arrival and departure screens up here."

"He's coming in from Philly, right?"

Haley nodded at Lucas and she and her two friends approached the screens that would tell them where Nathan was.

"Is it flight four ten? That one is delayed." Peyton saw one plane coming in from Philadelphia but that was the only one. "It's snowing there. I wonder if that's what's delaying them."

Not sure, Haley pulled out her phone and dialed Nathan's number. When she got his voice mail, she pulled her phone away from her face. and shrugged. "I'll try him again later."

The three Scotts made their way toward baggage claim, and Lucas couldn't help but laugh at the large suitcases the girls had packed. They couldn't really help it though. Winter clothes took up so much more room; _even if_ they were only staying for a few days, and _even if_ Brooke would be giving them dresses for the show.

Haley saw her suitcase coming down the conveyer belt, and she wanted to get in front of it so she could catch it. Settled between travelers of all sorts, Haley felt the hospitality, if you can call it that, of New York City goers push and prod people as they hoped to get their luggage too. Haley reached out for the handle of her suitcase but some jerk reached right in front of her get his own causing her to miss hers.

"I got it."

Turning toward his voice, Haley's eyes found a familiar set of blue eyes, and her heart jumped into her throat. "Hi."

Nathan flashed his wife his famous smirk and took her hand, leading her away from the sea of people.

Haley wasn't expecting him to be here, much less be in front of her. She stepped close to him, grabbed the collar of his jacket and got on her tip-toes. "When did you get here?"

Nathan felt her lips on his before he could answer and looked down at her when they pulled away. "About two hours ago."

"You waited _that_ long?" Her brown eyes locked with his and she smiled at him.

Of course he waited on her. What else was he gonna do? Well, there was a lot to do in a city like New York but he didn't want to do anything until Haley got there. "It wasn't long."

"Your plane didn't get snowed in?" She was still in a little bit of shock that she could feel his warm body so close to hers.

He shook his head and kissed her one more time. "I'm right here."

For an instant, a millisecond, Haley couldn't help but remembering a time when she'd said that to him. That day had been a good day. She wore white and he'd been in a suit. They'd renewed their vows and even after all this time Haley still looked at Nathan and could see the boy she'd fall for years ago.

"Come on, you two." Peyton had a peculiar smile and waved the couple over so they could get settled in the hotel before they went out to dinner.

Nathan has his hand in the small of Haley's back and ushered her towards Lucas and Peyton while carrying their luggage with the other.

She could smell him, his familiar scent and Haley looked up to Nathan with those big doe eyes of hers. "I missed you."

Giving her one more quick kiss, Nathan nodded. "I missed you, too."

The time away was always worth it during moments like these: the small airport reunions; the times he'd walk through the house with his bag around shoulder; the nights he'd slip into bed next to her; and the way they said hello was always worth the goodbye.

**OTHOTH**

New York traffic got them to their hotel nearly an hour after they'd landed, and it put the couples in a rush to get ready. Nathan hopped in the shower after she'd finished, and he heard Haley walk back in the bathroom humming a soft tune while she combed through her wet hair.

"Haley?"

"Hmm?" She looked toward the shower and saw him stick his head out of the door.

"Will you grab my dopp kit. I left it in my bag."

Haley was putting moisturizer on her face and looked at Nathan with a shrug. "Just use my shampoo."

He looked at the bottle with a furrowed brow not so sure how gardenia and vanilla would smell on his hair. He wanted something less girly but they were pressed for time. When he was done with his shower, Haley dried her hair and it didn't take him long to get dressed. It hardly ever did. He was sitting on the bed tying his shoes when his wife came out of the bathroom. Nathan couldn't help but smile at her appearance. From her neck up she looked perfectly put together but below she wasn't. The towel that was around her chest was the only thing she had going for her and she hurried over to grab her pants. Nathan watched Haley get dressed in her speed demon ways, but when she started rummaging through her suitcase looking for something in particular Nathan thought he might know what it was. He leaned over to her side of the bed and grabbed her black bra, holding it out for her. "Hales..."

"Oh there it is."

Haley put her bra on faster than Nathan could take it off and he had to laugh at her urgency. "Haley, we're not in race."

"I know..." She looked at him with a funny laugh. "I just don't want to be late."

He couldn't help but laugh again because she was so cute when she got like this. It was kinda like watcher her sort and organize their kitchen drawers. Maybe it was her type-A personality, but whatever it was, Nathan liked it. Glancing at her again as she slipped her blouse on, Nathan knew he didn't only like _it_, but he loved _her_.

When Haley was finally done with her hair, her make-up, and had her jacket on, she turned to her husband who had been contently watching her for the last twenty minutes. "Ready?"

He laughed and got up and walked towards her. "Are _you_ ready? Sure you don't need any more time?"

Furrowing her brow but laughing at herself, Haley acknowledged her manic ways about getting dressed and sighed as they walked out of their room. He didn't have to be a smart ass but the way he was smirking wasn't annoying, it was sexy. Nathan knew it too.

Haley pressed the down button so they could catch the elevator to the lobby, and she turned to her husband with a glance that told him everything he needed to know. He shot her back a look and she narrowed her eyes with a laugh. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"How can you..." She fumbled to think of the word and simply pointed at his face. She had probably asked him this question before.

He knew what she was talking about and laughed with a shrug. "Natural talent." Nathan let Haley walk in the elevator first, and he punched the button for the lobby. "Kinda like why I'm so good at basketball. It's just natural."

"Or your just cocky." Haley laughed and looked to her husband across the elevator. There was a glimmer in her eye and she couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat.

"That too, but you can't deny it, Hales. I just know you." It wasn't rocket science or nuclear physics, it was simply the truth.

Haley nodded and walked toward him and tugged on his tie. "You do know me."

"Mmm-huh." Nathan laughed while kissing her because she'd been pulling on his ties since high school. "I knew you were gonna pull on my tie just now." He looked at her and nodded. "And I know your gonna start to blush cause I said that." He watched his description play out. "And I know you'll bite your lip thinking you can outsmart me, so you'll _try_ not to kiss me again."

"But I can't."

Haley's lips buzzed against his and he nodded, "But you can't."

The elevator's untimely ding took the couple away from each other as the doors opened, and they saw Lucas and Peyton waiting on them.

Lucas had his hands in his pockets and looked at Nathan and Haley as they approached. "I asked the concierge to get us a car but they said one was already here."

"Yeah. Perks of playing professional basketball." Nathan nodded and started walking toward the door.

Peyton huffed with a bit of sarcasm and shook her head at Lucas. "I married the wrong Scott." She laughed out loud at her comment and hooked her arm through Nathan's. "Don't ya think?"

Nathan shook his head and knew they would have never made it to marriage, but laughed anyways. "If we had I bet I'd still have that nipple ring."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Haley scrunched her forehead and made a grossed out face. Why he ever had a nipple ring in the first place was beyond her.

"And if we were married then Haley's tattoo would mean as much as Lucas'." Peyton shot a glance to her husband, her eyes burning a hole through his shirt where that arm tattoo was.

"I..I..well..." Lucas started to mumble because he was never going to have a good answer or comeback for that thing, especially since his ex had a matching one next to her lady business.

Haley started to laugh and patted Lucas' shoulder. "Don't worry Luke. It could be worse."

"How?" Nathan laughed at his brother and couldn't imagine what would be worse.

"Well, my dad really wanted to get a picture of my mom on his leg..."

"What's so bad about that?"

"A _naked_ picture of my mom." Haley winced and didn't even want to think about it.

"Ew!" Peyton laughed out loud and shook her head. "That's nasty."

"I know. Thankfully he didn't."

Nathan wasn't surprised to hear that but wondered why his father in law hadn't gone through with it. Jimmy James seemed off the wall enough to _actually_ do that. "Why didn't he?"

"I think Quinn or Matt reminded him that it wouldn't look so good when he got older." Haley started to smile. "That when he got old and wrinkly so would the tattoo."

Peyton couldn't stop laughing and looked to Lucas. "Okay. Then I am eternally grateful you didn't get a _naked_ picture of Brooke on your leg."

All laughing, the four Scotts got into the car that was waiting outside and headed towards Eleven Madison Park.

The drive didn't take too long, and before anyone knew it, the Tree Hill gang reunited in the Big Apple. Brooke and Julian were sitting at a table for six and smiled when they saw their friends coming toward them.

"You're here! You're here!" Brooke got up to hug Peyton and Haley and noticed that they looked more smiley than normal. "Fill me in, what funny conversation did I already miss?"

Nathan started to laugh and took a sip of his water.

"What?" Brooke looked around like she was missing something and eyed Peyton. "P Scott. What is it?" The raspy voiced mom furrowed her brow as she watched her friends take their seats.

Haley knew that Peyton would start laughing, and that she was gonna be the only one who could say it with a straight face. "We were talking about tattoos. You came up. Not a big deal."

Julian looked to Lucas and then to Brooke. He had a feeling he knew what they were laughing about. "That tattoo doesn't mean what you think it means."

Peyton laughed and looked from Julian to Lucas. "I've told him the same thing."

Realizing that their matching tattoo wasn't what they'd been laughing out, Brooke made a pouty face she'd picked up from Davis. "Oh come on. What is it? There's more to this story."

Taking a deep breath, Haley tried not to laugh. "It was just that we were talking about naked tattoos and..."

"Someone has a naked tattoo of you?" Julian looked to Brooke wide eyed.

"No!" Brooke looked mortified. "Ew!" Her 'ew' had a funny grovel to it and she winced. "No way. That's disgusting." She looked at her friends and shook her head. "I mean I know I was kinda...loose in high school, but no!" She furrowed her brow and winced, "At least I hope not!" Her track record in high school hadn't been peachy. She turned to Haley and Peyton shaking her head, "And I don't even want to _know_ how you ended up talking about that kind of thing. You guys are... Ew."

Haley knew that it was better to leave it at that and changed topics. "Are you excited about tomorrow, Brooke? I bet all the fashion magazines are gonna love the new line."

"I'm nervous." Brooke sighed and sat back in her chair. "It's always nerve wracking."

Julian shook his head and put his hand on her leg. "You're gonna do great."

"Yeah." Peyton nodded. "You always do."

Brooke thought back on her career as a designer and knew that she did have a pretty good resume. "Actually...I did mess up one time."

"What?" Haley looked at Brooke and shook her head.

Eyes wide, Brooke nodded at Haley. "And _you_ should know. It was the first dress that I made for your vow renewal. It was a mess and I admit it now."

Nathan saw Haley in that dress and knew that she hadn't been a fan. He laughed and looked to his wife. "I came home and found her punching the lights out of a dummy."

"And Hales had a good right hook." Lucas laughed remembering a time when she'd nailed him in the chest.

"That was your fault. You snuck up behind me in the dark...at the _cemetery_."

"But you didn't have to hit me."

Nathan laughed and looked at his brother. "I would have hit you."

"Well thanks." Lucas laughed and their waiter came over to get drink orders for those who didn't have them.

The group of six had a nice dinner. The food had been excellent and the conversation just as lively. It wasn't often that they got to have an adult dinner like this. With five kids between them and careers that took up a lot of time, the six friends were often tied down with other obligations. It was nice that they could be adults and not worry about back talk, potty training, or homework help. They all loved their kids. To no end they loved their children, but as any parent would say, some time away was time well spent.

But with that said, it didn't mean the kids didn't come up or into play.

Julian felt his pants buzz and he wouldn't have bothered to answer the text, but when he saw that it was Mouth he knew it must have been important. He turned to his wife and started to grin. "I think they're having trouble getting Davis to take a bath?" He handed Brooke his phone so she could read the message.

Brooke looked at her friends and winced. "Should I call?"

Peyton nodded. "I would. No matter who you have babysitting, no matter how much they like the person, you're always better."

"So I should call." Brooke nodded and excused herself to call Millie and see if she could talk to Davis through the phone.

Julian watched Brooke walk away from the group and turned around laughing. "Did either of you have bath troubles?"

Haley nodded. "Charlotte would get out of the tub and take off."

"Sprint is more like it." Nathan used his hand to demonstrate, and he laughed while thinking about his daughter as a three year old toddler who'd run through the house bare bottomed after a bath.

"They grow out of it." Peyton looked to Lucas thinking about their son. "Keith used to be afraid of the shower. As in he wouldn't _get_ _in_ the tub if the shower was on."

Lucas started to laugh and shook his head. "He ripped one of my shirts one time he was holding on so tight."

Haley started to laugh and looked to Julian with a reassuring smile. "But it's cute in hindsight. This kinda stuff doesn't go on long."

Nathan nodded and leaned back in his chair. "I can't believe Jamie's fourteen already."

"Me either." Lucas shook his head and laughed. "I remember when he was this big." He held out his hand and laughed. "Now he's on his way to being taller than me."

Brooke walked to the table and sat down with a smile. She blinked her eyes a few times showing her emotion. "That was too sweet. Davis said, 'wish you.'" Holding her hand by her heart, Brooke replayed the way Davis had said 'miss you' in her head.

Peyton thought it was sweet but shook her head. "That doesn't last long either. The other night we were eating dinner and Sawyer _out_ _right_, put her fork down, and said, 'Mom, your food tastes like dirt.'".

Nathan laughed and looked to Haley thankful that she knew her way around the kitchen.

"Well, she kinda has a point, Peyt..."

"Oh, don't even..." Peyton's eyes got big and she shook her finger at him.

Haley would have to remember to give Peyton a few pointers when they got back home.

"If it makes you feel better, Peyton. Brooke's not much better." Julian looked at his wife with a laugh.

Wincing, Brooke held up her hand. "Guilty. Why do you think we go to Nathan and Haley's for Thanksgiving?"

Glancing up at her husband, Haley couldn't help but take a little pride in her cooking ability. The group of six continued to laugh and talk a little while longer about this and that; a little bit of everything. The guys paid for dinner, and Nathan told Lucas and Peyton they could take the car back to the hotel if they wanted. He wanted to take in the city with his wife for a little bit.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan had hailed a cab and told the driver to head to Central Park. The moon was high and the stars were out in decent numbers, but darkness still had her curtain down. The trees swayed with the breeze and Haley's heels clicked against the pavement as she strolled down a path with her husband. They weren't really headed anywhere in particular. Hand in hand, and step for step they enjoyed the silence and serenity of a night together.

They passed a few people here and there as they made their way along the path, and Nathan heard something. It sounded like music. "You here that?"

Haley nodded and looked to her left. "I think it's that way."

They walked closely together toward the music, and around a bend they saw a string quartet standing by a fountain. They were playing the melody of an old song and a gentleman in a suit and fedora started to sing.

"Look." Haley leaned close to Nathan and nodded towards a couple dancing elegant and slow. She couldn't help but feel a little envious, but there was no way Nathan was going to dance in the middle of a bunch of strangers. He was basketball player, not a ballerina.

"Someday, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you. And the way you look tonight." The man singing had a Sinatra voice on him and let his cover echo through the crisp night air.

Nathan felt Haley lean into his side and grab one of his arms with both of her hands. She couldn't help but feel like they were watching something out of the movies, but it was New York, the city that never sleeps. And while it wasn't Paris, the most romantic place in the world, Haley felt that New York, in the spot where they were, listening to that music, was the most romantic thing she'd ever need.

They stayed and listened to the man play a few more songs and then headed in another direction. Haley couldn't help but softly hum as they continued to walk. She lifted Nathan's hand above her head and spun like she would have in a dance, and Nathan stopped walking.

He looked at her apologetically, "Sorry I didn't ask you to dance."

Haley's brown eyes met his blue ones in the darkness and she shook her head. Her stomach was pressed against his and she felt herself swaying. "This is enough."

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her. "I love you."

"You better." Haley smiled against his lips and kissed him back.

Haley felt a rush of blood swarm her chest. Nathan Scott was everything she needed him to be and everything she wanted him to be. Pulling away from him, she walked toward the edge of the path were the lake met the road and looked across the water. He watched her silhouette glisten off the water's reflection, and he watched from a few feet away taking in her beauty. This woman was the mother of his children and the holder of his heart. She was perfect and always would be.

Looking towards his wife, Nathan saw that Haley had walked a ways a head of him while he'd been in a trance. In _his_ mathematical measurements, she was about half a basketball court away from him,so he started to catch back up.

Behind Nathan someone had the same idea. Dressed in black with a ski mask covering his face, a man behind a tree had a motive. Snatch the purse and run. This woman looked like she had money and that's what he wanted. There was a guy kinda close but he looked like one of those tall guys who trips over his feet. Maybe if he pushed him on his way to the trees it would help his escape? Feeling sure that it would, the masked mugger took off running.

Nathan heard footsteps and before he could turn around he felt someone push him to the ground. He didn't fall but he lost his balance and staggered a few times. "What the..." Nathan looked up and saw a shadowed figure running towards Haley.

Haley heard it before she knew what was happening. Someone ran up behind her and started pulling on her purse surprised to really say anything. Haley could only think to hold on to her bag and look back toward Nathan.

He saw her and the fear in his eyes fueled Nathan's step, and he ran over to her as fast as he could. "Get away from her!"

Haley didn't know what was gonna happen, but she could only think of Jamie and Charlotte. She hoped to God that this guy didn't pull a knife because their kids were going to need their mom. So with that thought, Haley let go of her bag and figured the least amount of resistance would be best.

The mugger took off about a foot a head of Nathan. The blue eyed basketball player put his hands on Haley's sides and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Terrified of what had just happened, Haley felt her lip quiver but she nodded. "I'm fine. He got my purse."

"Like hell." Nathan looked through the darkness and wasn't gonna let the bastard get away with it. He took off running and felt his legs kick into a different gear. This wasn't gonna end well for the guy who tried to take anything way from _his_ wife; anything away from _him_ for that matter. His breath roared out his mouth like a white steam engine as he narrowed in on the guy.

The guy heard footsteps behind him and the woman's husband or boyfriend was hot on his trail. The bag and everything in side was surely worth more than his usual pick ups, but with a man with a fist that looked ready to kill was running after him, he knew he had to make a choice. Dropping the bag, the mugger hoped he was home free and that the man would stop. Obviously he didn't know he'd just messed with Nathan Scott.

Nathan was just about an arms lengths away, and it would be just a few more steps before he caught the guy. When he knew he was close enough, Nathan leapt toward the man and took him down with one hard tackle. He roared back with an anger no one wanted to be on the receiving end of and punched the guy. Hearing the seam of his sleeve rip on the shoulder, but Nathan wasn't really worried about his suit at the moment.

The mugger started to squirm away and was clearly a seasoned pro at this. He felt a blow against his side and kicked Nathan away from him. He could deal with losing a job, but he didn't want to go to jail.

Nathan flailed his arm in the darkness and it landed on the ground, and he winced when he saw the guy get away. Hearing heels scurrying his way, Nathan started to get to his feet.

"Oh my God, Nathan. Are you okay?" Haley grabbed Nathan by the arm to help him up.

He shook off the pain in his left hand and nodded. "I'm fine, but he got away." He pointed toward the way the guy ran and sighed. He turned back to his wife and looked her over. "Are you hurt?"

Haley noticed the ripped seam on his jacket and then saw his bloody chin. "No, but you are." Knowing that he must have fallen hard when he tackled the guy, Haley raised her hand to his face. "Nathan..."

"Hales, I'm fine." Nathan shook her off and looked down at the purse in her hand. At least the thief let that go and she got it back. "Let's just get out of here."

"Do we need to report this?" Haley looked around and knew that nobody else was around to do it.

They probably should, but Nathan didn't want to. At least not this red hot moment. "I'll call the police in the morning. I'm gonna have to call Clay and then the team's gonna get involved..." He didn't want any of that but since he was a public figure, since both of them were public figures, it was gonna bring a media field day. "As long as you're okay, I think we can wait till morning." Nothing has been stolen, and relatively speaking, no one was hurt.

Haley nodded and the twosome started to walk out of the park. Haley got a cab and they rode back to the hotel in silence. The only conversation they'd had was through their actions. He took her hand and held it the whole way o the hotel. He didn't want to ever let go. Even with his hand over hers, Haley was worried about him; about his chin and about his hand. She knew he had to be hurting.

It didn't take long to get into their room and Nathan sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry."

Haley shook her head and started to take his ripped jacket off. "You don't have anything to be sorry about." She put his jacket on the bed, and got a wash cloth from the bathroom. She gently held it against his chin and looked to him with kind eyes. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "No." Nathan felt her take his hand and she studied his bloodied and bruised knuckles.

"What about this?"

"It's sore but it's okay."

She wasn't convinced that he was telling the truth and walked over to get the ice bucket. They'd filled it up early so it was a mix of cold water and ice, but it would give him a little relief. "This might help?"

The water was cold as it covered his hand and he looked to Haley with a smile. "At least it's not my shooting hand." That was true, but Haley wasn't concerned with basketball at the moment. She was concerned about him.

He iced his hand a little bit and Haley tended to his chin until it looked better. She changed clothes and he did the same. Then they slid into bed together close to midnight.

Nathan sighed and leaned back in his pillows. "That guy...ugh, I hope he got hit by a car as he fled."

Haley couldn't help but laugh. "Nathan..." She moved over and rested her head on his chest. "I'm sure you hit him a few good times. He's lucky he got away."

"Yeah he is." Nathan was starting to feel his temperature rise just thinking about it, and Haley noticed too.

"But we're okay. I'm fine. We got my bag back." Glancing at his cut chin, Haley kissed his cheek. "You saved the day. That's pretty heroic."

He shook his head and put his right arm protectively around her back. "Some hero?"

Haley leaned up in bed and looked at him with serious eyes. "You are. You're my hero." Leaning down, Haley kissed him and nodded. "Don't think you aren't, because you are. You always have been."

Nathan felt a little bit better when he heard that. He'd do anything for her. He didn't have superpowers or any ability that could actually save her in a crisis, but as he held her close he was starting to think, starting to realize, that he didn't need it. He had her and that was enough. She was the drive behind his fight, the passion behind his punch. There wasn't anyone he wouldn't fight off for her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Haley laid her head back back down on his chest, kissed his jaw, and took a deep breath. She caught a sweet smell and started to laugh.

"What?" Nathan could feel her laugh against his skin.

"A knight in shinning armor who smells like gardenia and vanilla."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Well..."

She didn't let him finish before she kissed him again. "But it doesn't matter. I kinda like it."

"Well in that case..." Nathan scooted closer Haley and pulled her tighter against his body.

It wasn't often that someone who put up a fight smelled so good. So sweet. Figuratively and literally. But that was how Nathan was. He was a man of honor and a man of courage. He'd put his family before anything else, and if that meant he needed to smack someone around, or tackle them to the ground, he would. He'd come to her defense before and he'd do it as long as he needed to. If that meant he'd be fighting off the bad for her when they were in their eighties he would. Pedal to the metal in a Hoveround, or wheels blazing in a wheel chair, Nathan had it in his blood. He had it in his heart. As he felt that band on his finger he knew he it was till death do them part. He'd protect her always. And he'd protect her forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you enjoyed that one. The hurricane chapter I polled you guys will probably happen. I haven't had many anti hurricane reviews, so it seems probable, and the kids will likely be young. Right now I'm thinking I might have Haley pregnant with Charlotte...but that's just an idea. It won't be the next chapter, I don't think. I imagine I'll do it around 96 or 97. But that's a guess. Nothing is set in stone. If you have other chapter suggestions or request please feel free to send them my way. I'm open to your ideas, and I wanna write what you wanna read as we get into the home stretch. **

**Kudos to my reviewers. You know I love you. To my anonymous friends:**

**HaleyBob: I think we're gonna have to agree to disagree at this point, lol. I think I'm maybe misunderstanding you, anyway. You seem to imply that there is absolutely no character interaction regarding the other characters in the story, and as you can see with this chapter, that's just clearly not the case. LP, Bju, other Tree Hillers are included from time to time. But either way I hear you loud and clear. You want me to include the others more often, and more in-depth. Alright. I'll see what I can do. I appreciate the feedback!**

**Anonymoususer: Thanks for the detailed review, again! Your comments are so fun to read! To answer your question in your first paragraph: yes. BUT it's not gonna be like you might imagine. You weren't too far off with assuming that Jamie's underwear were gonna be Spiderman. I'm pretty sure that I have him have a Spider-man backpack in the chapter about his first day of school. Thanks for the compliment about writing kids! I'm glad you thought that Nathan getting lost on the boat was Nathan-ish. I could see him doing that, too. I think I'm gonna have Jamie's next chapter be when he's a teenager. Hopefully it will be something along the lines of what you want.**

**Naleylove: I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thank for the review!**

**Tp404: Thanks for your input on the hurricane chapter! I appreciate the review, and hopefully my internet woes will stop!**

**KC: Thanks so much for the review, and thanks for complimenting my details. It's soooo great to know that you think my stories/chapter are realistic. I try. Most of the time I try hard to make them relatively believable within the context. And you're right. I do research on things that I'm unfamiliar. I happened to know a generous knowledge about the battleship cause I was just recently in Wilmy and have been on the USS Alabaman (and most battleships are very similar). The duck line was from person experience. My sister and I used to follow my mom around like ducks, haha! Oh, and who doesn't like a little heat between NH? I think all us Naley fans enjoy that from time to time, lol.**

**Melissa: Thanks for reviewing. Yes, I have done a chapter about a car accident. It's chapter 35, Blame it on Me.**

**Please Review!**


	94. Scary Situation

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 94: Scary Situation**

**Disclaimer: Nothing to do with OTH is mine. I think we all know that.**

**AN: New update for LM! Yay. This one has NH a little bit older...not too old, though. They're still in their thirties (35ish), and since we are in the midst of fall I figured I'd do the same for the story. I can't help it. It's my favorite time of year. I hope you guys like what I've got in store. The first half deals more with NH and Charlotte (other kids, too) and the second, NH and Jamie. Next chapter I'll be doing the hurricane. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Nathan was on his way to the elementary school. The mid afternoon air was turning cool as the sun started to head for the horizon but the temperature felt just right for October. What else was nice was the fact that he was on his way to Charlotte's school. Last year instead of driving to a fall festival, he would have undoubtedly been on his way to practice or the end of pre-season conditioning camp. But it wasn't last year, and that was the beauty of retirement.

At thirty five, Nathan had called it quits. Basketball would always be a part of him. Neither time nor age could take it away from him, but it had come to a point in his career where he knew he'd rather wake up every morning next to Haley instead of empty hotel rooms in the cities where the Bobcats played away games. He'd rather see Charlotte graduate from sixth-grade and play with Jamie in the father-son basketball game. Nathan would be forever grateful to the team who'd taken him in when it seemed he'd almost lost his chance, but right now he wanted to be with his family.

Thinking about them made him glace at himself in the rear-view mirror, and Nathan laughed at himself. His face wasn't painted yet, but it soon would be. Taking his eyes away from himself and back to the road, he smiled with a shake of his head. Sometimes you had to take one for the team. Haley, Jamie, and Charlotte had always been his team, but now they were his sole priority and he'd do just anything for them. And that meant partaking in his daughter's fall festival was included- face paint and all.

When Nathan got to the school he could see all the fun booths set up. If he wasn't volunteering to help with the haunted house, he would absolutely buy a handful of tickets to do what the kids got to do. Who wouldn't want to decorate their own cookie with whatever they wanted? Who wouldn't want to bob for apples? Who wouldn't want to jump in the bounce house that looked like a giant squishy spider? The laundry list of fun could go on and on, but right now Nathan was headed to one place in particular. Not the haunted house, not yet. He wanted to stop by bake sale tables first.

Haley was setting the various baked goods students and parents were bringing by on the tables when she saw a familiar face approaching. Her heart started to beat with fast pace. It wasn't anything he was doing, it wasn't that smirk, it was just the fact that he was here. It was nice having him home, and not in the sense of a few days; home-home. Home for good. There was no better feeling than seeing him walk her way.

"This looks good." Nathan walked up to the table and picked up a pan of brownies.

"Hey." Haley smiled at her husband.

With a cute grin, Nathan arched his brow as he looked to the never-ending supply of cookies, cakes, and everything in between. "So since you're working this one, does it mean you get to take home the things people don't buy?"

Haley shook her head with a laugh. "That's not how it works."

"Should be."

Watching him eye the sweets, Haley smiled. "I'll keep that in mind." Glancing over towards where the haunted house was, the brown eyed mother of two looked back to her husband. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

If for nothing else, he'd stopped by just to flirt with her, but Nathan nodded. "I'm going that way. Thought I'd see you first." He picked up a cookie that was up for grabs and bit into it. "I'll see you later."

As he started to walk away, Haley pictured him as the big bad vampire he was about to become. Nathan was probably the least scary person she knew but with his stature and size he was going to do a great job as the final act of the house. He'd pop out of the shadows with foe fangs and a painted white face to startle the kids for their ticket's worth. He was a trooper for going along with it.

"Haley! Here, take this." Peyton was rushing toward the bake sale table and put down something in front of her friend. "Will you put a price on this? I gotta paint faces and..."

"What is this?" Of course Haley would price it for Peyton, but what in the world was it? A gray blob?

Laughing, Peyton looked down to the masterpiece she and her newly turned nine year old made. "Well actually, it's roadkill." The look on Haley's face when Peyton said that made the other Mrs. Scott laugh out loud. "I know it's gross. Keith found the recipe online and begged me to make it. Hopefully it taste better than it looks."

Both women looked down at the roadkill cake and made faces. It wasn't something either of them would ever want to taste. It looked a little like a rat, or maybe a gray squirrel made from cake with red jell icing strategically put on to look like blood. It was disgusting. Wore than disgusting because someone was supposed to buy and eat it.

Furrowing her brow, Peyton shook her head. "Well...Keith's really proud of it."

Haley knew what a feat it was for kids to cook. Anytime Charlotte made cookies or even when Jamie was younger and would pitch in to make chicken dumpling soup they'd always felt a sense of accomplishment. "That's all that matters."

"I just hope someone buys it." Peyton started to walk away from the baked goods and off towards her fall festival duty.

Haley gave Keith and Peyton's ugly cake and price and set it next to the other sweets. Checking her watch, she knew that school would be out in about twenty minutes. Pretty soon kids would descend upon their afternoon entertainment and the quiet fall day would quickly become full of laughter. Screams too, if Nathan had anything to do with it.

His eyes were shut and he could feel the white make-up brushing onto his skin. "Almost done?"

Laughing at him, Peyton took his chin in her hand, "Not quite. Just hold still."

Nathan let Peyton finish his face and when he knew she was done he opened his eyes. "How's it look? Scary?"

With her normal sarcastic tone, she nodded. "Simply terrifying." She started to make a joke and smiled. "If Keith comes out of this thing and wets his pants I'm blaming you."

Putting in his fake plastic vampire teeth, Nathan arched his brow, "Bite me."

Laughing out loud with a clap of her hands, Peyton shook her head at her brother-in-law. "Go get in your place, the kids will be lining up soon."

Back at the bake sale spot, Haley was getting more deserts she knew what to do with and saw another familiar face approaching.

Pushing her sunglasses up, Brooke smiled at Haley and pointed at the yummy cookies and cake. "It's a good thing I'm not working here. That looks delicious. Those ooze of chocolate and that..." Brooke made a sour face when she realized the next thing she pointed to was not appetizing. "That's disgusting."

Nodding with a smile, Haley shrugged. "Might be good. Keith and Peyton made it."

"Might?" Brooke shook her head. "Tutor-mom, we both know Peyton can't cook. Or bake for that matter." The two women laughed and looked around the playground and towards the field. "Where's Nate? I wanted to see him all dressed up for the haunted house."

"Probably getting ready."

Getting a text message from her husband, Brooke laughed and rolled her eyes. "Why is it that when your husband comes home the others leave town?"

Knowing that Brooke was referencing the fact that Julian was in L.A. and that Lucas was on a multi-city book tour for his latest story, Haley shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry."

"Well I don't know either, but I'm glad Nathan's home for this kind of stuff. Can you imagine Luke as the big bad vampire? Or Julian?" Brooke laughed and shook her head. "I definitely can't." Tapping the table as she started to walk away, Brooke arched her brow. "Tell Charlotte to stop by the cotton candy stand and see me."

"I will." Haley nodded and then tried to imagine Brooke work that fluffy sugary snack onto a paper stick. It probably wasn't going to go well.

The school bell rang and a swarm of young children came pouring out of the building. Shrieks of thrill and laughter made Haley smile and that smile got wider when she saw her youngest. Brown eyes met brown eyes and Charlotte hurried over to her mom. "Can I put my backpack back here with you?" The ten year old didn't want to lug it around with her friends.

Smiling with a smirk she tried to copy from Nathan, the former English teacher shrugged. "I don't know, _can_ you?"

"Ugh...may I?" Charlotte knew the difference between the two questions and corrected herself.

"Yes, you may." Haley wasn't trying to be that annoying mom who did things like that, but it just kind of came out. One of these days it would pay off. Both of her kids were intelligent, and her genes and corrections would get them into fantastic schools down the road.

"Thanks. See you later." Charlotte took off towards a group of her friends before Haley could get in another word.

A young boy with an eager smile walked up to Haley. "Did you see my cake! Isn't it cool?"

"Very cool, Keith." Haley nodded and watched her nephew locate his baked good. The boy mumbled something about how everyone would want to buy it and then ran towards the dunking booth. Haley spent the next half hour or so happily exchanging tickets for sweets while Nathan got tickets for screams.

Standing behind a curtain, Nathan was enjoying himself while working in the haunted house. The younger girls had the best reaction. They all screamed at the sight of his pale face and fangs, while others thought it was corny. Either way, he was having a good time doing it.

Waiting to pop out from behind the curtain, Nathan heard a familiar yelp and knew that Charlotte and her friends were coming his way. Contemplating whether he wanted to single her out or not, Nathan didn't have the chance to decide before he had to make his appearance. When the group of ten year olds walked into his room, he flung open the curtain and showed everyone his pointy teeth "Arrrgh!"

Charlotte knew her dad was at the end but she still couldn't hide her startled surprise and screamed when he got close to her. "Don't! Don't get me!"

He wasn't supposed to grab any of the kids but considering the browned eyed one was his own, Nathan was gonna do it anyway. Lowering his voice in a scary tone, Nathan grabbed Charlotte around the waist. "This is _my_ house."

She hadn't asked him not to get her out of fear, but she didn't want him to get her because it was embarrassing. Everyone knew her dad was this so-called villain. They didn't have to be associated with each other _all_ the time. In a whisper, Charlotte leaned into her father. "Dad let me go...please. This is embarrassing."

Like a knife to his chest and sunlight to his vampire character, Nathan felt bad and put Charlotte down. He watched the girls leave the haunted house and felt a new emotion growing in his chest. It was a new kind of scary. At some point in her life Nathan knew she'd be embarrassed by him. She wasn't always gonna think he could do no wrong. Nathan just didn't think it would be today. Wasn't that supposed to happen when she was older?

"Mr. Scott?" A fifth grade festival helper whispered to Nathan and pointed him back to the curtain. "There's another group coming."

Moving back to the curtain, Nathan nodded and silently thought about this new predicament. Charlotte, his pride and his joy was coming up on those pre-teen years where parents weren't the be all, end all. It stung, and Nathan couldn't deny it.

**OTHOTH**

Haley, on the other hand, wasn't feeling a sting of the same nature. The sting she keep feeling went back to her eager and excited nephew who came to check on his roadkill cake every ten minutes. Those blue eyes of disappointed were like daggers to her heart, and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. He so obviously wanted someone to enjoy his culinary masterpiece. A few of his classmates and older boys came over to admire the dead cake but no one was going to waste valuable tickets on it.

After handing people their sugary baked goods for a while, Haley caught a glimpse of Charlotte and used her finger to get her daughter to come see her.

"Hey? Whatcha need?" The ten year old had a smile on her face that didn't look like it would ever fade.

"Brooke's working the cotton candy stand and wanted you to stop by." Haley laughed and nodded toward Charlotte. "When you came over here earlier you left so quickly I didn't get the chance to tell you."

"I will. I was gonna get Aunt Peyton to paint something on my face first. That's were we were headed next." Charlotte looked over to her friends as they made their way over to the face painting booth. "I'll see you later."

Haley watched her youngest run off with her friends and the energy Charlotte had made Haley laugh. A young six year old boy made his way to the bake sale tables and started to eye all the treats. In little boy fashion, his eyes got wide and his tongue seemed to slip out of the corner of his mouth as he looked at all the good eats.

"Find one you like?" Haley smiled at the boy and waited for him to respond.

He had a cute crooked grin and a raspy tone to his voice. This little boy was a perfect mixture of his parents. Dark eyes, dark hair. He was adorable. "I don't have enough." Davis knew that he only had enough tickets left for the haunted house and he really wanted to do that.

"Really?" Haley looked around the emptying tables and knew that a plate of cookies wouldn't mind it if one wandered off. "Here. Tell you what. You take this and it'll be our secret."

Eyes as big as saucers, Davis took the cookie. "Thanks, Aunt Haley."

"Davis! Did you see it!" Keith ran up to his younger friend. "Is it sold?" He was going a mile a minute and answered his own question. "Aw man!" Keith saw his cake still sitting on the table and shrugged it off. "Well lets go." He turned to Davis and knew he was gonna take the younger Tree Hillian through the haunted house. It was the first attraction that would close and the afternoon had already flown by.

"Bye, boys." Haley watched her nephews leave and went on to exchange a cookie cake for tickets.

About fifteen minutes later Peyton walked over to Haley and held her aching hand. "I think I've got early onset arthritis. After ten painted faces and I was already regretting volunteering."

Haley grimaced but had seen a bunch of kids with Peyton's art on their cheeks. "You did a good job though."

Laughing, Peyton crossed her arms in front of her chest with a laugh. "I forgot how much I liked canvases. Those stay still. Half of the kids kept moving while I tried to finish up a pumpkin or cat."

"I can only imagine." Haley nodded with a laugh because she knew that was probably the case.

"Charlotte was still though. I got her cheek painted perfectly. Natha..." Peyton looked to Haley with a smirk. "He was another story."

Laughing because she tried to imagine how Peyton painting Nathan's face for the haunted house had gone, Haley nodded. "I bet." While the two Scott women laughed the brown eyed one saw a red faced Charlotte walking toward them with her head down. "Charlotte's what's wrong?"

"Can we just... leave?" The youngest Scott girl looked down at the giant wet spot on her shirt and wanted to burst into tears.

"What happened?"

What had happened to Charlotte was old fashioned and elementary. There was a boy, a bunch of invisible ink, and a crush. While she'd been getting her cotton candy one of her classmates who had a crazy cute crush on the girl thought he'd give Charlotte some attention in a not so nice way. Ryan Little, the boy, had spent nearly all of his tickets on bottles of blue magic ink and proceeded to walk over to Charlotte and squirt her until his bottles were empty. The sudden act made the girl drop her cotton candy, her friends laughed, Ryan's friends laughed, and while the ink was starting to turn clear it still left its wet mark on her clothes. It wasn't fun.

Haley and Peyton didn't exactly need a full fledged description of what happened to know the gist. Charlotte's wet shirt with hints of blue gave it away.

"Ryan's a jerk!" Charlotte sat down by the table and pulled her knees to her chest as she pouted about what had just occurred. "I want to leave."

Haley couldn't just take Charlotte home, the festival still had about twenty minutes to go until it ended. Peyton was only hanging around because they'd run out of paint. "We'll leave in a little while Charlotte."

Just as Haley and Peyton started to deal with the young girl, two little boys walked up to the table. One of them looked frazzled and the other absolutely terrified. Keith and Davis had gone through the haunted house and it was a little too much for young Davis to handle. His tears and sniffles told the older women he was more than frightened.

Keith was holding Davis' hand as they walked toward the tables and shrugged at the older women. "He was fine until we saw Uncle Nathan. I think the big teeth freaked him out."

At the mention of teeth Davis started to wail and Peyton bugged her eyes. "Aw...Davis, it's fine. It's okay."

"Honey, did Nathan scare you?" Haley felt terrible about Davis' condition and wanted to make him feel better.

The six year old thought he'd be all brave and go through the house with his older cousin but apparently he wasn't ready for the scare tactic. "I...I...I..." He couldn't form a coherent statement and stammered.

Caught up in the mix of emotions, Keith caught a glimpse of Charlotte and could tell she was upset by something too. Davis was crying by his side and the Scott boy was starting to feel the mood dampen. It was contagious. He looked to the tables and saw that his cake was still sitting out. His blue eyes got teary and he joined in on the cry fest. "Aw man, Sawyer was right. She told me know one was gonna want it."

The two women looked at each other with bewilderment. The kids were taking things a little rough, huh? And to make matters worse Nathan started to walk over towards the group still in costume.

"What's going on here?" He was very nonchalant about it and looked from crying child to crying child.

Davis looked at Nathan and screamed. Peyton hurried to get him and tilted her head towards the cotton candy stand. "Let me take him to Brooke."

Nathan realized that he was terrifying Davis and felt terrible about it. "Was that because of me?" He looked to Haley with a furrowed brow.

"I think he's scared of your costume." Haley didn't want to put all of the blame on him.

Running his hand over his hair, Nathan saw Charlotte sitting down. "I didn't scare you, did I?"

"No." It came off harsh and Charlotte cut her eyes hoping to land on Ryan Little. "I hate this place."

Mouthing a question to Haley to find out what happened, Nathan was still in the dark about his daughter.

Haley reached out and touched Nathan's arm and shook her head. "She'll be fine."

"Well do you want to head home with me?" Nathan looked to Charlotte. The older students were taking down the haunted house and he was free to go.

"Yes." Charlotte quickly got up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. Both she and Nathan walked to his car in silence. Being a concerned father, Nathan was trying to figure out what to say to make things better but this could be one of those instances were what you didn't say worked better. For the first half of the car ride home, the stayed pretty quiet. It wasn't until Charlotte sneezed that the silence was broken.

"Bless you."

Charlotte glanced to her dad and nodded. "Thanks."

"I feel bad about scaring Davis."

Defending her father, Charlotte shook her head, "You weren't _that_ scary. He was probably too young to go through."

Nathan hoped that was the case. "And I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"You didn't. I mean you did, but it wasn't half as bad as Ryan covering me in invisible ink."

"Is that what happened?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. It was horrible."

Another pang when through Nathan's chest when he figured the boy did it because he liked Charlotte. Turning towards the house, Nathan gripped the steering wheel, "He probably did it because he has a crush on you."

"Ew. No." Charlotte didn't like that idea. "Did you do that to mom?"

"Was I mean to her on purpose?" Nathan thought about their younger days and knew he hadn't thrown invisible ink on her but he wasn't exactly nice to her when she came back from the tour. That was under difference circumstances, though. "Not really... It's..."

"A long story." Charlotte smiled at her dad and knew the ends and outs of her parents love story. In fact, everyone was gonna know. Lucas was on a book tour but it wasn't some made up tale of boy meets girl, or another version of the Lucas and Peyton saga. His newest book was about _her_ parents. She'd probably never have to read it since she knew so much already, but one of these days she might want a refresher.

"Yep." Nathan nodded and let out a smiley sigh. He and Haley did have a long story. A story that was coming up on twenty years.

"Hey, Dad?"

Turning to Charlotte, Nathan arched his brow, "Huh?"

"You really think Ryan likes me?"

Nathan wasn't ready for this conversation and took a deep breath. "I hope not." He laughed and shook his head. "You have twenty more years till you can date."

Her mouth fell open and she laughed. "Thirty? I have to wait till then?" It wasn't like she was ready to date anyone now, but thirty was a ways off.

The fact that she did the math so quickly made Nathan smile. Obviously Charlotte was Haley's daughter. "We have a longstanding agreement."

"Since when?"

"Since you were a baby. I told you all about it already."

"You did?"

Nodding, Nathan turned into the driveway and nodded. "You were a baby and we figured it all out. I'm pretty sure you agreed."

Laughing, Charlotte looked at her dad with a smirk. "Was this the same time you put my diaper on backwards?"

Looking out the window to the house, Nathan stopped the car and thought about it. "Probably...but that's beside the point."

"Whatever you say, Dad." Charlotte laughed and kind of secretly in a not so embarrassingly way loved the fact that her dad was just as protective over her now as she was when she was a baby.

Nathan got out of the car and followed Charlotte inside. While she did her own thing he thought it would be nice to wash the vampire off his face. After he got most of the paint off his skin, he walked downstairs about the same time Haley got home. They met in the kitchen and he smiled at her when she put down her purse and baked good she brought home.

"How's Charlotte?"

Nodding, Nathan shrugged, "Fine. She's fine." He saw the cake she'd brought the family and instinctively grimaced. "What is that?"

Haley looked at the cake and laughed. "We don't have to eat it. I got it because I felt bad for Keith." I put it under the table before they left so he thought someone got it."

"Always thinking about others, aren't you?" He smiled at Haley and then looked to their nasty cake. "You really go above and beyond, huh?" Nathan got out two forks and handed one to Haley. "Lying to little kids to make them feel better?"

Narrowing her eyes, Haley shook her head. "I didn't lie." She watched him cut into the head and knew they better not eat the disaster. "...exactly, but I did steal today."

"What?" Laughing, Nathan took a bite and started to chew. "You stole?"

"Davis wanted something from the table but didn't have enough tickets to get a cookie and go through the haunted house." She said is so fast it made him laugh.

Nathan took another bite of the cake and laughed again. "Haley James. Lying. Stealing. What am I gonna do with you?"

Taking a step closer to him, Haley smiled with a shrug. "I don't know..." She raised her hand to his brow and saw the white paint. "But you missed a spot." Rubbing her fingers together to get any paint residue off, Haley kissed Nathan and could taste the sweet icing on his lips. "Is it good?"

With a smirk, Nathan couldn't stop himself. "You're always good." He kissed her again while she rolled her eyes, and then he answered her question about the cake. "Actually, it's really good."

Haley cut herself a little piece with her fork and wanted to try it out. The cake wasn't nearly has bad as it looked and she was surprised that she enjoyed it. "You know...it really is good."

Laughing, Nathan nodded. "Maybe Peyton finally learned how to cook." He took another bite and nodded. "Might even rank up there with your stuff." Nathan was serious but wanted to get a reaction out of Haley.

"Oh really?" She arched her brow and he leaned in close.

"No." Nathan kissed her and they heard the front door open and two sets of feet walk toward them.

Finished with basketball practice, Jamie and Chuck walked to the kitchen to find Jamie's parents kissing over cake. Jamie rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. After seventeen years of seeing his parents there wasn't a whole lot that surprised him.

"Get a roooooom." Chuck cupped his hands over his mouth and laughed at his friend's parents.

Nathan turned from Haley to the teenagers and arched his brow. "Might wanna tone down the booing. The father son game's coming up. You should save your energy for that."

"Don't hold your breath, Dad." Jamie was pretty sure that he and his spirited young team could take his retired dad.

"Yeah, just wait Mr. Scott. We're coming for you." Chuck pointed at his own eyes with two fingers and then to Nathan's.

The boys went upstairs and Haley laughed at her husband. "That's gonna be an interesting game."

It would be. In more ways than one it would be an interesting game. Not only would Jamie and Nathan get to play together, but this October theme of fright and scare would still linger when the game rolled around. That probably wasn't a good thing.

**OTHOTH**

Three weeks after the fall festival and Nathan was headed back to school. This time it wasn't the elementary but rather the high school his son attended. Those hallways were the same as they were when he roamed them as a pompous jerk, but these days he was anything but that. These days he was far from his high school self. The only thing that remained from that time period was Haley.

Walking into the gym, Nathan knew it would be a packed house in about an hour. His jersey that hung up on the wall made him smile and he saw one of his new teammates walk in behind him.

"Nathan, you're gonna show them how it's done, huh?" The guy was in his suit and tie and had obviously just gotten off from work to make it to the game. "Show our boys we're not just old guys?"

"Yeah, hopefully." Nathan nodded and walked with the other dad to the locker room. Instantly hit with a sense of deja-vu, it felt just like yesterday that he was there playing for Whitey.

The high school team was already dressed and ready when Jamie heard the two dads walk in. He had a jersey on the bench next to him and tossed it toward Nathan. "I thought you might want this one."

Holding it out, Nathan saw the number and it made him smile. "Now you know we're gonna win." Twenty-three had always been a good number for him, and Nathan was sure it would bring the dads good luck.

"Whatever." Jamie shook his head and cut his eyes as he got up from the bench to gather his team together. "Beat 'em on three fellas. One, two, three! Beat em!"

On the other side of the locker room one of the dads was pulling up his socks and laughed when he heard the boys and saw Nathan approach. "They even sound good. We won't stand a chance. We should go ahead and let Nathan take them all on."

Shaking his head, Nathan didn't want that. He may have been a former NBA great but he didn't want it to turn into the Nathan Scott show. He looked to his teammates and nodded. "I think I know how we can put up a fight."

While Nathan told his team the plan, the gym was starting to fill like a river in a flood. Just about all of Tree Hill seemed to on their way to the event. Not only was it a fun event but hometown basketball star Nathan Scott was gonna be playing. What sports fan wouldn't want to catch that?

Haley and Charlotte walked into the gym and Haley spotted Lucas on the court. They made eye contact and Luke walked over to the two girls.

"Should be a good game, huh?" Lucas smile-squinted and looked to Haley.

Nodding, Haley agreed. "They're both so competitive...I just hope Nathan doesn't..."

Lucas thought he knew where Haley was going with her thought and shook his head. "Nathan's not Dan, Hales. This is gonna be a fun night." Lucas looked to Charlotte and raised his brow. "So who are you cheering for?"

"Both of them."

Lucas smiled and nodded. "Staying neutral. I like it."

The high school team ran out on the court and Haley knew they better get their seats. "We'll see you afterwords."

Charlotte headed into the stands when they saw Peyton, and Haley went to get something at the concession stand before things started. The line wasn't long and she wasn't in a hurry, but when the fathers headed out of the locker room, Haley took a step towards the door. She didn't want to miss this. Nathan walked out of the locker room, and when she saw the number on his jersey, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks redden.

Nathan saw Haley and before he took to the court he walked up to his wife. "Feels like we were doing this yesterday, doesn't it?"

Haley looked at him and nodded. "Mmm-huh. I like your jersey."

Smiling, he looked down with a smirk and glanced back up to Haley. "It's a good number."

"It's a very good number." She would know. Those two digits were permanently tattooed on her lower back. The buzzer sounded letting everyone know things would start in about five minutes and Nathan wanted to shoot around before they started. He started to walk away but Haley called out to him. "Hey, twenty-three?"

He turned around with a grin and waited to hear what she'd say.

"Have fun out there."

He would. They all would. The game started with the tip and it was Nathan versus the tallest high school player. With the former Bobcat's experience he was able to get to the ball first and the dads were going to set the tone first. Like they figured, the boys double teamed Nathan but they'd planned for that. Nathan was simply running around the floor as a decoy while the other four players tried to score for the team, and it would have worked had the boys not stolen the ball.

Now on defense, Nathan hustled to defend the basket and smiled at his son when Chuck passed him the ball. "Show me what you got, Jame." Nathan held out his hands in defensive position and waited for his son's move.

Dribbling the ball through his legs, Jamie smirked. "They tell me I learned from the best." He headed for the foul line and did a spin move toward the goal. Instead of shooting, he passed it out to a teammate and his guard sank the three pointer.

The crowd cheered and Nathan in-bounded the ball to his teammate with a smile on his face. Jamie had learned from the best, hadn't he?

This time the father's were on the offensive and the crowd was getting behind them. Everyone was chanting for the older men and Nathan slowly dribbled the ball across half court. He could see how things were shaping up on the court and saw an open dad break for the hoop. Tossing a missile through the air, Nathan watched the father lay it up.

"Come on, guys! We can't let them score!" Chuck got the ball from under the goal and walked to the baseline to throw it in.

The first quarter continued to be more of the same. The boys went up by seven but the dads weren't upset their sons were beating them. Getting the chance to play with them was worth more than the score. A few of the boys ran circles around their dads- literally and figuratively. The dads took the joke with a grain of salt and would sporadically start to wheeze to get their boys to back off only to score on them. It was a fun back and fourth that was entertaining to watch and enjoyable to play.

"Let's see a dunk!" One of the students in the crowd wanted to see some excitement on the floor and as Nathan dribbled up the court Jamie nodded to his father.

"Yeah, Dad. Show 'em what you got." Jamie knew his dad would get a thrill out of the crowd if he dunked, and it was two points that didn't mean anything in the big scheme of things. He'd like everyone to see how talented his dad was.

Nathan wasn't sure if he should so he passed the ball to a teammate only to get it right back. It seemed like the encouragement was coming on both fields.

With the ball back in his hands, Nathan figured he ought to comply. Breaking toward the basket, he spun and pivoted in all the right places before leaping in the air towards the rim. One handed, the former NBA player slammed the ball through the hoop and the crowd went wild.

Jamie got the ball from under the goal and spun it on his finger as he looked to his dad. "Not too bad for a retired guy."

After more baskets, trick plays and laughter, halftime rolled around and Nathan was starting to feel his age. It had been over a full year since he'd played in his last professional game so he was taking a seat on the bench at the start of the third quarter. Sipping on Gatorade and making small talk with the other dads as they watched the game, Nathan looked up to the stands and spotted Haley. She was sitting next to Charlotte and something about her being there, cheering them on, made him smile. Then he heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor.

Jamie and Chuck went for a rebound and didn't realize the other was doing the same thing. Mid air, they smacked against each other and the jolt knocked them both to the ground. On his way down, Jamie tried to stay on his feet but when his foot hit the ground his knee buckled when Chuck rolled into him.

Chuck hopped up pretty quickly but Jamie was flat on his back with a shock of pain running up this leg.

"Oh, gross!" Chuck made a face and pointed at Jamie's knee.

Nathan instantly knew something bad had happened and hurried across the court to his son. When he saw Jamie's kneecap in the wrong place he knew it was bad.

"Ugh...Dad I can't get up..." Jamie didn't know the extent of his injury but knew that it hurt like hell. If he wasn't in a room full of people and the cute cheerleaders weren't all looking at him, he would have cried but he was holding it together.

"It's okay. Just hold on."

Lucas made his way to Jamie and saw his nephew's messed up knee. He motioned for the trainer to take a look.

The man with medical know-how knelt down by Jamie and knew that the teenager had dislocated his kneecap in the collision. What had looked like a routine fall was obviously much more. This kind of thing happened all the time. One wrong turn, one wrong twist and an athlete's season could be in jeopardy.

Charlotte looked down to the court and then to her mom who had worry all lover her expression. "Mom? Is Jamie gonna be okay?"

Haley didn't know but she did know that whatever happened wasn't good. Lucas, Nathan, the trainer and even some of the team were all huddled around her hurt son.

"I'm done for the season, aren't I?" Jamie closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing but the pain was horrendous.

"We need to get the kneecap back in place."

"Kneecap?" Jamie started to sit up and wanted to see what exactly was wrong with him.

Nathan knew it was probably best if Jamie didn't see it and moved to hover closer over. "Let the trainer look at it."

"This might hurt." The trainer gently put his hand over Jamie's knee and slide the bone back in the right place.

"Ahh..." Jamie yelled as his kneecap scraped against bone.

Haley felt helpless and started to get up from the stands. "Charlotte, you stay with Peyton, okay?" Making her way down the aisle, Haley watched as the men helped her seventeen year old up and helped him to the sideline. Just as she made it to the bench, she heard the trainer nod to Lucas.

"Yeah, you're gonna wanna go to the hospital, make sure all the ligaments and tendons are okay."

Jamie felt his pulse in his knee and took a deep breath. "I'm done for the season. I probably sliced my ACL." He would later find out that he hadn't but it sure felt like it. The severity of this scary situation was dawning on him. He looked at his father and uncle and questioned them again. "I'm done for the season, aren't I?" This time, his voice and eyes hinted that he already knew the answer.

Nathan looked to Lucas and Lucas looked to Nathan. The both knew it was likely but didn't want to put that on Jamie right now. Clearing his throat and shaking his head, Nathan tried to stay positive. "Maybe not. You'll recover."

Haley stepped behind her son and put her hand on his shoulder. She hadn't said a word but he knew it was her.

"Mom..."

Jamie was in so much pain that it made Haley want to cry.

Nathan knew that the sooner they got Jamie to the hospital the better so he looked to Lucas. "Will you help me get him to the car." Lucas did and while the game continued inside Nathan, Jamie, Haley and Lucas made their way to Nathan's car.

Once the hurt basketball player got in Haley didn't hesitate to get in the front seat. Nathan cranked the car wondering about Charlotte but Haley anticipated his question. "She's with Peyton."

The three Scotts drove away from the school and Haley had her eyes on Jamie the whole time. "We'll be there soon."

He was putting together the facts of the situation and realized his season was over, so he didn't really want to talk with anyone. Jamie was really upset that a simple rebound messed everything up, in a game that didn't matter no less. He took a deep breath and looked at his fiery feeling knee. "Guess this means I won't be chasing that scoring title?" Jamie sighed and looked out the window with a blank stare. Nathan had beaten Dan's record and Jamie was supposed to beat Nathan's, wasn't he?

Haley didn't want to think Jamie messed up anything. "Honey..." She knew that he was upset about hurting himself, but Haley also knew that basketball was just that. It was basketball.

Catching Jamie's eye in the rear view mirror, Nathan furrowed his brow. "It's not about basketball, Jamie. Don't worry about all that."

How could he not? His dad was a legacy and he was the prodigal son. Maybe Jamie wasn't supposed to follow in directly in Nathan's footsteps, but this injury would take him out of the running entirely.

Over the last seventeen years Nathan and Haley let Jamie steer his own course. Didn't he know that whatever made him happy made them happy. Haley turned around in her chair and put her hand on Jamie's leg. "Jame...whatever it is in this world you want to do is what we want for you. If it's not basketball that's fine. If you want to...chase butterflies then..." She had no idea where that came from and laughed at herself as soon as she said it.

Nathan turned to Haley and furrowed his brow at her and Jamie did the same.

She laughed and shrugged. "What? It was the first thing that popped in my mind. But you know what I mean."

Laughing at his wife, Nathan turned toward the hospital. "Butterflies, Hales?"

"Ugh...I'm sorry. I just..."

Seeing his mom get all flustered about her word choice made Jamie laugh.

Noticing Jamie's smile, Haley pointed at him. "Well...see, at least it was good for something."

As Nathan turned into the hospital he looked across the console to Haley. Somehow she'd been able to make a bad situation a little bit better. Whether that was on accident or not didn't matter. Just knowing that she was always trying to be the saving grace and trying to make things better made him love her even more. Everything she'd told Jamie was true. It didn't matter what he did. Basketball didn't have to be in his future. Whatever made him happy made them happy. Chasing butterflies might take a little getting used to but if it was what he wanted, it was what they wanted.

Basketballs or butterflies, either way, Nathan knew that everything was gonna end up okay. He'd left basketball behind and if Jamie's injury left him with the same fate, or if he didn't end up playing college ball it wasn't going to be the end of the world. As long as they had each other then Nathan was pretty sure they'd all be just fine. In fact, he was sure of it.

**OTHOTH**

**So, that was little moment. Hope you liked it. NEXT chapter will be the anticipated hurricane chapter. But I was thinking about that one and I think I've changed mind (can never really make a decision, lol) about the ages. I thought I wanted to have Haley pregantn with Charlotte in it but then I realized I kinda sorta already did that in the extension chapter I wrote (ch. 79, Rain or Shine) for season 8. So…since I don't want to basically copy myself I think I'll do it when Jamie's younger, 5ish maybe? Sound good? As usual your feedback and thoughts are always appreciated.**

**My reviewers: You. Guys. Rock.**

**Tasha: Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the dinner scene last chapter. I liked having all the adults together. It's not something I write all that often.**

**Anonymoususer: Thank you for another long review. I enjoyed reading what you had to say and I'm glad you liked the dinner part with the adults. I knew that I wanted Nathan to meet Haley at baggage claim- isn't that like one of those dumb clichés? Ha, oh well. The conversation about Charlotte running around after bath time is something (if I'm not mistaken) that I've actually included in one of these chapters somewhere. Thought I'd reference it to add to the cohesion. The protective Nathan aspect was a little overdue and admittedly…not my best work but I'm glad you liked it none the less. Your idea about teenage Jamie was supposed to end up in this new chapter but…it didn't exactly. I'll find a way to get it in somehow. And obviously I'm not doing daily updates (that was the next day update stuff) but hopefully I'll be able to write on the weekends. October is just soo busy. Wish I had more hours in the day.**

**Kellbell: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thanks so much for the review!**

**HaleyBob: I'm happy you thought the last chapter was refreshing. Our disagreement about who to center chapters on is just a matter of differing opinions and I think at this point we both know that. I absolutely agree that friends are family too, (especially when it comes to Tree Hill). So thank you for the suggestion and when and if I get the inkling to do a chapter surrounding LP or BJu then hopefully you'll like it.**

**Joan: Thank you for reviewing both chapters you missed! Ch 92: I had fun writing the field trip chapter. Nathan getting lost on the battleship was something I thought could actually happen, lol. Ha, and yeah, sexy Naley is always fun to read for my readers so I threw you guys a bone with that. Ch. 93: Ha, yes, Protective Nathan for the win! He might be my favorite "type" of Nathan to write other than doing Nathan and Charlote- those two (besides the obvious Naley time) may be my all time favorite to do.**

**Kelly: I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter. The hurricane chap will be next, ch. 95. Hopefully you'll like what I have in store for everyone!**

**Review Please!**


	95. When the Lights Go Out

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 95: When the Lights Go Out**

**Disclaimer: _Muah-ha-ha-ha_. Um...no. I don't own anything related to the show. We all know that, I hope.**

**A/N: First off, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, Little Moments! You're two years old! Whoa. Never thought I'd be doing this for so long! Thanks to the many readers who've kept this story going! That's just...so crazy. On to the chapter. This hurricane themed one is more... realistic, I guess you could say. It's what a family of three might do in the wake of a storm. Hope you like it. Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

Haley tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as a light rain began to fall from the sky. The carpool line was going to be a sloshy wet mess soon, but maybe the weather would hold off a little longer before the bottom dropped out? School would get out in about five minutes, and Haley was sure she and all the moms would thank Mother Nature if she could hold out a little longer. Carpool in the pouring rain was never ideal.

The calming pitter-patter of the water against the windshield threw Haley into a smile. Rain always did have that effect. Ever since she was sixteen, she'd found a constant comfort in the falling precipitation, and this day was no different. Haley's mind was always taken to Nathan as she sat in the car waiting on their son. She was so proud of him. He'd achieved so much; come so far. This week had marked the beginning of his NBA experience. It was an exciting time in their lives.

Exciting, but terrifying at the same time. It was going to be hard to have him gone. When he played for the Charleston Chiefs each day away from him felt like a lifetime, but Haley knew she'd muster through it. She always found a way, and it wasn't as if she were alone. Lucas and Peyton were close. They had a six month old who had their hands full, but Haley wasn't going to be alone in this. Brooke and Julian were just a short drive to the beach, and she always had Jamie. That blue eyed six year old was her heart and soul. He'd surprise her with his brilliance and that smirk made Haley travel through time. Nathan would be gone for a while, but not really. Not now. Not yet. Not really ever. She'd see in him Jamie every single day.

The sound of the bell made Haley look to the school, and she saw her son walking out of the building. Pulling out her umbrella, Haley got out of the car and met the damp September air face on. The wind was blowing harder than she'd anticipated so she tightened her grip on her umbrella. With a backpack that was still about two sizes too big, Jamie hurried over to the car while Haley opened up the door for him. "Hey bud, how was your day?"

"Fun. We made Popsicle stick people. I named mine Nestor."

Laughing as she helped Jamie in the booster seat, Haley shut the door and hurried to the driver's side, tossing her umbrella on the passenger seat floorboard when she got in the car. "Nestor?"

"Mmm-huh it goes with Chester." Jamie nodded "_And_, it's what the me-tee-or-lah-lo-gymnast. Keep saying." Jamie knew he'd messed up the word as soon as it came out of his six year old mouth.

Feeling a piece of her heart melt as he completely butchered the word meteorologist, Haley started the car and laughed. Nathan would have probably pronounced it the same way. She glanced behind her and nodded at her son."Yep. Hurricane Nestor is headed for the coast."

Squinting as his mom pulled away from the curb, Jamie put his hand under his chin. "What is a hurricane?"

"Um..." Haley was trying to think of the best and easiest way to describe it. "A big storm that comes from the ocean."

"Is it bad? Is that why it's raining? What happens exactly?"

The amount and quick fire rate of his questions made Haley smile. "The one that is close to here, Nestor, is gonna land in South Carolina. That's below us, so it shouldn't be too bad here. We'll be safe."

"What about Dad?"

Hearing their son ask about Nathan, Haley was sure that her heart had just burst at the seams. "He'll be fine."

"Good. The Bobcats are gonna need him."

And with that Haley's sentimental moment was blurred with the rationale of a six year old. "Oh, well, I think the team is gonna be just fine."

The two Scotts headed toward home and the young boy gazed out the window and watched the rain drops splat against the window. Through the glass, he saw a truck pull up next to them. "Look."

Haley glanced to what her son was pointing to and nodded at The Weather Channel truck they were currently stopped by. "I bet they're headed to the beach."

"But it's raining." Jamie didn't see his mom's logic there.

"Right, but they'll have one of their meteorologists reporting about the storm as it comes our way."

Nestor wasn't due to make landfall in South Carolina for another twelve hours, but crews alike were lining the Eastern seaboard ready to report any damage that may stem from his tumultuous breath. It's what they lived for. Weather hunters always craved a good hurricane. Nestor wasn't a category five, not even a category four, but barely a category three. Charleston would feel his wrath more than Tree Hill, but the North Carolina city wasn't out of the woods. Those pesky outer bands would bring wind, rain, and power outages. The degree of damage would really depend on Nestor's weather pattern and where he decided to land. Charleston was the best best so far, but that could always change.

As Haley and Jamie got home, the boy ran upstairs to so say hey to Chester while Haley hurried to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank God. Haley, I think Sawyer's teething. What do I do?" Peyton's new mom voice was filled with anxiety, but she knew if anyone had the answers it would be Haley. Brooke did call her Tudor-mom after all, and Haley was the most sound on the subject.

Wincing, Haley knew how painful teething was for babies. "Do you have any Orajel?" Haley knew the silence on the other end of the line was an answer so she continued. "Go get some Baby Orajel. It'll numb Sawyer's mouth."

"Alright, perfect." The crack of thunder echoed over town and Peyton sighed. "And of course it's raining." She glanced outside and then looked over her shoulder with an arched brow. "I'll send Luke out in this mess."

"Hey, and Peyton? Make sure _he_ doesn't take the Orajel. You don't want to clean up after two droolers." Lucas probably wouldn't be as curious as Nathan had been, wanting a taste of the stuff, but Haley wanted to get out a word of warning.

"Thank you so much, Haley. I don't..." Sawyer's cries started to bellow from her room and Peyton took a deep breath. "I gotta go."

Haley hung up the phone and instantly put her hand on her stomach. She couldn't help but smile at the idea of a six month old. It felt like forever since Jamie had been that little. She wasn't pregnant now, not yet. Well, she could have been. Last week before Nathan left for camp they'd been pretty proactive in trying, so there was always a possibility, but it was really way too early to tell. But either way, Haley knew it would happen soon. The timing of it all would work out relatively well. Nathan would only miss the first six or so months of the pregnancy, and he'd get to come home from time to time. It wasn't like Charlotte was on the other side of the country. It was just a few hours northwest. Then hopefully they'd have a summer birth when he was home for a while.

Thunder boomed ahead and the sharp clap of lightening broke Haley from her thoughts. Her attention was taken from the possibility of another baby to mean ole' Nestor as he churned toward the coast. Maybe he was coming further north than they were anticipating?

Haley walked over to window overlooking the backyard and she watched as rain continued to saturate the soggy ground. The light rain that had fallen when she'd gone to get Jamie from school was now long gone. An outer band from Nestor's rotating core must have been rolling over Tree Hill a little early. The dark afternoon sky lit up with another flash of lightning and Haley heard a rumble of thunder that came from inside.

Jamie bounded down the steps and smiled at his mom. "Chester says that it's gonna rain awhile. I think we should watch a movie."

Smiling with a nod, Haley agreed. "What do you want to watch?"

Walking towards the DVDs, Jamie fished through them as he tried to find one in particular. It wasn't some Hollywood production, an Disney classic, or anything most kids would have grabbed first. It was something else. "This one?" It was the championship game Nathan played in when he was at Gilmore. Jamie had been little when his dad carried that team to victory but felt like watching it all over again. There was something about watching his dad bounce a ball on a court that made Jamie's day.

As the young boy configured the movie in the player, he hopped on the couch to get a good seat. The game was a shoe-in from the beginning but it didn't matter if Jamie had seen it once or a million times. Watching Nathan play ball was exhilarating.

The rhythmic bouncing of the ball came out of the television and through Jamie's ears, just as Nathan was hearing the same thing. Over in the UNCW campus coliseum, Nathan was running a play with his Bobcats teammates as he pushed the ball up the court.

"We get it right this time and we'll move on." Coach Brown walked down the baseline watching his players shuffle through their positions.

Nathan crossed over half court and felt a bead of sweat fall to the floor. They'd been trying to get this play down for the last thirty minutes. It was simple, but the guys were struggling with it. The pick and rolls, screens, and man-on-man coverage was eating them alive. Clearly it was a good thing it was only training camp instead of regular season.

"Ball, ball..." Raymond spun away from his defender and held his hands out for a pass. He was wide open leaving him with an easy jump shot.

Passing his teammate the ball, Nathan watched Ray shoot but before the ball landed in the net they all hard a loud bang and then the lights went out. The storm outside was starting to gain in intensity knocking the power off. The team and coaches were left in the dark.

"Man! I bet you that went in!" Ray was a little disappointed nobody could see his shot.

Just as soon as the lights had gone out a few of the lights came back on. The coliseum wasn't lit up as much as it could be but they could see.

A young assistant ran onto the court and looked to coach Brown. "Generators are on. I've got the Athletic Director on the phone." If the weather was got bad enough then the campus would shut down and they'd have to cancel camp for the rest of the day.

Coach Brown looked up to the lights and saw them flicker. This wasn't any place to practice. He couldn't have his guys running around the court hardly able to see. "Take five guys. Shoot around." Wandering over to his coaching staff, the older man tried to figure out what they should do.

"You believe that?" Ray walked over to Nathan shaking his head. "He's thinking about keeping us here. I say we scram. Mother Nature knows we've been working like hell all day. They should send us to the hotel."

The entire Bobcats team was fully aware of Hurricane Nestor's coastal approach. They also knew that if the college coliseum sustained damage they'd get a weather day off or two. The franchise wasn't going to put their players in any kind of harms way no matter the magnitude. They didn't want to take their chances.

Nathan was all for an early dismissal. That wouldn't only mean he could get away from the gym and relax his aching muscles. That meant he could go home. The drive from campus to his driveway would take less than twenty minutes. The other guys who didn't live so close would probably love the idea of heading back to the hotel with room service and a bar downstairs, but why take that over seeing his wife and son? The only problem was the fact that it explicitly stated in his contract that training camp included his room and board. If not in the gym, he was supposed to be at the Hilton. But supposed to didn't mean have to, did it? Nathan had never really been very good at English.

"Well, guys..." Coach Brown walked over to his players and they huddled around him. "Looks like we're gonna take precautionary measures. Storm's blowing in faster and harder than they thought." He looked up to the few lights that remained on in the gym and then back to his players. "Head back to the hotel. Take the rest of the afternoon off and tomorrow. We'll start back up Thursday."

A few the of the guys gave each other the nod as their coach walked away but Nathan followed him. "Coach?"

Turning around, the man rose his white eyebrows, "Yeah?"

"I uh...I know we're supposed to stay at the hotel but..."

"Rules are rules, Scott."

Letting out a defeated sigh, Nathan nodded his head. It was a shame he wasn't going to be able to take advantage of having training camp so close to home.

"But..." Coach Brown patted the side of Nathan's arm. "Sometimes you can break them. Just be back Thursday."

Smiling, Nathan started to feel his smirk spread across his face. "Thank you." Turned out his coach was human after all. He was strict on discipline and no double dribbling, but Coach Brown was nice enough to let Nathan off. He had a family too.

"Yo, Nate? Am I saving you a spot at the bar?" Ray took off his practice jersey and held out his hands.

Shaking his head, Nathan followed his teammates into the locker room. "Nah, man. I'm headed home."

In the dismal light of the locker room, the Bobcats were able to shower from the day's practice and leave camp early. While most of his team headed for the hotel, Nathan drove the opposite way. The rain was splashing against his window with a ferocity that a raging river might have. Turned out Hurricane Nestor wasn't playing around. The eye of the storm was still off the coast, but his outer bands were hammering Tree Hill and its surrounding cities. A loud boom of thunder startled Nathan as he drove towards home and while the evening sky was turning dark the lightning kept it lit up with sparks of might. Just a few hours ago a light drizzle was running over the town, and now it was a full on deluge.

While he was stopped at a red light, Nathan thought about calling Haley but decided against it. The surprise would be fun for them.

**OTHOTH**

After Jamie was done watching his dad's game he went upstairs to play on his DS while Haley walked around the kitchen trying to figure out what she wanted to make for dinner. She'd asked her son but was told her least favorite answer of 'I don't care'. That didn't give Haley much to go off of so she was now looking around to see what she could whip up. Her culinary creative mind had seemingly dissolved with the rain, and she walked over to the counter and glanced at the television. It was tuned to The Weather Channel and the young mom had her eyes on the meteorologist.

"We've got reports of power outages and light wind damage in the southeastern corner of North Carolina. Nestor is still about twenty miles offshore but his bands are really beating this area right now."

Mr. Weatherman had that right. The weather had turned nasty in what seemed like no time. Thunder ripped through the sky and Haley knew she better get dinner figured out before they were left eating without power.

Walking back toward the fridge, Haley opened up the appliance only to hear the buzz from surrounding electronics die as the power cut off. The house fell under darkness and the only light illuminating the Scott home came from outside.

Jamie's eyes got wide when it got dark in his room. "Mom...!" He wasn't in any sort of danger but calling out for him mom was his initial response.

Hearing her son, Haley walked to the bottom on the stairs. "Jamie? Are you okay up there?"

Sliding off his bed, Jamie walked out of his bedroom to the top of the stairs. "I'm fine." He began to come down the steps while his mom searched for a flashlight.

Haley rummaged through the junk drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a Maglite that felt a little like a five pound weight.

"Well does it work?" Jamie was using his DS screen to light his way and raised his brow towards his mom.

Pressing the button, the powerful flashlight beamed through the house. Before Haley could verbally answer her son, something interrupted her. Someone was knocking on the front door. Curious as to who would be out in the weather, Haley was a little skeptical. "Stay in here Jame." Inching toward the front door, Haley had the flashlight in hand. If need be, she could always use it as some type of weapon.

The wind was starting to whip up, and Nathan felt the the back of his shirt getting wet as the sideways rain blew into him. He hadn't expected the door to be locked and he was struggling to find the right key. He knocked on the door again wondering if Haley and Jamie were somewhere they couldn't hear him.

Haley could see a tall shadowy figure and held onto her flashlight until her knuckles turned white. It was probably Lucas. Peyton sent him out to get Orajel, right? It was probably him. Talking her skepticism down, Haley opened up the door to see a pair of blue eyes. They weren't Lucas' blues eyes. They were Nathan's.

He grinned in her direction. "Hi."

She couldn't believe he was standing at their door. Her mouth fell open and she moved so he could walk in. "Hi. What are you doing here?" When Nathan got inside, she stood next to him and kissed him quickly.

"Training camp was postponed." He looked around their house and raised his brow. "We don't have power, either?"

"Dad!" Jamie had been patiently waiting in the kitchen, but when he heard Nathan's familiar voice he couldn't help but run up to his father.

"Hey..." Nathan put his hand on Jamie's shoulder and smiled.

Feeling the wetness of her husband's shirt, Haley grimaced, "Oh, Nathan...you're all wet."

"The wind's blowing like crazy out there." He put his bag down and headed through the kitchen to the laundry room. There should be a clean shirt in there.

Jamie climbed up to sit on one of the bar stools and turned towards the laundry room. "So why aren't you at camp?"

Walking out of the laundry room shirtless, Nathan made his way towards his family as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head. "The power went out in the gym."

"Really? I bet that was kinda cool." Jamie tried to imagine what it would be like to be in a gym that big and having the lights go out.

Nathan laughed and nodded. "Kinda." He turned to Haley who'd found herself lost in his chest when he'd walked out of the laundry room with his broad muscles on display. "When did we lose power here?"

"Just a little while ago. I was starting to think about dinner and it turned off."

The mention of food made Jamie's stomach growl. "What are we having for dinner?"

Haley took a deep breath and tried to think.

"I have an idea." Nathan started to smirk and looked to Haley. He walked to the refrigerator to pull out the milk. It would go bad if the power stayed off for a while so they might as well use it. After he put the milk on the counter, Nathan walked over to the pantry and pulled out a box of cereal. "Cap'n Crunch work for you, Jamie?"

Haley found herself grinning and she shook her head at her husband. How he managed to pull at her heartstrings on a daily basis, she'd never know, but she did know she loved him with every fiber of her being. Nathan Scott was still the boy she'd fallen for back in high school and would remain that guy until the end of time.

She pulled out three spoons and handed each of her boys one. Nathan got out three bowls and started to pour the cereal.

"Cereal? For dinner?"

"Oh yeah." Nathan topped off his son's bowl with a nod. "And it's even better when the lights are off." He pushed the cereal bowl in front of Jamie and turned to Haley with a smirk. "Just ask your mom. Last time we did this she had _two_ bowls."

Playfully rolling her eyes, Haley nudged her hip into Nathan. "What? I was hungry." She reached for the cereal box and poured herself a hefty amount of the always delicious Cap'n Crunch.

"So you ate cereal in the dark before?" Jamie crunched through the food and wiped his chin as a drop of milk rolled away from his mouth.

"We did." Haley aimlessly stirred her spoon in her bowl with a smile. "A long time ago. Before you were even born."

"Was it storming outside?" The electricity was out but Jamie was finding this all very entertaining.

Nathan smiled and nodded at their boy. "It was storming pretty bad. It was crazy outside. The wind was blowing things around..."

Looking to her husband, Haley felt a blush rise up to her cheeks. "I don't think I could forget that night."

"Me either." Blue eyes locked into brown ones but the little guy on the other side of the counter wasn't ready for the story to end.

"Why?"

"Uh..." Haley let out a laugh and shook her head. "Just because." She obviously was not going to go into details with her son but widened her eyes. "But you know what Aunt Peyton did that night? She drove he convertible through the storm. With the top _down_."

"She did?" Jamie took another bite of his cereal. "I bet she got _really_ wet!"

Nathan laughed because he and Haley had probably gotten equally as wet that night. He stole a glance her way and knew they'd come inside soaking.

The family of three continued their Cap'n Crunch dinner and when they were done Jamie and his dad started setting up base camp. The imagination of a child ran rampant in scenarios like this, and Jamie wanted to make a fort that would protect them all from Hurricane Nestor. Complete with all of the pillows and blankets they could find, this fort was turning Jamie and Nathan into a couple of architects.

Haley went around the house and lit up various rooms by candlelight. When she walked back into the living room, she saw a clumpy looking structure that could and probably would fall over a couple times.

"Mom, come look." Jamie stuck his head out from a blanket and waved Haley over. Kneeling down, Haley stuck her head in the fort and saw the massive pile of pillows. Jamie was incredibly proud of his fort and smiled. "We're gonna sleep in here."

"Oh, we are, are we?"

"Yeah, Hales. Cap'n's orders." Nathan grinned at his wife and patted Jamie on the shoulder. "Right, Cap'n Scott?"

"Mmm-huh." Jamie nodded. "It's really comfy in here."

Haley leaned inside the fort and wasn't sure about the size. "Will we all fit?"

On his hand and knees, Jamie crawled over to a the other side of the fort and pulled up a blanket. "There's a whole other room back there."

Impressed at Nathan and Jamie's work, Haley looked around and was warming up to the idea of their new humble abode. In all likelihood they wouldn't _actually_ sleep in the fort, but it was still a fun idea. Nathan was running with it, so would Haley.

"And Mom..." Jamie crawled over towards his parents and handed his mom a list. "You and Dad need to get these things. We have to have them to _survive_."

Haley couldn't deny the fact that Jamie's little mind was adorable. He could make any situation, electricity or not, fun. She glanced down at the list and saw Nathan's handwriting. _Bottled water, food, flashlights, first aid kit, Connect Four, dinosaurs, police car, walkie-talkie... _Clearly the boys thought long and hard about what was absolutely dire.

Thunder bolts fought in the night sky and Jamie looked to his parents. "Think you can make it back okay?"

"At ease, Cap'n. We'll be fine." Nathan nodded and crawled out of the fort. "I'll get the stuff upstairs and you get the stuff down here?" Nathan looked over the list he'd written and glanced at Haley.

He was being so cute. Big ole' Nathan Scott playing with their son was so sweet. Haley found herself lost in his adorable parenting and nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't forget Chester!" Jamie stuck his head out of the fort before his parents split up to gather supplies.

Nathan headed up stairs to grab what they needed and Haley tried to get everything she could find downstairs. Pretzel sticks, Chewy bars, peanuts, and the box of Cap'n Crunch were gonna have to work for their food supply. Instead of the whole first aid kit, she grabbed a handful of band-aids. Her hands were getting full so she started to fill up a grocery sack so it would be easier to carry. Nathan came down with the toys Jamie thought were must-have and with Chester. The bunny looked tiny in his arms and he walked by his wife with a grin.

"Hurry up, corporal. Might blow away in the storm." Nathan didn't really even know what a corporal was except that it was some sort of rank in one of the branches of the armed services, but laughed as he passed Haley on the way to their fort. Nathan slipped through the blankets and set Chester down. "It's getting bad out there. I barely made it back." He put the toy dinosaurs on one side of the tent, placed the police car at the entrance, and handed Jamie a walkie-talkie. "Here, take this. We've still got one out there. No man left behind."

"Be careful." Jamie looked to his dad and nodded as a thunderous clap of lightening exploded in the night sky. "Keep in touch." He held out his communication device and watched his dad leave again.

Haley saw Nathan walking up to her and she smiled. "Forget something?"

"I told Jamie we wouldn't leave a man behind."

The way Nathan was still in character made Haley's heart flutter. She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "You'd come back to get me?"

Nodding, Nathan kissed Haley back and pulled her closer to his body with a smirk. "Always..."

"And forever..." Haley finished Nathan's sentence and bit her lip. It had been a while since they'd said that too each other. Even if it was in the middle of some game they were playing with their son, the words still rang true.

Nathan started to smirk and looked over his shoulder at the fort. "He's having a good time with this."

Haley nodded, agreeing with her husband. Jamie was having a good time. "We better get back."

The static from the walkie-talkie turned on and they heard Jamie's voice. "How's it going out there?"

Raising the toy to his mouth, Nathan smiled at Haley as he spoke. "Just fine, Cap'n. We're getting the last of our things."

"Copy that."

Haley could have listened to Jamie and Nathan's exchange all night. The two of them together were really something else. She grabbed the bag of supplies and started to walk to the fort with Nathan following.

"There you are. I was getting worried." Jamie smiled at his mom as she crawled into the awesome fort. Contorting his face as he started to add to the extravagance, Jamie leaned close to Haley."What's that? Did something hit you out there?" Jamie pointed to his mom's forehead creating an imaginary wound in his mind. "You need first-aid."

Haley turned to Nathan and furrowed her brow with a whisper, "What?"

"Just go with it..." The professional basketball player whispered back, and he reached in the grocery sack and found a band-aid. Nathan went back to acting like they were in a serious weather emergency, "I think I've got something that'll stop the bleeding." Peeling the bandage from it's wrapper, Nathan gently stuck it on the middle of Haley's forehead. "That should hold."

His fingers on her skin made Haley's temperature rise and she loved the way he was, and how he was. Nathan Scott was everything she could ever want in a husband. A great dad; Nathan even found ways to surprise Haley sometimes. This little charade as they battled darkness and Hurricane Nestor's outer bands was one example.

Jamie looked at his mom's band-aid and nodded. "Looks better."

"It is...it's much better." Haley raised her hand up to trace her imaginary cut and nodded. She looked to Nathan and smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." He leaned over to kiss her forehead and turned to their son. "What do we do next, Cap'n?"

"Play for spots." Jamie pulled out the box for Connect Four. "Winner gets that spot to sleep on..." He pointed at the connected section of the fort with the most room. "...second place sleeps there," Jamie looked to where Haley was, and then he looked to where he was sitting, "...and loser can have this spot."

"Alright. Sounds good. Game on." Nathan scooted himself towards Jamie and sat cross-legged, ready to show his son he wasn't only talented in basketball. He knew a little bit about Connect Four.

Four a while the trio played invigorating battles of Connect Four by the glow of flashlights. They'd laughed, competed to the full extent, and were having a great time with such little resources. The Scotts had played enough games for the littlest one to yawn after each move of the latest game, and Jamie's actions were contagious. Haley was laying on her side, propped up with her elbow, and yawned every time their son did.

It was Nathan's move and he was seriously thinking strategy at the moment. He could always pull the dad card and 'let' Jamie win, but Nathan was a competitor at heart. He wanted to at least win one game.

Jamie rubbed his eyes as his dad tried to figure out his next move and the little boy looked over to his mom. Her brown eyes were closed and she was breathing soft and slow. Leaning towards Nathan, Jamie whispered as he pointed, "Dad..."

Broken from his deep thought, Nathan looked over to his wife and smiled. She was asleep. The one person who probably doubted the probability of sleeping in the fort was out like the electricity. Haley looked beautiful but uncomfortable. One of her legs was tucked under the other and she was slumped on her side so her cheek was pushed up toward her eye.

"Should we wake her up?" Jamie's blue eyes looked to his father's and he raised his shoulders wondering.

Checking his watch, Nathan knew it was late. "What do you think?" The boy didn't have an answer so Nathan continued his thought in a low whisper. "Do you think you're gonna wanna sleep in here?"

Jamie thought it would be really awesome, but the more he thought about it, the better his own comfy bed sounded. "Uh..."

"Why don't we go upstairs to get ready for bed and I'll come back and get Mom?"

That sounded like a good plan to Jamie. He nodded and slowly and quietly crawled out of their fort. Nathan could tell Haley was sound asleep and got out of the tent to take their son to bed. He'd be back shortly to get her. Grabbing Chester, Nathan made his way upstairs.

Walking Jamie to his room, Nathan watched Jamie hop into bed and he pulled up the covers. The older Scott handed Jamie a little flashlight. "Here. You keep this in case you need it."

"Thanks." Jamie nestled himself under his covers and pulled his blanket up to his chin. "Night, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too, Jamie." Nathan said goodnight to his boy and headed downstairs in the dim candlelight.

Haley was still fast asleep in their magnificent fortress, and Nathan went in to wake her. She wasn't going to be too pleased if she woke up on the floor. It wouldn't matter how many pillows made up the foundation, it didn't and wouldn't beat their real bed.

"Hales?" Nathan leaned down towards her so his nose brushed against her cheek. He had to say her name one more time before she moved.

Cracking open an eye, Haley saw Nathan and started to lean up. "Hey. Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah." He watched her sit up and Nathan reached for the band-aid he'd put on earlier. He gently tore it off and smiled. "Jamie's upstairs in bed. I think he realized it was a better _idea_ to sleep down here than to actually do it."

Smiling, Haley nodded. "Probably so."

The two of them got quiet for a minute and sat their looking at each other through the pale light from their flashlights. Haley saw that cute smirk start to spread its way across Nathan's cheek.

"What?"

Looking down with a smile, Nathan shook his head. "I was just remembering."

Haley was still a little out of it from her quick nap. "Remembering what?"

He reached over and rested his hands on her legs, "That night it was storming and you told me you wanted to go to Duke."

"Mmm, _that_ night." Haley started to smile. "You told me you were going to Stanford."

Both Nathan and Haley would have given up their dream schools for each other. Nathan would have tried to fit in with the smarty pants in Palo Alto, and Haley would have practiced saying coach K's full name as long as it took to get it right.

He laughed as he tried to picture himself as a Cardinal. "We were pretty off with our college choices, huh?"

Maybe the schools, but not the outcome. Haley shook her head. "But we got here, didn't we? You're in the NBA. I'm..._was_...teaching."

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "No thanks to Principle Buttkiss."

Those brown eyes of hers softened as she laughed. Her gaze landed on his blue eyes and she shrugged with a sweet smile. "But I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

"I love you now like I loved you then."

Leaning towards Haley, Nathan smirked as he kissed her. "Me, too."

As Nathan moved to kiss his wife, one of his broad shoulders bumped up against the makeshift beam that was supporting most of the fort, and when it fell out of place the room of blankets fell on them. Haley's laughter was loud and contagious, and Nathan started to push the blankets off of him. When he tossed the last one off his head, Nathan saw Haley and he looked at his and Jamie's fallen design. "He's gonna be so upset in the morning..."

A clap of thunder echoed through the night air and lightning illuminated the living room. Haley shook her head and smiled. "We'll fix it."

So that's what they did. For the next half hour or so Nathan and Haley tried to re-create the fort from earlier. It wasn't easy and it toppled over a few times, but just as they always did, the strong twosome found a way to make it work. No matter what the situation or scenario they always would.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you enjoyed it. Pretty fluffy, but I didn't want to re-make a drama-filled chapter that essentially retold the story of season 8's episode, Darkness of the Edge of Town, you know? So...that's what I came up with. We're down to the home stretch of LM and I guess it's kinda fitting seeing as OTH is wrapping up filming in the next few days. We've got five chapters left and four of those can be steered by you guys. What do you want to see for Nathan and Haley before the story ends? Anything in particular you're dying to read? You know I'm always up for request. Feel free to send me your ideas and I'll see what I can do.**

**My reviewers: As I mentioned in the top AN, LM is TWO years old and it is no doubt a testament to your feedback. Never, ever, ever in a million years would I have guessed I'd still be writing this and headed for chapter 100, so thank you. Thank you so, so much for continuing to support it!**

**Kellbell: I'm so glad you liked the lat chapter. Writing NH at the fall festival was fun. It reminded me how much I missed being a kid and getting to go to those, lol.**

**Tp404: Thank for the input on Charlotte's age in this chapter. I really struggled with deciding on everyone's age, but I did considering having Charlotte young. Obviously I decided against it...but I did take into account your suggestion about seeing what the kids would do if there was a storm. I immediately saw Jamie as wanting to make it fun and build a fort of sorts.**

**HaleyBob: *sorry your name didn't show up for awhile. I forget Fanfiction deletes things with a (.) inbetween things. My bad.* Again, I see you point about including more characters. Had I started this story with the purpose of showcasing _all_ of the couples' "little moments" then I would have absolutely included singular sections on LP, BJ, and whoever else, but I didn't. My intention was to _only_ do Naley moments because I was/am most comfortable writing them. I guess I never really imagined I'd be writing for _so_ long, so I can absolutely see why you'd be tired of reading little moments _just_ about Naley. I guess looking back on this, I should have started this fic incorporating of all the couples, but...oh well. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I appreciate the feedback!**

**Joan: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like how I included the other younger kids last chapter. Keith has been in Sawyer's story a lot and with the time frame of last chapter, I thought it would be nice to show him (and Davis) as little kids in LM- set up their foundation, if you will. Yeah, the sole purpose of including Jamie's injury was to add cohesion to the big scheme of things. I'd mentioned it in his story and knew I needed to tie up loose ends...and again, the time frame allowed for it. Thanks for the luck on my assignments. School as been hell, lol. At least this semester is almost over!**

**Caroline: Thanks for waiting for the update. I hope you liked it!**

**Ashley: Thanks for the review! Sorry for the wait. Hope you liked it!**

**Review Please!**


	96. Dance Around the Subject

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 96: Dance Around the Subject**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a dang thing. There. That work?**

**A/N: Woo, the semester is almost over and after a hectic last month and a half, I am gladly getting back into the swing of writing. Thanks for sticking it out. As the title gives away, this chapter is about dancing. A particular dance that is. Read on to see what endeavors unfold. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was studying a rack of dresses and pulled two to look at with a sharper eye. Both of them were black, both of them long, one strapless, and one off the shoulder. Holding the strapless one up to her frame, Haley glanced at her reflection in a nearby mirror to check the length. Her short pants legs didn't always make shopping easy for someone of her height. The dresses weren't for her, though. The forty-two year old mom wasn't holding the dress up to see how it would work with her height, she was holding them up for Charlotte. Her youngest had inherited her short stature and more than that, they were out shopping for a dress for _Charlotte's_ winter formal.

It was a team effort really. Haley, Charlotte, Brooke, and Peyton were all there. The mother-daughter duo were obvious participants, while Brooke came to lend a fashionista eye, and Peyton as another opinion. The blonde of the group never really experienced any of the typical dress shopping that many mother and daughters did. Her oldest, who was a freshman in college, never went with the grain, always finding an excuse to forgo any typical school dance or function. So for Peyton, this was new. Brooke was kinda in the same boat. Daughter-less, Brooke was using Charlotte as an avenue to fill any motherly needs she'd never have to chance to with Davis. Not only would he never go _dress_ shopping, he still had a few years till all that high school stuff began.

So there they were, three old friends roaming through boutiques and department stores to find a dress that would make Charlotte a standout.

The strapless dress Haley was carefully looking over had a certain something to it that made it really elegant but young at the same time.

"Oh Tudor-Mom..." Brooke had been eyeing a few of the dresses on the other side of the store with their blonde friend and walked over to Haley. "That's stunning..." Leaning in to get a closer look, Brooke nodded, "Almost looks like something I would have designed."

"I think I like it, too." Haley looked at the mirror and wondered how it would look on Charlotte.

"Peyt...what about this one?" Brooke waved over the music producing mom of two and glanced back to Haley.

Looking over the dress, Peyton nodded. "Yeah, simple but very Charlotte." Peyton tilted her head over to the dressing rooms. "Take it over to her."

Haley turned to look over her shoulder and saw the curtain from the dressing room glide open. Out stepped her seventeen year old daughter with a new dress option.

Charlotte tugged on the straps of her dress and her warm brown eyes fell on her mother's matching set. "I don't know about this one?" The high school girl shook her head as she caught her reflection.

Walking toward her youngest, Haley thought Charlotte looked beautiful. "Honey, you look great."

"Really?" Tilting her head, Charlotte studied her silhouette. She wasn't convinced and turned to her aunt who had an eye for fashion, "What do you think, Aunt Brooke?"

"You are like your mother, Charlotte. You can wear anything and look beautiful." She flashed Haley a smile and then walked closer to the teenager. "But I see where you have your doubts..." Brooke reached down and pulled on the sash. "It hits a little high."

That's what Charlotte thought. She nodded and shrugged. "I wish you'd had something at the shop."

Frowning with nod, Brooke wondered if she could move the sash. "I know. Me too."

"What about this one?" Haley held out the strapless dress with an arched brow. "The length seemed fine when I held it up to me."

"Oh okay...I'll try it." Charlotte took the dress from her mother and left the older women to themselves as she tried on the dress.

Haley, Brooke, and Peyton sat down while Charlotte slipped on the new dress and Haley sighed. "This is turning into an all day thing, isn't it?"

With that raspy tone, Brooke nodded. "But it's good practice."

"Practice?" Peyton laughed and arched her brow exorbitantly high, "Practice for what?"

"You know...wedding dress shopping." Other than her two favorite Baker guys, Brooke loved three things: weddings, babies, and clothes.

Haley's eyes got wide and she smiled as she shook her head, "Brooke, Charlotte's only in high school." Even though she'd gotten married in high school, Haley never imagined her daughter would have the same fate.

"I know, but we do have a trend around here to get married pretty young. Must I remind you, Tudor-wife, that you married Nathan when he still had acne. Lucas and Peyton were young- and they would have been even younger if they'd figured things out faster. And Jamie's even already married."

Peyton started to smile and looked to Haley with a shrug, "She's got a point."

"I can hear you." Charlotte's voice came from the dressing room with a laugh. "I'm not getting married _anytime_ soon." Laughing, Charlotte shook her head and called out apologetically. "Sorry, Aunt Brooke. Talk to Sawyer, she's older. She'll get married before me."

Both Brooke and Haley turned to Peyton who held out her hands. "Don't look at me. I think we all know if Sawyer gets married she'll find a way to do it in her skinny jeans, boots, band tee, and a vest."

"Oh Lord..." Haley laughed at the thought.

Brooke could see where her god-daughter would want that, so she perked up, "See, Charlotte. So I'm counting on you."

"Well don't hold your breath. Let me get through college and then we'll see." The fun banter made Charlotte smile, but she was having a hard time getting the new dress on. She fumbled to find the zipper as her fingers slid over the fabric, but she wasn't having any luck. "Hey, Mom...? Will you come here for a sec?"

Haley got up and and headed to the dressing room. She stuck her head in the curtain and smiled. "Whatcha need."

"I can't get the zipper."

Smiling, Haley stepped inside and stood behind her youngest. "This clasp is tiny, hold on." Haley leaned close and tried to get the back of the dress together before she worked on the zipper.

While she felt her mom working on her back, Charlotte watched through the mirror. "And just so you know. I really don't have any plans to get married soon."

Haley laughed a little and nodded. "I didn't think so."

"I mean...I guess I've thought about it..."

Suddenly Haley felt her heart race. What? Charlotte was already thinking about getting married. Normally Nathan was the one who was constantly worried about it, but now Haley was having to think seriously about the possibility. "You have?" Her tone was extremely questionable as she looked to her teenage daughter.

"No...wait. Not like that. Not that I'm gonna marry Will soon. I've just been thinking about what it would have been like." Charlotte felt a little embarrassed that her mom assumed she was thinking of marriage herself and she shook her head. "I'm seventeen and you and Dad were already married by then. It's just...I don't know."

"Strange." Haley knew her love story had started well beyond the normal age.

Charlotte shrugged and shook her head. "Romantic."

Haley got the clasp together with a smile. "It was." She zipped up Charlotte's dress and nodded, "It still is." Nathan and Haley had been married just over twenty five years, but even through time they were still that couple they were in high school.

"So it just makes me think sometimes. _What if._..what _if_ I was married to Will?" The seventeen year old had been dating her boyfriend for a year an a half; a millennium compared to the little time her mom and dad dated before they tied the knot.

With wide eyes, Haley started to smile and put her hands the sides of Charlotte's shoulders. "If that happened, I think your dad would develop HCM or have a full blown heart attack." Haley laughed a little only because she knew it was true. Charlotte was so tightly wrapped around Nathan's finger it was a wonder she'd been able to date anyone- much less a hot shot, star basketball player like Will Browning.

Getting to the point, Charlotte slowly turned around, "Which is why I wanted to ask _you_ something."

Haley knew whatever this question entailed might have something to do with that boyfriend of Charlotte's since her daughter was only seeking her advice or approval. The emphasis on you meant Nathan wasn't her first choice in parent to talk to. "Okay, what is it?"

"Well it's about the dance. After the dance, really." Haley saw her mom nod so she continued. "Afterwords I think we were wanting to go out. You know Will's family has that beach house near ours..."

Haley knew where this was going.

"It won't be a _rave_ or anything..."

"Charlotte...this isn't something I can say yes or no to. You dad's gonna have a say too."

The teenager's face well. "What? Why? He's just gonna say no."

"Maybe not."

The younger brown eyed Scott nodded. "Yes he will. He...

"Lotty Mae...let's see you in that dress. I'm dying out here." Brooke's voice interrupted the mother and daughter.

Charlotte looked at her mom and they had a silent conversation about how they would continue to talk about the after party later. The teenager moved past her mother, moving the curtain so she could show her aunts the dress.

"That is stunning, Charlotte." Brooke's eyes fell on the girl and she was wowed at her appearance.

Peyton's eyes were wide and she was thinking the same thing Brooke was. "Check please." She looked around for the sales associate with a grin.

Haley couldn't help but quietly laugh at her two friend's responses, but they weren't without reason. Charlotte looked beautiful. She was beautiful; she always would be.

After studying herself in the mirror, the teenager turned to her mom. "What do you think?"

Nodding, Haley smiled. "I love it." The simple exchange was sweet and sincere.

Eyes softening, Charlotte pushed her hands down her sides with a smile. It did look great.

"Everyone's head is going to turn when you walk into that formal, Charlotte. I guarantee it."

With a cute blush, Charlotte felt her cheeks deepen with a shade of red that lit her mom's face from time to time. She bit her bottom lip and knew they'd found _the_ dress. "Let's get it."

Nodding, Haley agreed. She watched Charlotte admire herself and the mom knew that her daughter would stun at the formal. That dress fit Charlotte perfectly and everyone would love it.

Almost everyone, at least.

Nathan might have a different response. It wouldn't be because of the dress, it wouldn't be anything like that. It would be the fact that it was _his_ _daughter_ who was in that dress. But it was a hurdle he'd have to get over. The after party, that was a hurdle Nathan wasn't going to jump over so easily- if at all. When Charlotte and Haley got home they'd find out.

**OTHOTH**

Driving away from downtown and towards home, Charlotte looked in the backseat to admire the dress bag that was covering up her formal wear. She couldn't deny the fact that she was excited. What girl wouldn't be? She'd just found a dress that was perfect. Then all that excitement started to fade when she turned to look at her mom in the driver's seat.

"So can't you convince Dad to let me go?"

Haley took a deep breath and turned left at the intersection. "I don't know, honey? You know how he is."

Sinking back in her chair, Charlotte sighed. "It's just a party."

"I know."

"And you guys went to those when you were my age. Dad practically hosted all of them."

With a little smile, Haley nodded, "I know, but he doesn't see it like he did then. He sees you as his daughter..."

"His _teenage_ daughter who, in my opinion, hasn't given you guys too much to worry about." She wasn't four and needed anymore and didn't need anyone to hold her hand as she crossed the street. "I don't smoke or do drugs. I'm smart. Smart like you, Mom. And besides trying to sneak out last year, or getting moody from time to time, I've been pretty tame compared to most teenagers."

"I know you have, and we are incredibly proud of the girl you've grown up to be..."

"But...?" The teenager sensed a but in there somewhere.

Haley knew that Charlotte was never going to understand her father's logic until she was a parent. "But your dad is crazy protective over you. He would do anything to make sure you're safe, that you stay safe. He just doesn't want to see you get hurt."

"Will's not gonna hurt me, Mom. He loves me." Charlotte looked out the window realizing her after party thoughts were squashed.

"I'll see what I can do, Charlotte." Haley turned on their street, and the duo rode in silence until they pulled into the driveway.

The girl got her dress from the car and headed inside while Haley followed her in.

Nathan heard the front door open and he looked up from his spot on the couch. Duke was playing Georgia Tech and the game had been pretty close so far. He turned down the volume and waited to see his two favorite girls walk into view. "How'd it go?"

"We got my dress." Charlotte smiled at her dad and held out the bag. "I'm gonna take it upstairs."

Haley put her bag purse on the kitchen counter and then walked over to her husband taking a seat.

"Hey." Nathan smiled at Haley and leaned in to kiss her. "So it went well?"

Leaning into the cushions, Haley nodded. "Mmm-huh. You missed out."

Laughing, Nathan shook his head. "I don't think my taste would have suited Charlotte. Dresses aren't really my thing." He started to smirk with that cute smile. "I'm too tall to ever find a good one."

Haley started to grin and smacked Nathan on the leg while shaking her head. She laughed and then looked to him with warm eyes. "I don't know. You did you a pretty good job picking out my prom dress years ago."

Remembering the time he'd gotten Haley's prom dress when she'd been pregnant, Nathan nodded. "I did, didn't I?"

"Yep." Haley smiled and they both looked up at the television screen. After a minute or two Haley turned back to Nathan and took a deep breath. "I need to run something by you."

He heard the tone of her voice and Nathan furrowed her brow. "Why does it sound like I'm not going to like this?"

Letting a small laugh escape her mouth, Haley bit her lip. "Just...if not for her do this for me." Nathan straightened up on the couch, and Haley started to tell Nathan about Charlotte wanting to go to the after party. "While we were trying on dresses, she asked me if she could go to the after party with her friends..." Haley knew Nathan would have an instant reaction, and when the creases in his forehead deepened, she furrowed her own brow continuing, "And I know and she knows what you'll say to that, but think about it Nathan. What were we doing at her age?" They'd gone to after parties following any dances they went to.

Deadpanned, Nathan nodded, "Having sex. Lots of sex."

"Nathan..." Haley's face burned with color and she shook her head. She wanted him to see past all that. "Okay, _other_ than that. We were just a couple of teenagers doing things that teenager's did. Charlotte should get to do that." Haley laughed shrugging, "People our age never even asked their parents back then. They just went. I think it reflects a lot on her in that she is actually _asking_ us instead of sneaking off."

Haley had a point even if Nathan didn't want to see it. "Well where is the after party?"

"At Will's parents' beach house."

He knew what went down at parties at the beach. A knot formed in Nathan's stomach. This wasn't even Charlotte's first party or dance, but Nathan still felt like throwing up.

Haley could see scenarios playing through her husband's mind as his eyes seemed to darken with worry. She scooted closer to Nathan and sighed. "I told her I couldn't tell her yes without talking to you."

His voice got quiet and he looked past Haley, "I don't want her to go..." He took a deep breath. "But..." Nathan raised his hand to his brow as if to rub away any ill-fated thoughts. "She should go."

Haley started to smile and she kissed the underside of his jaw. "Maybe you should tell her that?"

That was probably a good idea. That way he could lay some ground rules; remind her of some things. "Yeah." Nathan nodded and looked toward the stairs. Sooner rather than later, he supposed. He started to get off the couch and headed upstairs.

Haley watched Nathan go and knew that it was good for Nathan to be doing this. Charlotte wasn't going to stay little forever. In fact, she was already a beautiful young woman; Nathan just needed to let go. Granted, it was a lot harder to say than do, but it would have to come eventually.

As the pro basketball player turned collegiate coach walked to Charlotte's door, he took a deep breath before knocking.

Charlotte was sitting on her bed twirling her hair with a smile on her face. She was the phone but told her guest to come in. She smiled at her dad and finished her phone conversation. "I'll see you tomorrow. I gotta go. Love you. Bye."

Nathan's heart sank a little when he caught the tale end of Charlotte's conversation. He watched her put her phone down and pointed at it. "Will?"

"Yeah, he's taking me to a movie tomorrow." Charlotte pulled her knees up to her chest and smiled. "So what's up?"

Nathan swallowed hard and sat down at the foot of Charlotte's bed. "Your mom told me about the after party. You going might not be so bad."

Trying to convince her dad that it would be perfectly tame, the teenager perked up with a smile. "It's just a little thing afterwords. Everyone's going and..." Charlotte realized that her dad was saying yes and she smiled, ensuring him that everything was going to be okay. "We're gonna be responsible. Mr. Browning is taking up keys so we can't drive home..."

If kids were going to drink, and they would, it was a good idea for Will's dad to take car keys so none of the kids would do anything stupid. "That's a good idea..." Nathan's thought was interrupted by another one. If Charlotte or Will's keys were taken up, how would she get home? "...wait? How will you get home then?"

"We'd stay the night. The girls take the top floor and the guys take the main floor."

"No. No. Absolutely not."

"What! Dad!" Charlotte's eyes bugged. "You just said I could go!"

"Well I changed my mind. You're not sleeping over there. You'll...you'll wind up in bed with Will." The image made Nathan cringe, but he knew that would be the case. How many parties had he throw at the beach house? More than he could count. And of those when he was dating Peyton how many times did they end up in bed? Answer- all of them unless she was pissed at him. He wasn't having that happen with Charlotte.

"Oh my god..." Charlotte was not about to talk to her father about or regarding sex. "You're unbelievable."

"No I'm not. Charlotte, it's not you I'm worried about. It's _him_. He'll take advantage of you."

Feeling her anger start to pool, Charlotte's brow furrowed, "What? No he won't. Will's a good guy. He's not going to do anything I don't want him to. And you like him! Don't say that you don't because I know you do!" The teenager was starting to get really defensive because Will was one of the nicest, most sincere guys at her school, and her family loved him. Over their year and half long courtship, her dad had grown to really enjoy his company and so did her mom. "I can't believe you..."

"Charlotte, he's a seventeen year old boy. I know what's on his mind. I was him once." Even though he was with Haley at seventeen, before then he wasn't exactly a great guy. He wasn't even a good guy.

"You weren't. You weren't anything like him!" Quickly getting off her bed, Charlotte held open her bedroom door showing her dad the way out. "He's not an asshole or a jerk, or anything like you were! He plays basketball ball but that's _it_." Finding herself getting choked up, Charlotte looked away from her dad as she wiped a tear that fell from her eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you left now."

Nathan wasn't expecting this. He wasn't expecting it all. There was nothing he could say to the contrary because he was a jerk back then and he couldn't deny it. Trying to find something to say, he looked to Charlotte and felt terrible seeing her cry. Opening his mouth, Nathan didn't have anything to say and walked out of Charlotte's room.

She slammed the door behind him and he shook he head the whole way back down the stairs.

Haley heard the commotion and turned to Nathan as he walked toward her. "What happened?"

"You didn't tell me she'd be spending the night."

That was a detail Charlotte had left out. Haley widened her eyes and shook her head. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, well... She's not going, and now I'm pretty sure she hates me, and that I'm the worst dad on the planet."

"What? How did everything change so quickly?"

Sighing, Nathan sat down next to his wife and rubbed his brow. "She said something about Will's dad taking up keys, and then I realized she wouldn't have a way to get home, so she said that they'd spend the night. Girls on the top floor, guys on the main floor." He shook his head with a furrowed brow. "And we both know that's not gonna end up happening. She'll end up in Will's bed...and..."

"Nathan..." Haley took a deep breath and shook her head. "It's only an assumption. You can't just assume..."

"Haley! I was that kid once. I had the girlfriend everyone wanted and I was the hot shot basketball player remember? And remember how big of a dick I was. I don't want that for Charlotte."

"But honey, Will isn't you..." Haley turned to him so she was facing him more directly. "The old you, at least."

Nathan wasn't believing in this good guy routine. He couldn't. "She's not going." As far as he was concerned, there were no guys that were good enough for Charlotte Scott. This Will Browning kid was lucky he'd lasted so long.

Haley didn't understand why he was so adamant. Will was a good guy. Will was like Nathan- the Nathan she fell in love with and married. She narrowed her eyes and got off the couch. "Yes she is."

"Haley!"

"No, Nathan." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Haley shrugged. "You can be mad at me all you want, but...she's going." Haley never thought she'd defy her husband on the parenting front so much, but she was. Charlotte was a good girl. They'd raised a fine daughter and she deserved to go out with her friends and boyfriend after the formal. Haley trusted Charlotte.

Stunned and fuming, Nathan watched Haley go upstairs and he could only shake his head. What was she thinking?

With a soft knock, Haley tapped on Charlotte's door only to get a mumbled answer.

"Go away."

Instead of going away, Haley opened the door and saw their daughter lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillows. "Honey..."

"Mom...?" Charlotte looked up and revealed her wet tear stains on the pillow case. "Why does Dad have to be...such a..." She didn't even finish because the words she came up with were less than pleasant.

Haley furrowed her brow, and she laid down next to her youngest. "Because he loves you."

"Right." Charlotte laughed and rolled her eyes.

"He does, and his intentions are good but..."

"I just want to go to the party."

Haley nodded and put her arm on Charlotte. "You will. You can."

"Huh?" Charlotte sniffed and shook her head. "What?"

"I told him you're going, so..."

Feeling a smile spread over her face, Charlotte looked up to her mom, "Really?"

"Under one condition."

"Okay, yeah, sure anything..." Charlotte sat up and wiped her cheeks.

"I trust you. I do, but you can't stay over there. You have to be home by one. I'll come get you, you can have someone drop you off; whatever works best." She had to keep a little peace for Nathan's sake. He would at least appreciate that.

It wasn't perfect, but at least she'd get to go, and Charlotte nodded. "That works for me. Thank you." Leaning into her mom, Charlotte's smile faded. "Isn't dad gonna be mad at you?"

"He'll get over it. He's been mad before." Haley smiled and nodded. "We'll be fine." The brown eyed woman knew that she and her husband had been through and come out on top of worse things than a disagreement about what their kids could and couldn't do. This wasn't anything to worry about. In fact, Haley had other things on her mind. Glancing down to Charlotte, she arched her brow. "We have to think about how you're gonna do your hair."

Smiling, Charlotte started to sit up and describe what she wanted. The light in her eye and the excitement in her voice were all that mattered. Sure, Nathan would be mad, but Charlotte was happy. Right now that was Haley's priority; dealing with Nathan would come later.

**OTHOTH**

After a few silent nights, Nathan started to speak to Haley in the wake of her decision, but he still wasn't happy with it. Two weeks had passed since dress shopping and the argument broke out, and now the big day had finally come. Haley was upstairs tending to Charlotte as they finalized make-up and hair, while Nathan waited downstairs. He caught himself on more than one occasion peering out the blinds to see if Will's car was driving up the driveway. Eventually, Nathan sat down at the kitchen counter and twisted that band of gold around his finger without thinking too much about it.

Haley quietly made her way down the stairs and walked up behind Nathan. She put one of her arms on his shoulder leaning into him, and she noticed the way he fumbled with his wedding ring. "It's gonna be fine."

Looking at his wife, Nathan was still a little irked that she'd picked their daughter's side over his. He stopped messing with his ring and took a deep breath. "Yeah." He still wasn't convinced. The doorbell rang and Nathan moved off of his stool. "That's me."

"I'll tell her he's here."

Nathan and Haley went in separate directions, and Nathan opened the front door to see a good looking teenager guy in a tux with a little box in his hand.

"Hey, Mr. Scott. You catch that UNC, Kentucky game last night?" Will stuck out his hand and smiled at his girlfriend's dad. "Man...I thought it might go into triple overtime."

"Uh...yeah. I did, good game." Nathan nodded and shook Will's hand before moving from the doorway to let him in. "...Uh...Charlotte's getting ready. She'll be down in a minute."

Will walked into the kitchen behind Nathan and smiled at Haley.

"Hi, Will. Don't you look dapper." She got a small plastic box from the refrigerator and smiled.

Flashing a cute grin, Will slid his hand down the front of his jacket with a smile. "Thank you." He held out the box that showed the white corsage he got Charlotte and shrugged, "I didn't really have a lot of choices since we're supposed to be in black and white, so..." He stopped mid sentence when he saw Charlotte coming down the stairs.

Nathan's attention went to what Will was focused on. Charlotte looked beautiful. Nathan wasn't sure what her up-do hairdo was called but it was done perfectly, and those massive brown eyes of hers lit up when she saw Will.

"Hi."

Clearing his throat, Will smiled nervously. "H...hey." Holding out the corsage, he grinned, "I got you this." She inched closer and he felt the air escape from his lungs. "You look beautiful."

Haley couldn't help but smile at the exchange. Young love was so cute. She and Charlotte had picked out a white boutonniere, and Haley put it on the counter next to the teenagers. Walking over to Nathan, she rubbed the middle of his back and leaned into him with a smile.

Caught between mixed emotions, Nathan couldn't help but find comfort in Haley. Even if he was still a a little mad at her, she knew exactly how to made things better.

Charlotte put her clutch down to get Will's boutonniere on, and when the couple were done they expected a photo opp from Haley.

Waving it off, Haley shook her head. "Just be sure to get one there." She hadn't wanted to take thirty minutes of their time taking cheesy pictures the kids didn't want to take. Haley enjoyed watching everything unfold anyway.

Turning to his girlfriend, Will nodded, "We should probably head downtown."

Nathan arched his brow. "Which restaurant?"

"The George on the Riverwalk." Will knew Charlotte loved that restaurant. "We're meeting the others down there."

Haley started to smile, "Have fun."

Nathan watched the young couple head for the door and then spotted Charlotte's clutch on the counter. He grabbed it and followed them to the door. "Char?"

"Yeah?" Turning, Charlotte still had that same smile she'd had since she'd seen Will in the kitchen. "Oh, thanks."

"Um...have a good time." He handed her the clutch and nodded.

Raising on her tiptoes just like her mom did, Charlotte took her clutch and kissed her dad's cheek. "Thanks, Dad." Charlotte moved away and Will took her hand as they walked out of the front door.

"Back by one, Will."

Nodding, Will turned around. "Yes, sir."

Haley walked next to Nathan and put both of her arms around him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

No. It hadn't been horrible, but Nathan still wished Charlotte wasn't going to the party. He shook his head with a deep breath.

Pulling Nathan towards the kitchen, Haley smiled. "Come help me make dinner."

Over the course of the next two hours the older couple did just that. After making dinner and eating it, Haley poured herself another glass of wine and wandered into the living room.

Nathan was finishing up the dishes, and once he was done he sat down on the couch next to Haley. "I overreacted pretty bad, didn't I?"

Haley sipped her wine and shrugged her shoulders, "Depends on which way you look at it, I guess?"

Shaking his head, Nathan put down his drink. "Will's a good kid."

"But Charlotte's our daughter." Haley knew that was his logic for his reactions. "I know it's hard."

He nodded because it was. It was so hard. Laughing, Nathan joked, "Can we agree that she can't get married until she's thirty."

Smiling, Haley put her hand on Nathan's cheek. "She'll probably have two kids by the time she's thirty."

"I know." Nathan nodded and scratched his head. "Actually...we'll probably be grandparents soon." Jamie had gotten married last year so it was just a matter of time before Tree Hill had another generation of Scott come through town.

"Isn't it strange?" Haley smiled thinking about it but Nathan shook his head.

"It's everything I thought it would be." Seeing Haley furrow her brow, Nathan nodded. "It is."

Leaning up to kiss him, Haley smiled. "We got lucky, didn't we?"

"Something like that."

Haley leaned into her husband's side and leaned her head against his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Nathan's hand held Haley close and they sat comfortably together for what felt like forever.

After a few yawns slipped from her mouth, Haley sat up and turned to Nathan. "Are you gonna wait up for her?"

Of course he was. "Yeah."

"Hold off on the police force if she's a little late." Her tone was jovial and she smiled as she got up.

"Ha. Ha. Funny, Hales."

Smirking, she leaned down to kiss him. They had another two hours until Charlotte was due home and she was getting her nightly kiss in case she was asleep before he came up to bed. "I'll leave your light on."

He nodded, kissing her back, and then Nathan was left alone. He'd settled on SportsCenter to keep him company and during the second broadcast, Nathan saw headlights. It was 12:47am. They were early. Nathan liked early. He got up off the couch and looked out into the darkness and saw Will's truck in the driveway.

Hearing two voices and recognizing them, Nathan walked into the kitchen so it wouldn't look like he'd been waiting like a watch dog. The oven clock flashed one minute passing, then another, and when five minutes elapsed, Nathan was getting restless. Just how long were they planning on staying outside? His worried dad mode started to click into high gear, but then the front door opened.

Charlotte walked into the kitchen and smiled at her father. "Hi."

"How was it?"

"Amazing." Charlotte dropped her heels she'd carried inside by the counter and nodded with a happy grin. She looked to her dad returning the question. "How was your night?"

He laughed with a nod, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Pretty good."

"Yeah?"

Wrapping his hand around Charlotte's shoulder, Nathan guided his youngest up the stairs. "Yeah." There was something about having Charlotte home that made the nice night in with Haley even better. Looking at Charlotte, Nathan nodded. "You'll have to tell your mom all about it in the morning."

"I will."

The twosome got upstairs and started to part ways for their respective rooms.

"I'm glad you had a good time, Char."

"Me, too." She smiled and looked down at her corsage. "Thanks for waiting up."

With his hand on the door knob, Nathan nodded. "Night."

"Night, Dad. I love you."

The dark hallway made it hard for Nathan to see, but he caught Charlotte's eye. "I love you, too." He watched her turn to her room and the father walked into his own room. Haley was asleep on her side of the bed, so Nathan quickly and quietly changed clothes. Sliding in to the covers, he turned out the light and scooted next to Haley.

She felt his warm body against hers and she smiled with her eyes closed. "She make it on time?"

Pressing his nose against the back of her neck, Nathan nodded. "Seven minutes early."

Haley couldn't help but fall asleep with a smile. Not only was she next to Nathan, but their youngest had proved her right. She was smart and responsible, capable, and mature. Those four traits treated Charlotte well. Not only Charlotte, but they had treated Haley well too. A twenty five year marriage, two children, and a love that would last forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go, guys. NH didn't exactly see eye to eye on this parenting issue, but most parents don't. Not only that, but we got some more Charlotte and Nathan- which is something I know a lot of you enjoy, so I hoped you liked this version. Any requests for the next chapter? Only three left until 100 (which is already written) so send in your chapter ideas. You guys know I want to write what you want to read, so leave your suggestions in a review or PM if you'd like. Next chapter is wide open as far as what I want to do, so inspire me, y'all. Give me a good idea.**

**My reviewers: You guys know y'all are the reason I keep doing this. Thank you! My anonymous reviewers:**

**KC: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the references to season 3. Ha, I can't believe I've been doing this over two years, either. Still baffles me. I'm so thankful you've been reading this whole time! I It's not often that I get reviews from people who have been reading since the beginning, so that means a lot. Thanks for the dedication!**

**Joan: Thanks for the review! I'm so happy you liked chapter 95. I really loved imagining Jamie playing with his parents in the dark, ha, so I went with that idea for the hurricane chapter. I'm hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Thanks for your input on the content!**

**Annonymoususer: Hey again, I'm gonna reply here in this chap since you replied anonymously, fyi. Next time when you log in I'll stick to Pms. Yeah, I know, it is definitely sad to think that this is all ending in 4 chapters, but it has to end at some point. I imagine this will finish just as OTH comes back on in January. Yes, hurricanes are very common to NC- common for the entire eastern seaboard, Gulf coast, and the Pacific states as well. Cap'n wasn't meant to sound southern- it was meant to be a throwback to the season 3 episode, but yes, NC is considered southern to most. About accents- yes, they are VERY different across the south. They are different across states. It depends if you live in a big city or a small town. I come from a suburb of a big city so I don't really have a thick Alabama accent (people sometimes ask if I'm from Ohio, lol) but I have friends from small towns who talk REALLY southern. It varies, really. In that sense Liza and Russ do have different (but southern) accents. Ha, I'm glad you though Nathan was adorable in the last chap. I thought some of the things he did were cute too. As always, thanks for the feedback!**

**Review Please!**


	97. Missing You

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 97: Missing You**

**Disclaimer: Nothing related to the show belongs to me. Period.**

**A/N: Hey guys. Y'all ready for the final chapters of Little Moments? This one is centered around high school NH (season three more specifically, episode 3.08: _The Worst Day Since Yesterday_). Hope you all enjoy it!**

**OTHOTH**

It was a little after seven, and Haley was quickly trying to get her things together for school. Always prompt, Haley often tended to get to high school at or before 7:30am, but today she was headed there even earlier. Why? One look at the crafts and decorations bag on her bed and Haley knew why. She had a locker she needed to decorate.

Thanks to Brooke's thrown together idea: the fantasy boy draft, Haley was supposed to decorate her draftees locker- who happened to be Nathan.

They were on less than ideal terms, Nathan and Haley. It was still a little awkward between the two of them. Things were getting better, but ever since she'd gotten home from the tour things had been less than ideal. They hadn't picked up from where they'd left off, and really, it was more like they were starting over. So much so that more than the married couple was back to square one. Lucas and Nathan were back to being near enemies and Peyton hardly spoke to Haley. Instead of taking a few steps forward, time seemed to take every one in the wrong direction.

But there were some new things that kept the future from falling into the past. Haley was a cheerleader- hence Mrs. Scott's partaking in the fantasy boy draft. She and Brooke were actually living together. Instead of Nathan and Haley settling into the cozy one bedroom apartment, it was Tutor-girl and Tigger. Rachel Gatina was in the picture. The fiery red-head was making a serious play for Brooke's life. Not only did the bitchy, funny voiced, new girl want to take over the squad, she also wanted Lucas. And she wasn't the only one in Tree Hill causing a little trouble. On top of being rather angry at Haley, Peyton was dealing with a parent in town. It was her mom- her _real_ mom. To say things were complicated was an understatement. Then on top of that, Chris Keller was back. The jackass of all jackasses was helping Haley with her music, but this time Nathan was encouraging it. The dark haired small forward wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but he had is reasons for asking Chris to work with his wife. Things were going smoothly so far. Aside from the obvious dislike that lingered between the two guys, Nathan was starting to see exactly what he needed to see. Chris could try as hard as he could to get Haley to play his _guitar_, but it wasn't happening. In fact, Brooke was the latest victim of the Keller. She'd gotten stuck with Chris for the fantasy draft and after the disastrous dates from the other night, Brooke had one too many which landed her in bed with the crooner.

"Brooke...come on. We've got to get to school." Haley walked over to Brooke's bed and lightly shook her friend's shoulder.

Pulling a pillow over her face, Brooke groaned. "Go without me." She wasn't in any mood to get up. Not to mention, she really didn't want to see Lucas at school. Seeing the boy she loved after he walked in to find Chris Keller in her bed was not what she wanted to deal with.

"But you're gonna be late."

Tossing the pillow to the side of her bed with a furrowed brow, Brooke narrowed her eyes. "School is the last thing on my mind." Why would anyone ever care about being a little late anyways. Oh wait...this was Haley she was talking to.

Haley took a deep breath and bit her lip. "Maybe it won't be so bad? Lucas is a good guy. He'll know it was a mistake."

Picking the pillow back up and smothering her face, Brooke shook her head. "Just go without me. I'll get up in a minute." She really had no plan to get out of bed but to get Haley away she had to lie just a little.

Haley didn't see the scenario changing anytime soon and she was sure getting Brooke to leave with her was a lost cause. "Okay..." The married of the two teenagers walked over to the other side of the room. Haley picked up the bag of decorations and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll see you later."

Still buried under her covers, Brooke threw her hand up saying goodbye.

Haley headed towards the school and when she got there she walked passed the gym. The methodical rhythm that a basketball made as it slapped against the court let out a soft echo and Haley suddenly felt excited. It had to be Nathan. They'd had a good night on their fantasy date. Looking down at the bag destined for his locker, Haley saw the little purple flowers and remembered the evening the previous night. It hadn't gone as planned and it was far from perfect, but when they went up on the roof of the cafe and he put that tiny flower in the palm of her hand, Haley knew they'd be okay. Maybe not now or tomorrow, but someday they'd be them again. It was just a matter of time.

Sticking her head in the gym door, Haley was surprised to see her best friend bouncing the ball around instead of her husband. She slowly approached and was sure that his demeanor was going to be less than friendly. Walking into Brooke's room to find Chris Keller in bed with her wasn't exactly something that put a smile on Lucas' face.

Lucas looked up when he heard footsteps and Haley smiled softly. "Hi."

Lucas shot and hung his head when he saw how badly he missed. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to get his rebound.

"You're here early."

"So are you." He shot again and tried to avoid what Haley was likely going to talk about.

Holding out the bag, Haley smiled. "Decorating duty." She could see that he wasn't interested in talking about Brooke, but she knew what stubbornness did to relationships. "Luke, you have to know it was a mistake."

"Hales..." Lucas took a deep breath and pressed the ball into his hip as he held it against his body. "I really don't want to talk about this right now, okay? I love you for caring and trying to help, but right now..." He couldn't even finish his sentence because Chris Keller's smirk was plastered in his mind. Peyton had come over yesterday when he was painting his door and tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to hear it then and he didn't want to hear it now. "I'm sorry..." He knew he sounded a little like a jerk. "It's the first game of the season tonight. I need to step up my game." Lucas shot the ball again and watched it bounce off the rim.

Basketball. That was another touchy subject. Especially between Lucas and Haley. She would have asked him if he'd remembered to get his medicine for the game, but she knew he didn't need her badgering him about that. This Brooke stuff was already a lot. He didn't need any more stress that might cause his HCM to put him in danger.

Turning around, Haley knew she best just leave Lucas alone with his thoughts and the basketball.

Lucas watched Haley turn and walk away. "Hales...?" He held the ball with both his hands and shrugged. "I never asked you how your fantasy date went."

With those deep brown eyes of hers cutting away from Lucas, Haley lifted her shoulders with a small laugh. "Started terrible but ended pretty well...I think." There was still a bit of uncertainty, but for the most part Haley was pretty sure it had been a more positive experience than negative.

"I'm happy for you, Hales." Lucas smiled at her as she walked toward the door. Things between his best friend and brother may not have been perfect, but at least it was a little bit of good news. His spirits would be lifted for all of ten minutes until Chris Keller's image would to plague his mind.

Nodding a quiet acknowledgment towards Lucas, Haley turned to walk towards the lockers. She disappeared out of the gym and made her way to Nathan's top locker. She had about twenty minutes until the hallways got busy, but it would be plenty of time to get things done.

After fastening the miniature goal and gluing the greenery and flowers to the little rim, Haley didn't have a whole lot left to to do. She put Nathan's number on the top and stepped back to look over her work. Just like checking over a math problem, Haley had to make sure everything was perfect.

"Looking good, Haley." Bevin walked by and smiled at her fellow cheerleader. She was holding a smattering of materials she was putting up on her draftee's locker.

"You think so?"

Reaching out to touch the little goal, the dumbest Tree Hillian looked at it in amazement. "How did you shrink that?"

"Umm..." Haley hoped Bevin didn't actually think she's shrunk a real sized goal. "I bought it like that." She'd spent some of her cafe savings to make Nathan's locker look as good as it did. Haley noticed the things in Bevin's hand. "Is that for Skills' locker?"

Wide eyed, Bevin unwrapped the movie poster with a nod. "Look. It's _The Notebook_." She had a silly grin and pressed her face close to Ryan Goslings. _Noah_ was her ideal guy but Skills could be her Noah. "I _Notebooked_ Skills on our fantasy date."

The inner nerd in Haley thought that _Notebooked_ sounded more like a term that called for lots of pencils and studying. Clearly that wasn't the case as she looked at the movie poster Bevin started to adhere to a nearby locker just down the hall. "I bet that was fun."

"Oh it was." Bevin pulled out the superglue and squirted in on the locker.

"Bevin, I don't..."

Haley was interrupted when Skills walked up to the girls. "Yo...nice job on Nate's locker, Hales."

Turning to see at her old Rivercourt friend, Haley smiled. "You'll think he'll like it?"

Bevin heard Skills before she saw him and threw her hands in front of the locker. "Don't look!"

Glancing at Bevin's work, Skills furrowed his brow. "Is that for me?" He looked down the hallway and back to Bevin. "Uh...that ain't my locker." He pointed in the other direction. "Mine's that-a-way." Skills used both of his fingers to point and looked to Haley.

"Oh no!" Bevin started to run down the hall and Skills quickly tore off the poster as the girl left the area.

"Ha...Skills!" Haley went wide eyed when she saw him tearing things down.

"What?" He quickly tried to pull the poster down and grimaced when he saw the line of paper still glued on from the superglue. "I can't have people knowing I watched _The_..._Notebook_!"

Haley could only laugh at her friend and then looked at Nathan's decorated locker. Was he going to be embarrassed about it? Hopefully not. It would only be a little while until he found out.

**OTHOTH**

When the school day was over, Nathan had one thing on his mind. Basketball. Putting his things away in his locker, he shut it and found that he had two things on his mind as he stared his wife's handy work. Basketball and Haley. He couldn't help but smile at the little goal and small ball, his number, and those purple flowers. She'd obviously worked pretty hard on it. When he'd seen her earlier, his first reaction hadn't been about his locker but that he still couldn't believe that she was wearing the blue, black, and white cheer uniform.

Haley James as a cheerleader; it was hard to imagine until he saw her in the outfit. Even without the colors or pompoms though, Haley was Nathan's biggest fan and he knew it. Whether she was cheering on the sidelines or yelling in the stands Haley would be there for him, and that let a comfortable feeling run over Nathan.

They were still trying to figure things out but it was getting better. He was still hesitant around her, but he was starting to feel better about things. The wedding ring under his shirt was a constant reminder of what they'd had and what they could find again.

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a familiar voice.

"Nice digs..." Peyton walked up to Nathan and patted him on the shoulder glancing at his locker.. "How's the mojo with this thing?" She pointed at his decorated locker. "Ready for the game?" She crossed her arms and arched her brow.

Sighing, Nathan flicked the little orange ball that was hanging in the net. "I don't know." He shrugged and then looked to his former flame. "Ready to cheer?"

With a sarcastic grin, Peyton narrowed her eyes. "Always." She laughed and then widened her eyes. "I guess I'm just glad I'm not Brooke or Lucas."

"Yeah I heard about that. Keller is an _ass_."

Glancing around the halls, Peyton nodded. "Have you seen her today? Brooke, I mean?"

Nathan hadn't. "Uh...no. But I don't know if I'm the person to ask. I've had a lot on my mind." He pulled out a paper he'd written and held it up. "Know anyone who can help?" Nathan's English teacher hadn't been so nice when grading his paper and wrote in big red letters: _See me_.

"As a matter of fact." Peyton looked around and smiled. Haley had to be around somewhere. "I was actually gonna go find her to see if she knew where Brooke is. Want me to ask her to help you?"

Nathan folded the paper in his hands and shook his head. "Nah...I think I'll be alright. And besides..." He started to walk away, "I think I should be the one asking that."

"Alright...just trying to help." Peyton watched Nathan walk away but he turned around.

"Hey, and Peyton...? Be nice to her, alright?" Nathan knew that Peyton had been less than friendly with Haley lately. He saw the blonde nod and then walked towards Mr. Bates' room.

The older man was sitting at his desk with an old radio buzzing throughout the room. He wore glasses and had a million wrinkles on his forehead, but he was a nice guy. Whatever he had to say to Nathan couldn't be too bad.

Looking up, the man took off his glasses with a smile. "Ah, Mr. Scott..."

Smiling a little nervously, Nathan held out the paper. "You wanted to see me."

Mr. Bates pointed for Nathan to take a seat. "That paper needs some work."

"I know. I'll get better. I'm just...I've never been the best at English."

"And that's okay, but I think you should take advantage of the student services. Get yourself a tutor; have a friend help you proof-read." Mr. Bates wasn't unfamiliar with Nathan Scott's academic history. He also knew who the young man's wife was. "There are a whole slew of students who work at the tutor center. I'm sure any of them will be glad to help."

"Yes, sir." Nathan nodded absentmindedly. If anyone was going to tutor him it was going to be Haley. She was the one who got him and knew his strengths and weaknesses. She was the one who didn't treat him like an idiot. But she was also the one who influenced his reckless driving as he crashed that race car into the wall.

The radio Mr. Bates had been listening to caught Nathan's attention. The commercial break came to a close and the regular program came back on air. Nathan could help but listen.

"For anyone just tuning in. Mayoral candidate, Dan Scott is here with his lovely wife, Deb. Good to see you." The radio host smiled at Nathan's parents as he talked into his mic. "Thanks for joining us. Maybe you'd like to tell our listeners a little about yourselves."

"Well, I think most people in Tree Hill remember me from my days in basketball. Either that or driving around in their cars courtesy of Dan Scott Motors. But my platform is simple, Dave. Family values..."

Nathan cut his eyes towards the radio and wanted to throw it across the room. What did his father know about _family values?_

"...It all starts at home. With good parenting, loving relationships... Deb, Sweetie, is there anything you'd like to add?"

Nathan heard his mom's pause and rolled his eyes. He looked to Mr. Bates and took a deep breath. "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

He could see the agitation in the blue eyed teenager and Mr. Bates couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man. Who would want Dan Scott as a father? The older teacher nodded. "That's all. Thanks, Nathan." He watched the star basketball player head for the door. "Good luck tonight."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan nodded as he left. The game. That's what he needed to think about. He didn't need to worry about his father's politics, his bad English grade, or his wife. He had a game to focus on. He had four hours until it started and Nathan would find things to keep him busy until then.

He made it into the locker room, and as Nathan thought about what to do, he ran his hand over his head trying to rub away the distractions. Then it hit him. His hair. He wanted it gone. That had been the plan. He and the boys were gonna shave their heads for the game, but somehow according to dim Tim that got twisted into getting tattoos. Nathan wasn't about to do that but he could loose the hair.

He knew one of the guys would have a trimmer in their locker, and when he found one he went strait into the bathroom and put the setting on one of the lowest. He didn't want to be bald, but he wanted it short. The constant zzz of the trimmer was a nice remedy to all of the madness that was going on in his mind.

"Well, well..." The musician smirked at Nathan's hair and ran his finger's through his own. "Changing up the look for the old lady? To be honest, I always thought Haley liked a full set of hair on her guy's head." He tilted his poofy hair to Nathan and showed off his ridiculous highlights.

Turning to face the guy behind him, Nathan furrowed his brow. "What do you want Chris?"

"That five hundred dollars you forgot to pay me when you came by the studio yesterday." Chris held up his hands. "But don't hit me." He moved one of his hands to his back and rubbed it. "I'm still sore from our last run in."

"I didn't even hit you."

"I'm a fragile guy, what can I say. It's the musician in me."

Nathan really didn't want to deal with this doofus right now. "Chris...you have five seconds to get out of here. I don't want to talk about money."

"Look, it's just a little bit of cash...for Haley." He wiggled his eyebrows and flashed Nathan his big mouthed grin.

Putting the electric trimmer down, Nathan walked towards Chris with a stern look. "Four seconds..." He tilted his head a little as he got closer, "...three seconds."

"Okay, okay. I'm going..." Chris didn't want to chance a Nathan Scott knuckle sandwich. He started to back up and quickly got out of Nathan's way. If Nathan wasn't going to pay up right now, Chris knew daddy Dan Scott had some money. And Chis Keller could definitely see himself doing business with Dan Scott. Chris walked away and left Nathan alone.

Turning back to the sink, Nathan picked up the trimmer and finished up his new look. When he was done he took a good look in the mirror and a deep breath.

"What did you do Scott? Take to your head blind?" Whitey had walked in from his office and saw his star player with a less than perfect hair cut. "Let me fix that." He wasn't even asking. Whitey didn't have to. He picked up the trimmer and turned it on. "Stand up straight."

Nathan felt Whitey move the trimmer across his head and he closed his eyes. He let the old man fix any spots he'd missed and then sighed as he thought about that stupid radio bit. "You're not gonna vote for my dad, are you?"

"Ha..." The old man laughed and shook his head. "Me...vote for Danny? I don't think so."

"Do you think he'll win?"

Whitey ran the trimmer close to Nathan's ear and shrugged. "If nothing, your dad always finds a way to win. He'll find some way come out on top." The old coach turned off the trimmer and patted Nathan on the back. "Don't let him get to you, Nathan."

The dark haired basketball player ran his hand over his head and noticed how much better his hair looked. "Thanks, Coach."

"Don't thank me yet. We loose this game tonight and I'll be running your sorry butt until you puke at practice tomorrow." Whitey shook his finger at Nathan and walked away.

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the older guy. As bad as Whitey was, sometimes he wasn't bad at all.

Game time came faster than Nathan realized, and when the rest of the team came in the locker room to get ready he was reminded of his brother's poor performance when Lucas sluggishly walked in. They weren't gonna win with Lucas acting like that. Too bad for Lucas, he was catching most of the heat because he wouldn't tell anyone about his heart condition. That was another problem for another day.

After some heated words between the two brothers, Nathan was reminded that his mind wasn't on the game either, and from that moment the Ravens were doomed.

Bear Creek dominated Tree Hill. The final score was dismal. Thirty-nine to fifty-nine and any hopes of an undefeated season were crushed. Lucas couldn't get a shot to fall. Tim got the ball stuck. They missed lay-ups, and dropped passes. The only good pass of the night went right into Chris Keller's face. Whitey had been disappointed but Dan went plain bananas. He got into the locker room and slammed Nathan into one of the lockers. If it hadn't been for Whitey, who was clutching a baseball bat, Dan may have gotten away with more, but he left once he was confronted by the coach.

Dan sure as hell wasn't getting Whitey's vote after that. The old man looked to his players and still had disappointment ringing in his voice. "Practice, five AM sharp. Now hit the showers! You guys stink!"

Nathan simply shook his head and wanted the night to be over. Nothing could make his bad day better.

Almost nothing.

**OTHOTH**

Haley had been standing outside for a while. The game had been over for some time but she was hoping to catch Nathan before he left. She knew how he was after a loss. Even though he scored just under half of all the points he'd still find a way to blame himself. He always did.

She was leaning against the outside wall when she heard the door open. Turning, Haley saw Nathan in his blue button down. "Hey." Cutely stepping out in front of him, she smiled. "You did a good job tonight."

Nathan held onto the straps of his athletic bad and smirked. "What game were you watching?"

"The game where you had the entire team guarding you, and you still made like thirty points."

He smiled, correcting her as he adjusted his bag, "Sixteen, Hales. The whole team only had thirty nine."

Holding her hands together, Haley responded, "Well, that's almost half. Plus I gave more because your shots were really hard. That should totally be a rule."

"It doesn't work that way." He looked at her and could only smile.

"Well it should."

He sighed and appreciated her kindness. "Thank you." Haley's 'yeah' was almost muted but he could hear it. Nathan watched her shyly look to the ground and he shrugged his shoulders. "Did you wait out here for me?"

Nodding, Haley lifted her shoulders, "Yeah. I..I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He didn't reply and Haley stuck her neck out as she squinted. "Are you?"

Looking away from her, Nathan took a deep breath. "Not really. But, uh...I do this thing when I play like crap...where I walk home alone and try to let go of it along the way."

"Okay." She nodded and pulled on the strap from her bag. "Call me later if you wanna talk or..." She glanced at Nathan shrugging and started to laugh after he nodded. "Kay." She'd never felt so awkward and they turned to go their separate ways.

Nathan watched Haley leave and wondered how he got so lucky. It was like she knew he was having a bad day. She didn't have to stay after the game but she did. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.

Haley hadn't been five steps when her phone rang. She rummaged through her bag, flipped open her phone, and couldn't help but smile when she saw who was calling. Turning around, she saw Nathan waiting and held out her phone. He smiled and kicked his head his way. The girl with honey blonde hair and a cheerleading outfit started walking toward her husband.

Once they were shoulder to shoulder, Haley looked up to Nathan and smiled. "You know...if you wanted to talk you could have said that from the beginning."

Smirking with that cute grin of his, Nathan shrugged. "What's the fun in that? And besides...you told me to call."

She quietly laughed and took a deep breath. Haley looked back to Nathan and smiled. "I like your hair, by the way."

"Yeah?" He raised his brows and turned to her as they continued to walk.

"Yeah." Haley nodded and crosse her arms. "You look...nice." She looked up to him again and showed him her soft blush.

"Well, how was your day? Better than the game I hope?"

"It was." She nodded. "Unless that is...you were lying about your locker and you hated it."

"I wasn't. I didn't." Nathan laughed at her worrying. "It was great."

Haley smiled and then turned to Nathan with an eager grin thinking about the rest of her day. "Oh..." She started to laugh, "...and I got to see Peyton slap Chris."

"Keller?" He saw her nod and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "What I wouldn't give to have seen that."

"Yeah...it was pretty great." Haley laughed with that loud laugh of hers and Nathan listened carefully.

He smiled at her and took a deep breath. "I missed that. Your laugh." The small forward shrugged, "With all the crap I've had to deal with lately it's nice to hear."

"Is it stuff with your dad?" Haley hoped it wasn't all because of her.

Nathan nodded. "He slammed me into a locker after the game, actually." He looked up into the night sky and saw the stars.

"What? You're kidding?"

"No..." The teenager let out a laugh. "Apparently he didn't like the fact that we lost and that I told to leave the locker room."

"You're dad's such a..." Haley narrowed her eyes trying to find the right word.

"Ass? Dick? Prick? They all work." Nathan could think of some other unflattering words that would characterize Dan Scott. He sighed heavily and looked to his wife. "Not to mention my grades are slacking. I gotta pick it up."

Haley bit her lip and looked up to Nathan. "I think I know someone who can help." All he had to do was ask.

He nodded with a sarcastic smile. "I don't work with just anyone, you know. Most tutors can't stand me."

Leaning into his side as they walked closer to his house, Haley's brown eyes met his blue ones. "This girl...she's pretty good. Really knows her stuff."

"How about math and English? She good with those?" He knew she was but kept it up anyway.

"The best." Haley nodded, "Just call me." She looked longing to Nathan and swallowed hard. Why did she feel like she couldn't breathe. It wasn't like she was out of shape, but her heart was beating so fast and furious just from being around him that she might pass out.

Nathan was feeling exactly what Haley was feeling and let a moment of silence pass as they walked down the street together. "I bet you'll never guess what Tim did today."

"Do I want to know?" Haley laughed and furrowed her brow. There was no telling with Nathan's not so bright friend did.

"He got a tattoo just above his ass of a cherub with his jersey number..._last_ years jersey number."

She laughed but Haley's mind instantly flew to her own lower back. "Sounds kinda familiar."

He knew his tone about Tim's tattoo had been less than positive. Nathan looked at her and tried to cover for himself. "Well...it's not the same. His his ridiculous and yours is..."

"A little ridiculous...?" She embarrassingly laughed with a nod and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"No, no. It's not." Nathan could still picture it as clear as day. "I didn't mean to...what I meant was..." He was fumbling and only falling backward. "Tim's an idiot."

"It's okay..." Haley looked to Nathan and shrugged. A few houses down the street Haley saw that Nathan's parents' house was getting near. "I uh..." She pointed back to the school. "I should probably head back."

"What?" Nathan furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Let me at least give you a ride back to the apartment. I don't want you walking back by yourself." He looked around and then to the girl next to him. "Do you know what kind of people are out at night?"

Haley couldn't help but smile. Even if they weren't back together fully or one hundred percent, Nathan was still sexy when he got all protective over her. She nodded and looked to him. "Thanks."

They made it to his parent's house and quickly got into the car before Dan showed his ugly face. Nathan wasn't even sure he was home but he didn't want to chance a run in with his father.

The married couple made their way to the apartment and Nathan could hear Haley humming along with the radio.

"How's the music coming along."

"Uh...it's coming." She nodded. "Some days I get a lot done and others I want to kill Chris."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh. "Some days I wouldn't mind it if you did."

"I think almost all of Tree Hill would agree."

He nodded and turned right. "Have you talked to Brooke or Lucas? What's going on with them?"

Haley went wide eyes as she shook her head. "Brooke's devastated and Lucas is _so_ mad."

Nathan could understand. He'd been there...to an extent. "But they're Brooke and Lucas. Don't they have people rooting for them? They'll find a way to work it out."

Haley looked out the window and under her breath, she thought so too. "So should we." She realized she'd said that a little louder than she'd intended and looked to Nathan in the driver's seat. "Sorry..."

He shrugged as he pulled into the apartment complex. "It's just gonna take time, Hales."

How much time exactly was he going to need? Hadn't they spend enough time apart? It sure felt like it.

Nathan pulled into a parking spot and saw the outside light on. "Do you want me to walk you to the door?"

"No. I'll be fine." She gathered her bag and put her hand on the door handle. "I was serious back at the gym. If you ever need to talk or need help studying...call me."

"I will."

She watched him nod and then opened up the door and quietly said goodnight. "I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye." He saw her go towards the steps and then up to the apartment. Once he saw Haley at the door he felt comfortable leaving.

When she pushed open the front door, Haley saw Peyton and Brooke on the couch. The raspy voiced girl was in a much better mood than she had been earlier. Lucas didn't seem to phase her.

"Tudor-girl, catch!" Brooke tossed Haley some clothes. "You're welcome. You know you needed a cute, clean, new top to sleep in."

Haley held it out and then looked to her friends. "Is this your design?"

"Yep." Peyton answered for Brooke. "We went to the mall and got Brooke's designs back."

"Oh." Haley put the shirt over her arm and headed to the bedroom to change. "Thanks." She'd be back out to chit chat when she was done, but little did Haley know that her new attire would land her in some serious trouble.

The next day she'd end up in jail thanks to Brooke and Peyton. But more than her stint in the clink, the next day would turn out to be pivotal for her relationship. Not only would Nathan take Haley up on calling her, but when she'd go see him a reconciliation would be in the making that would help get the young couple back on track. They'd become that couple who made everyone else believe in true love again. And that was a very good thing.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys; a little missing moment from high school. I know there wasn't a TON of Naley in the first two sections but that's kind of what I was going for. I thought I'd have a Haley heavy section, a Nathan heavy section, and then one with the both of them at the end. Hope you guys liked it. Next chapter's plot is up in the air. Check my profile later to see if I've updated what I'll write about. In your review feel free to leave me a suggestion. Have you already suggested something that I haven't done? Suggest it again. No harm in that at all.**

**My reviewers. Thanks for sticking around and dropping those little messages by. You guys know you're why I keep doing what I do. Thanks so much!**

**Joan: Thanks for reviewing last chapter. I'm glad you liked the Nathan and Charlotte, Haley and Charlotte, and Nathan and Haley. Ha, well, maybe I will bring Will back into Charlotte's story. I hadn't really planned on it, but I can add it in somewhere, I'm sure. I added a little bit of Lucas and Haley in this chapter. I hope you liked what small amount there was. He'll be in the at least one of the next few I know. I appreciate the feedback!**

**Hadley: I'm so glad you liked the chapter and overprotective Nathan. I did a previous chapter set during season 5 when Nathan first's get's hurt and comes home from the hospital. I MAY do one of the last few chapters in that time frame, but since I've done one surrounded on his back injury I probably won't. Thanks for the suggestion, though.**

**HaleyBob: Your brute honesty threw me for a loop, not gonna lie, but I can't please everyone. Thanks for the feedback.**

**Love me some NH: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter with the overprotective nathan and how Haley went against Nathan. I was also happy to find out you like the story for what it is. I appreciate the support.**

**Review Please!**


	98. Through the Years

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 98: Through the Years**

**Disclaimer: Ya'll know the drill here.**

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took me a little longer than expected. Internship is intense. Going from a college class schedule to this new 7:30am-4:pm is exhausting. Seriously. But, I spent the day with this one so here's the update. It starts with NH 41ish but flashes back to multiple occasions when they're younger. Hope you all like it. Just TWO more chapters left. Enjoy.**

**OTHOTH**

Haley was standing in front of the bathroom mirror and ran her pinky over her lips smearing in the light coral colored shade. Her eyes narrowed as she took a good look at herself. In her eyes, age hadn't been a friend. She saw her wrinkles and dark spots. Her forty-one year old self didn't seem impressed with her reflection, but anyone else who saw Haley James Scott would tell you a different story. Her skin was still beautiful, those eyes of hers were just as captivating, and even if her hair had a stray strand or two of gray, age had treated her well.

"Hey, Mom...?"

Turning towards her sixteen year old daughter, Haley smiled. "Yeah?"

"Which ones?" Charlotte held up two pair of earrings to see which ones worked best with her outfit. "Classic..." She held out the diamond studs and then the cool violet pair, "...or color?"

"Um..." Haley narrowed her eyes as she tried to choose. They both looked great. "Either one."

Frowning, Charlotte laughed. "Oh come on. You have to like _one_ more than the other..." The sixteen year old arched her brow. "It's _your_ dinner we're going to...you should pick."

Haley smiled thinking about it. It _was_ her diner they were going to; _their_ dinner, really. Tonight she and Nathan and Charlotte were celebrating a milestone. Nathan and Haley had been married for twenty-five years. _Twenty-five_. They had a son who'd graduated from UNC, a daughter destined for the Ivy League, and a marriage that was as strong as it ever was. After twenty-five years, the couple was content on simply sharing dinner with their youngest. They didn't need to make things fancy or lavish. Dinner was just fine.

Charlotte had other plans for her parents, but that was yet to be discussed. She was happy to join her mom and dad for dinner but when she found out they were _just_ doing dinner, the sixteen year old called up her brother with an idea. Last year their dad had surprised their mom with a 40th birthday party at Tric, and now the two Scott kids were doing something similar.

But before any of that happened, Charlotte still needed an answer about the earrings. "So really...which do you like best?"

Haley took a look at the options again and nodded towards the classy studs. "Those."

Charlotte walked closer to her mom and stood shoulder to shoulder to Haley as she slipped in her earrings. In front of the mirror and curiously wondering, Charlotte arched her brow. "What was your first anniversary like?" The girl looked at her mother and raised her shoulders.

"Our first?" Haley smiled and let out a small laugh. "Um...interesting."

"You were pregnant with Jamie, weren't you?"

Haley's memory was thrown back to their high school days as she told Charlotte about their first wedding anniversary.

_Eyeing the clock in Karen's Cafe, Haley wiped off the counter and knew she'd get off work in about twenty minutes. She was ready to get home and off her feet, but most of all Haley was ready to see Nathan. They'd hardly seen each other all day. He'd woken up before her to hit the Rivercourt for an early morning practice. With the championship game just a few days away, Nathan was constantly working on his skills. On top of not seeing each other in the morning, somehow they'd managed to miss each other at school too, leaving Haley anxious to see her husband._

_The bell from the front door rang and the young waitress turned to smile at the customer. The blonde who walked in was a regular so to speak. "Hi." Haley watched the guy take a seat at the counter. "How was practice?"_

_Taking a deep breath, Lucas started to smile as he shook his head. "Whitey had us running the whole time."_

_Eyes wide, Haley grimaced. "Sorry." Being the worrying kind, Haley glanced at Lucas' chest. She knew that heart of his was fragile._

_Leaning on the counter, Lucas shook his head. "Nah...it's probably a good thing. We're gonna be going twice as hard during the actual game."_

_Karen walked out from the back and had a cake box in her hands. She smiled at her boy as she approached the two high school kids. Karen put the box in front of Haley and pushed it towards the expectant mother. "I saw you eyeing this. Why don't you take it home." The dark haired woman smiled kindly and wasn't asking Haley, she was simply giving the cake to her._

"_Oh, Karen..." Haley's big brown eyes softened. The things that woman did for her and the support she received was unbelievable. Haley then looked at Luke. She saw his grin from hearing that she'd been eyeing the cake, and she laughed as a blush creeped across her cheeks. "I'm eating for two, you know." Her hand instantly flew to her small but growing belly._

_Laughing, with a shake of his head, Lucas threw up his hands._

_Turning back to Karen, Haley smiled. "Thank you." She glanced to the chocolate cake and bit her lip. Not only would it be nice to sink her teeth into one of Karen's famous desserts, it would be perfect for the occasion. What was a celebration without cake?_

_Smiling, Karen nodded. She looked around the cafe and shrugged, "And since things aren't busy around here, why don't you get off your feet; rest a little." Again, Karen wasn't asking. Knowing from her current condition and from the past, Lucas' mom knew what a toll pregnancy took on a woman's body. Haley had to be tired. She was working so much and so hard. Most times Karen couldn't help but admire the young girl. Between picking up extra shifts, going to school, and tutoring, Haley was doing an immaculate job of keeping her head above water. She deserved to go home a little early._

"_Are you sure? I can stay." Haley looked at the clock and then Karen. "It's just a little bit longer."_

"_Go, Hales..." Lucas tilted his head towards the door. "We've got it covered."_

_Untying her apron, Haley nodded appreciatively. "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled at Karen and Lucas, and then headed out the door, cake in hand._

_Once she got to the apartment she knew she had a little bit of time before Nathan got home. Even if practice was over, he'd stay a little bit later. And that was fine. It would give Haley a little bit of time to get dinner ready. Cooking dinner wasn't much of a gift, but since they were on a tight budget it was about as much as she could manage. _

_She'd gotten him a little something, though. It was neatly wrapped on the kitchen counter waiting for him. Haley had bought a Duke long sleeved t-shirt for Nathan. Even if he never wore it, the fact that it represented their future was really what mattered. Last week she'd gotten her acceptance letter from the school in Durham, and come August they'd head up there for the next chapter of their lives._

_Haley opened up the fridge and started to pull out what she needed for the dinner she had planned. A boxed kit for a hamburger casserole would have to do. It really wasn't an anniversary dish, but Haley figured that would be better than bowls of cereal._

_She got to work and couldn't help but smile thinking about the occasion. They'd been married for a year- a whole year. It hadn't been easy and nothing went according to plan but she was happy. They were happy. All three of them. Haley's hand went to her belly and she smiled even more. The baby had been unexpected, but perfect. Haley was hoping for a boy with her husband's eyes, and pretty soon she'd find out they were having a son, but right now it was still a mystery._

_As she continued to prep, Haley expected Nathan home any minute. Guesstimating his arrival time with the time it took to cook, she covered the pan on the stove to let it simmer and then headed into the bedroom. She could use a little resting time. _

_Once she got in their room, Haley sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. Her day had worn her out. She leaned back in her pillows and knew she could only lay down for a minute or two. Dinner wasn't going to stir itself._

_Fifteen minutes later when Nathan got home he could smell their food as he opened the door. He dropped his basketball bag and walked further into their place. He had a little bouquet of purple flowers in his hand and put them on the bar. "Hales...?" Nathan looked from the kitchen down the hall. When she didn't respond, Nathan figured she must have been in the back and headed that way.._

_When he got to the doorway, he stopped and slipped one hand in his pocket as he leaned against the doorframe. She was asleep. Her soft breaths were quiet and still, and after watching her for a second, Nathan slowly approached the bed. He leaned down over her and pressed a sweet kiss just above her brow. "Happy anniversary, Haley James."_

_Hearing his voice and feeling his lips on her skin, Haley moved a little in bed and gradually opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled when she saw his face. "Hi."_

_Arching both of his eyebrows, Nathan smiled. "Tired?" She nodded and ran her hand over her face. Nathan couldn't help but smile at his wife. Even after a quick nap, she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Leaning down close, Nathan pressed his lips to hers telling her one more time, "Happy anniversary."_

_Haley put her hand on the back of his neck and ran her fingers through his hair with a sweet smile. "Happy anniversary, Nathan Scott." She pulled him close for a kiss and then went wide eyed, "The food...!" She scurried to get away from Nathan and off of the bed._

_It surprised him how fast she got up and laughed as she hurried away. "I think it's fine, Hales." It smelled fine when he'd gotten home and it still smelled good._

_Pulling the lid from the pan, Haley started to stir the noddle dish around the simmering heat. She closed her eyes with a regretful sigh when she saw that the bottom half of their dinner was stuck to the pan._

_Nathan walked behind Haley and put one of his arms around her stomach. "See...it looks good." He hadn't paid much attention to the burnt portions, and Nathan took the spoon from her hand to get a bite to taste test._

"_It might be ho..." Haley knew the food would be hot but didn't get to finish warning him before he tried it anyway._

_Slipping the spoon in his mouth, Nathan hadn't been surprised by the heat. He crunched down on the noodles and couldn't even break some of the hardened pasta._

_Haley heard Nathan's jaw hard at work and she turned around to face him. "It's overdone, isn't it?"_

_Making a sour face, Nathan moved a few steps toward the sink and spit out their dinner. "A little." He smiled and walked back to Haley with a shrug. "We'll figure something else out."_

_Pushing her forehead into his chest, Haley sighed. "Ugh...sorry."_

_Nathan shook his head and put both of his arms around Haley's back. "It's okay."_

_She glanced to the counter, "Well...at least we have cake."_

_He let out a laugh and rubbed his hand up and down her back. Burning dinner wasn't the worst that could have happened. "At least I have you."_

_Looking up to Nathan, Haley started to smile. Him and that cheesy charm of his made her heart melt. "I love you."_

"_I love you, too."_

Charlotte listened to her mom retell a story from her parents' past and the sixteen year old laughed. "Wait..._you_ burnt dinner?"

Charlotte's question brought Haley back from her memory and she nodded. The forty one year old shrugged, "I was tired _and_ pregnant." She looked to her youngest and arched her brow. "And actually...it took me a couple years to get the hang of cooking."

Smiling because her mom hardly ever messed up in the kitchen, Charlotte smirked as she walked out of the bathroom. "You'd never know that now."

Haley watched Charlotte go and looked at her reflection one more time. Maybe time hadn't been so terrible. Sure, age came with each passing day, but without it Haley may have never perfected her cooking skills or had the experiences she'd had so far. Gray hairs and wrinkles aside, time really was on her side. It had given her everything she'd wanted, and most of all...it had given her twenty-five years with Nathan.

**OTHOTH**

Nathan heard Charlotte walk down the stairs and he turned to smile at his daughter. She was so much like Haley. Same eyes; same kindness; same heart. Her athleticism and the fact that she wasn't married yet were a little different, but those were only formalities.

"Mom was just telling me about your first anniversary."

Grinning, Nathan's wrinkles by his eyes showed. "When she burnt dinner?" He laughed and nodded. "That was a good one."

Always interested in hearing more about her parents' story, the sixteen year old smiled. "Any other ones that didn't go as planned?"

"Yeah, we had a few of them." After going through twenty four other anniversaries, he knew they all hadn't been perfect. One of them came to mind pretty quickly.

"Really? What happened?" The teenager was intrigued.

It hadn't been anything horrible and Nathan laughed at Charlotte's enthusiasm. "It wasn't _that_ bad...we just ended up doing something else." Trying to place it, Nathan squinted, "You were...four maybe?"

"Oh, so you were still in the NBA?"

"Yeah..." He nodded and started to tell Charlotte about his and Haley's meeting in Miami that was turned upside down.

_Tossing a few things in his suitcase, Nathan packed up the hotel room in Indianapolis and glanced out the window. The Bobcats had played the Pacers the night before and now they were off to Miami to play the Heat. The flight down to Florida was leaving in a few hours and Nathan had never been so to excited to go to South Beach. It wasn't the weather or the fact that he liked playing the Heat, but a certain someone was meeting him down there._

_Over the course of their thirteen year marriage they'd never spent their anniversary apart. Sometimes the setting changed: Tree Hill, Maryland, Charleston, or London, but they'd always been together._

_Nathan's phone started to ring and he tossed a pair of socks in his suitcase as he reached for it. He saw her name on the screen and he smiled. "Hey, Hales."_

"_Daddy, it's me."_

_Smiling as he heard his daughter's voice, Nathan corrected himself. "Hey, Charlotte."_

"_Mama's bout to leave... Her is flying to you." Charlotte looked to Haley who was talking with an old high school friend in the kitchen. "Skills is watching us."_

"_He is?" Nathan knew that but figured he could let the little girl think she was telling him. "I bet you and Jamie are gonna have fun with him."_

"_Mmm-huh." Charlotte saw her eleven year old brother grab for the phone. "No, Jamie... It's my turn!"_

_Nathan heard a little bit of a commotion on the other end of the line and then his son spoke. _

"_Dad! We watched you on TV last night, and you played so awesome. Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton, Sawyer, and Keith came over and we were all cheering for you. The Pacers stunk."_

_Laughing, Nathan smiled. "Thanks, Jame."_

"_When you get back home you'll have to show me how to do that shot you did last night. You were flying through the air and it was just...awesome."_

_Grinning because he loved that his son was so proud of him, Nathan nodded. "I will." He could hear Charlotte upset in the background. "Did you take the phone away from Charlotte? She's little, Bud. Sometimes you just have to let her do things."_

"_Well, she was done talking to you." Jamie looked at his teary eyed little sister who'd was currently pouting with a major frown plastered over her face._

"_Jamie..." Nathan could tell that Jamie knew Charlotte hadn't been done._

"_Okay, I know. I just wanted to talk to you. You're always playing." _

_It stung Nathan a little to hear Jamie say that. Even if he'd been playing in the NBA for five years now, he knew his kids missed him. Nathan missed them, too. All of them. It was just something they had to deal with and overcome._

_The boy sighed and saw his mom walk toward him. "Here's Mom."_

_Haley put the phone up to her ear and watched Skills pick up Charlotte to cheer her up. Smiling, she breathed heavily into the phone. "Hi."_

"_Happy..."_

"_Wait, wait..." Haley furrowed her brow. "Don't say it yet. Let's wait...I wanna be with you when you do."_

_Laughing, Nathan nodded. "Alright." Was this one of her ideas like the time she'd suggested they not have sex until their second ceremony? That had actually turned out pretty well, but he couldn't help but tease her. "Happy...Thursday."_

_Smiling, Haley could feel her heart racing beneath her shirt. "You're terrible."_

"_You love me." _

_She did. Haley loved Nathan to the moon and back. "I do."_

_Checking his watch, Nathan zipped up his suitcase and smiled. "Less than twelve hours, Hales. Think we can make it?" The timing of their flights and the normal delays they might face could throw off an anniversary meeting._

_Haley looked at the clock on the stove and did the math quickly in her head. "Mmm-huh. I'll get to the hotel first and you'll probably get to Miami an hour or two later...weather permitting."_

_He laughed at the way she said 'weather permitting', and smirked. "What will you be wearing when I get there?" His voiced sounded husky and sent a rush of color to Haley's cheeks._

"_Nathan!" Her loud whisper had a laugh in it and she shook her head. Their kids and Skills were just a few feet away. They could probably hear him say that._

_There was a knock on Nathan's Indiana hotel room door and he knew it was probably Ray telling him the team was leaving. "I gotta go, Hales." Nathan picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Call me when you land. I'll probably be up in the air, but let me know you got there."_

"_I will." She nodded and could feel the end of their conversation coming close. "I love you."_

"_I love you, too. I'll see you soon." Nathan heard Haley's soft goodbye and then they both ended the call. He checked to make sure he had everything and then walked out of his room._

_After getting to the airport and making it through security, Nathan sat in the terminal with his teammates and coaching staff until they started calling for passengers to board. They'd been told that weather delays were happening throughout the southeast so to expect delays. That wasn't exactly good news, and as Nathan got in his seat, he looked out the window hoping he'd see Haley by the end of the day._

_Sometime before the flight was over, twenty-three thousand feet up in the air, and somewhere over Georgia, Nathan heard the captain tell them they were on schedule for their arrival at the Atlanta airport. The bad news: the cold winter atmosphere was causing delays for almost all outbound flights._

"_Now...why couldn't we just get a direct flight? Man...this cold weather junk is ridiculous." Nathan's teammate, Raymond rolled his eyes and looked to the Tree Hill born Bobcat. "You know they're just gonna put us on a bus if we can't leave Atlanta by tomorrow. The Atlanta airport don't mess around with icy conditions."_

_A bus. Nathan sighed. "We can't take a bus." He looked to his watch and knew that a car ride from Atlanta to Miami would take forever. "I need to get there tonight."_

"_Oh damn, man...it's y'alls anniversary, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah..." Nathan swallowed hard and leaned back in his chair. "And we've never missed one."_

_Ray shook his head, feeling bad for his friend. He wanted to say something that might make Nathan look a little less stressed, but he heard the fasten seat belt sign ding and light up. The team and the plane they were traveling on made its way down to the Hartsfield Jackson Airport._

_When they landed and all got off the plane, Nathan immediately checked the departure and arrival screen to see what the deal was with their next flight. His eyes ran over the various routes until he saw it. His heart fell when he saw the status: Delayed._

_Pulling out his phone, Nathan dialed Haley's number. It went straight to voicemail but he wasn't surprised. She was probably still in the air somewhere over Florida. He waited for the tone and then took a deep breath. "Hey Hales, it's me. We just landed in Atlanta and our flight's delayed. Harry's thinking about renting a bus for the team if we can't get out of here soon." Nathan paused for a second and shook his head. "I don't know if I'll make it to Miami in time. I'm sorry." Swallowing hard, Nathan looked at the arrival/departure screen again. "I love you. Call me when you can... Happy anniversary."_

"_Come on, Nate...lemme buy you a drink." Ray patted Nathan on the shoulder and both of the Bobcats started walking towards the Atrium of the Atlanta airport. Paschal's had a full bar, and it was exactly what Nathan needed._

_On their way to get food and drinks, the guys were approached by a five year old little boy and his father. The father and son duo spotted the two sports stars and the older man was hoping to get an autograph for his boy._

"_Nathan Scott and Raymond Felton, right?" The father looked to the two Bobcats and to his son. "Do you think you could sign something for my son?" _

_Nathan saw a little kid shyly hiding behind the man and he nodded, "Yeah, sure." Nathan checked his pockets but didn't have a pen. "I don't...uh...Ray, you have a pen or something?"_

"_Here." The quiet, young boy looked up to a man who looked about the same the size as a giant compared to his little five year old frame. He held out a pen and his youth Bobcats hat._

"_Thanks." Nathan smiled at the little boy and took the hat to sign. "What's your name?"_

_Lighting up as he talked to one of his favorite basketball players, the boy smiled. "Todd."_

"_Alright, Todd..." Nathan pressed the pen to the orange bill of the cap and started writing. "I guess since you have this hat you're not a Hawks fan, huh?" Nathan grinned with a smile when Todd shook his head. "Good choice." He signed his name and then gave it to Ray still looking at the small kid. "I'm glad you cheer for our team."_

_The boy was over the moon and smiled with an adorable grin. He held out one finger with his right hand and two fingers with his left. "Twelve's my favorite number."_

_In Nathan's eyes, Todd's hands made twenty-one, but it was still cute. "It's a good number."_

"_What about number twenty?" Ray smiled at the little boy and handed him back the hat._

_Todd slipped his hat on his head and shrugged. "I like it okay."_

_Laughing, Ray swatted at Nathan looking at the father and son. "Man...he's always everyone's favorite."_

_Todd's dad laughed and looked from his overjoyed son to the two basketball players. "Thank you so much."_

_Both Bobcats nodded and then turned towards the restaurant. Ray looked to Nathan and nodded. "That makes you feel good, doesn't it?"_

_It did, but there were other things that would make him feel better. Spending his anniversary with his wife being the biggest one._

_The little boy who'd just had the most amazing encounter with two members of his favorite basketball team walked with his dad back to where his mom was. She'd been roaming one of the shops and Todd ran over to the woman when he spotted her with wide eyes. "Mom, look!"_

"_What?" His mom turned around and saw the little boy holding out his hat. "I just met Nathan Scott and Raymond Felton! They signed my hat."_

_Just across the store, but close enough to hear the little boy's excitement, a brown eyed twenty-nine year old grabbed a cell phone charger that would work for iPhones. She'd left hers at home, and since the days of pay-phones were something of the past, the mother of two was eager to find a way to charge her dead phone. Haley's plane from Tree Hill had been grounded due to weather and she wasn't sure how long she'd be in Atlanta. Hopefully not long. She needed to get to Miami before the day ended. But when she heard his name from the little boy's mouth, Haley couldn't help but listen in some more._

_The little boy's mom wasn't putting the pieces together and furrowed her brow. "Who?"_

"_The basketball players! Look!"_

_Haley watched the cute little boy shake his hat with an never ending excitement, and she started to walk towards him. She saw a man walking towards the little boy and woman. Haley knew he must have been the little guy's dad. "I'm sorry...I couldn't help but overhear... Did your son just meet Nathan Scott?"_

_Smiling the man, nodded. "Yeah."_

"_Which way was he going?" _

"_Uh..." The man looked to the store doors and pointed in one direction. "That way, I think."_

"_Thank you."_

_Todd's dad didn't realize who he'd been talking to and watched the woman hurry towards the door. "Take a pen. He didn't have one."_

_Haley's wouldn't be needing a pen and her heart jumped into her throat. But just as she got to the doors of the shop, the detectors started going off. Seemed she'd forgotten about the unpaid-for cell phone charger in her hand._

"_Oh my gosh...I'm not a thief. Sorry." The last thing she wanted to do was get arrested for stealing. Quickly running towards the register, Haley tossed a twenty dollar bill towards the cashier as she held out her purchase. "Keep the change." For not being athletic, Haley sure would have fooled some because she sprinted out of the store like a trained track star. Her eyes scanned the airport crowds, but she knew she'd never find him in the sea of travelers. Haley slowed her pace and started walking slowly as she thought through her game plan._

_Her nose was filled with the aroma of a nearby restaurant's southern style cuisine. She glanced at the patrons inside and then she stopped in her tracks. She saw the backs of two guys at the bar and knew immediately who it was. She found herself turning towards the entrance._

"_How many?" A young hostess smiled at Haley but Mrs. Scott could only shake her head. She couldn't take her eyes off of Nathan and let her feet take her to him._

_Haley could only see the back of the man who looked so much like her husband, but she knew it had to be him. Same color hair; same build; same posture. Haley stopped at the bar just behind the guy and took a step closer. She could smell him and started to smile. "Nathan?"_

_Nathan furrowed his brow at the sound of her voice and turned to look behind him. Blue met brown and both of his brows rose. "Hales?"_

"_Hi."_

_Standing up from his stool, Nathan's mouth was open and he tried to figure out how she was there._

_Smiling just about as wide as she could, Haley started to tell Nathan how she managed to be standing in front of him. "My flight was grounded here. My phone died. I was at the store over there buying a charger since I left mine, but then a little boy walked in. He told his mom Nathan Scott had signed his hat. I ran out the store but I hadn't paid. Those...things beeped at me, so I went back to pay..." She held out the charger and shrugged, "I saw you sitting at the bar and..." Haley bit her lip knowing she'd just rambled as bad as she ever had._

_Nathan started to grin and stepped closer as he wrapped his arms around his wife. "We're delayed, too. I didn't think I'd get to Miami to see you."_

_Looking at her handsome husband, Haley could only smile at their circumstances. She pulled on the flaps of his jacket and buzzed her lips against his as she kissed him. "Happy anniversary."_

"What? No way that actually happened." Charlotte started to grin and narrowed her eyes.

Nathan was brought back to present day with Charlotte's claim.

"It did." Haley walked by her youngest and over to Nathan and nodded towards Charlotte. "We ended up on the same flight down to Miami later that night."

"So you didn't have to take a bus?"

"Nope." Nathan shook his head and laughed at the thought of having to do that. "They coated up a plane with that no-freeze goop and we were good to go."

Somehow Charlotte really wasn't all that surprised to hear that things had turned out in her mom and dad's favor. She reached for the closest pair of keys on the counter and dangled them in the air. "Speaking of good to go...come on, I'll drive." She started for the door and turned around, "It's the least I can do."

Nathan slipped his arm around Haley's back and they both smiled at each other as they followed their daughter outside. Put this one in the record books. They were twenty-five for twenty-five. Their perfect anniversary record was still going strong. It was an always and forever kind of thing.

**OTHOTH**

Charlotte cranked the car and looked at her parents in the rearview mirror. "No funny business back there." She arched her brow with a grin and started to pull down the driveway.

Nathan put on his seatbelt and looked to Charlotte in the mirror with a smirk. "No promises, Char. You mom gets kind of fris..."

"Ew...don't." Charlotte closed her eyes with a wince and a laugh. As cute as her parents were and as much as she loved their story, she didn't particularly want an unsightly image of her parents burned in the back of her mind. The sixteen year old turned the car towards downtown and couldn't help but smile. Her parents really thought they were just going to dinner, didn't they? She looked back at them and could see her mom cutely holding her dad's hand. "So tell me another anniversary story."

Haley nodded but pointed her finger at the steering wheel. "We will...if you keep your eyes on the road."

Charlotte laughed and quickly turned around.

"Which one?" Nathan looked to his wife and knew they had plenty to choose from.

Smiling, Haley knew which one. She looked to the front of the car and smiled. "Remember when you had to make that pinata for school, Charlotte?"

The teenager nodded, and Nathan and Haley both started to remember an anniversary from six years ago.

_The house was buzzing with commotion. Even though it was a school night, dinner was over, and things should have been winding down in Scott household, they weren't. Jamie was watching TV with what seemed like the volume all the way up, Nathan was putting away dishes kind of loudly, Charlotte was practicing a song on the piano, and Haley was about to go insane. All she needed to do was measure some flower and water to make the paper mache paste, but the deafening volume in her house was disrupting._

"_Nathan...will you tell Jamie to turn that down, please?" Their seventeen year old son apparently wanted all of their neighbors to hear the basketball game he was watching._

_Putting away the last dish and wiping his hands on a towel, Nathan nodded. "Yeah." The retired Bobcat walked out of the kitchen and looked to his teenager. "Wanna turn that down, Jame."_

"_Yeah hold on..." The boy's blue eyes were glued to the screen._

"_Jamie..." Nathan hadn't asked him to turn it down at his leisure. Nathan wanted it down now._

_Pressing the remote with his eyes still on the screen, Jamie did as he was told._

"_Thank you." The dark haired father of two walked from where Jamie was over to the piano. He sat down on the bench next to his ten year old. "Watcha playing?"_

"_Just something..." Charlotte wasn't really playing much of anything._

"_Well, I think Mom's about ready to start your project."_

"_Really." Turning to face her dad with those big brown eyes of hers, Charlotte smiled. "You wanna help?"_

"_I can."_

"_Yeah come on..." Charlotte got off the piano bench and pulled her dad over to the cleared off kitchen table._

_Haley threw an old sheet over the furniture and put down the bowl of paste as Nathan and Charlotte sat at the table. The thirty five year old mom put set out the rest of the supplies._

_Reaching for a blue balloon, Nathan's grinned at Haley. "I want this one."_

"_I want this one..." Jamie walked by and picked up a black balloon._

"_Jamie...you don't need one." Charlotte turned to her older brother and furrowed her brow._

"_No, but you have extra." He started to blow up the balloon and sat down next to Charlotte. Jamie held the filled balloon under the table and let the air out. The noise that came from the balloon make the kids laugh. "Dad, if you have to go to the bathroom then go upstairs. Jeez."_

_Charlotte laughed at her brother's joke. She scrunched up her nose and covered her mouth with her hands._

"_Me?" Nathan laughed and shook his head. "That wasn't me. That was your mom."_

_Haley walked over with the strips of newspaper and glue, and she sat down. "Ha. Ha. You guys are sooo funny."_

"_So are we all gonna do this?" Charlotte grabbed a yellow ballon and tried to blow it up._

"_Only if you want to get it done..." Jamie took the balloon from his sister and quickly blew it up without a problem. "See...what would you do without me?" He tied it off and handed it back to Charlotte. "It'll make a perfect light bulb pinata."_

_Smiling at their two kids, Nathan looked to Haley. "So what do we do first?"_

"_First, we have to put on the strips of newspaper..." Haley gave out the paintbrushes and watched her three most favorite people start to brush the strips of newspaper with paste and glue._

_Charlotte's project turned family activity had been a surprisingly fun thing for them all to do for a while. After an hour or so, Jamie headed up stairs to get his own homework done, and Nathan and Charlotte were having a race to see who could get newspaper strips on the fastest._

"_I win!" The ten year old slapped the strip of paper on her balloon and threw her hands up._

_Hanging his head in defeat, Nathan laughed. "Beat by a third grader..."_

_Haley smiled at her husband and saw Charlotte yawn. "I think it's time for someone to get ready for bed."_

"_But Mom...we're not done."_

"_I know, but we can't finish it all tonight. We need to let this dry. I'll hang it outside tomorrow and we can paint it after school."_

"_I bet I'm a faster painter." Nathan wanted to redeem himself and slyly smirked at his youngest._

"_Nah-uh." Charlotte didn't think so. She scooted her chair back and pointed to her father. "We'll find out tomorrow."_

_Nathan and Haley watched Charlotte run up the stairs and Haley handed Nathan the incomplete pinata. "Will you hold this? I'll be back down in a second." Haley wanted to make sure Charlotte got washed up and ready for bed._

_Nodding, Nathan took the project and studied it. They'd done a pretty good job, the four of them. He couldn't really see how it was going to end up like a light-bulb but Haley probably had a plan that would make it the best looking light-bulb ever. He twisted the string around and then suddenly dropped the balloon._

_It was like slow motion. The newspaper covered balloon plummeted to the ground and Nathan picked it up as fast as he could. "Ah...crap." Once he studied the damage, Nathan winced. The bottom left side was crushed in. He frantically sat back down at the table and tried to see how he could fix it. His paper mache skills were lacking, and he knew it wasn't gonna happen._

_When Haley came back downstairs, she sighed. "Sorry that took me so long, she wanted me to read to her." Nathan held out Charlotte's messed up project and Haley stopped in her tracks. "Honey...what happened?"_

"_I dropped it. Help me fix it!"_

_Haley took the pinata and shook her head. "I don't think I can."_

"_We have to start over?" Nathan knew it was already getting late. It was already ten thirty._

"_It probably won't take long."_

"_She's gonna be so mad at me for breaking hers."_

_Haley sat down at the kitchen table next to Nathan and started to blow up another yellow balloon. "We don't have to tell her."_

_Nathan looked to his wife and laughed. "Haley James...you're gonna lie to our daughter?"_

"_It won't hurt." She tied the ballon off and slid the scissors across the table. "Start cutting more newspaper."_

_Doing as he was told, Nathan cut about a millions strips of paper. It wasn't that many, but it was a lot. Once he was done, he put the scissor down and sighed. "How's this?"_

_Smiling at his work, Haley nodded with a smile. "Who knew...Nathan Scott actually working hard on something academic." Her teasing voice was playful as she handed him a paintbrush._

"_I dominated elementary school thank you very much. Posters and dioramas... I was the man." Nathan kinked his brow with a nod. "Don't let my high school career fool you, Hales. I was all about projects and presentations."_

_Laughing, Haley nodded, "Mmm-huh."_

"_All the girls swooned in their seats when it was my turn." He gave Haley a cheeky grin and started painting the newspaper strips._

_Rolling her eyes, Haley shook her head._

"_You know it's true." He laughed with a nod. "They all wrote 'I heart Nathan Scott' in their notebooks."_

_Haley continued to brush the paste on the strips and placed them on the balloon. "I'm sure they did." There was a slight blush on the thirty five year old's cheeks because she'd done the same thing when she was sixteen. She was positive she had a notebook or two that had that written inside._

_Nathan and Haley worked diligently together for the next hour until they were sure they'd gotten as far as they had the first go around._

_Holding up the busted one, Nathan looked to Haley. "Should I throw this away outside so she won't see it?"_

"_Yeah probably." Haley nodded and watched Nathan head out the back door. She started to clean off the table, and Haley put the paste bowl and paint brushes in the sink. Nathan came back inside and threw away the scraps of paper and then folded up the old sheet as Haley rinsed out the brushes. He took the sheet into the laundry room and saw the clock on the wall; three minutes until midnight._

_Nathan walked back to the kitchen and stuck his hand under the faucet to wash off any of the glue or paste residue. Haley squirted some soap in his hands and Nathan lathered up. They both quietly and methodically washed their hands and then Nathan got the hand towel._

"_Can I have that?" Haley shook her hands in the sink and looked to her husband._

_He looked over to the oven and shook his head with a smirk. "Not yet."_

_Scrunching her nose with a laugh, Haley flicked her fingers so some lingering water flew his way "Oh come on."_

"_Now you're definitely not getting it."_

"_Fine." She smiled and stepped closer to him and ran her semi-wet hands over his shirt. Haley smiled up to him and arched her brow. "It works just the same."_

"_You're a mess." Nathan tossed the hand towel on the counter and leaned down to kiss her._

_Haley still had her hands on Nathan's chest and shook her head. "Actually..." She glanced at the water droplets on his shirt. "You're the mess."_

_He laughed and glanced to the clock. The numbers changed and Nathan nodded. "There it goes."_

"_What?" Haley turned to see what the was looking at and saw her husband look back down to her._

"_Happy anniversary, Hales."_

_Catching the time, Haley realized yesterday was gone and that the day they'd gotten married was now upon them. "Nineteen years, huh?" She smiled and raised herself up on her tip toes to kiss him. "I love you, Nathan Scott." Her feet went flat after they parted and she leaned into his frame. "Happy anniversary."_

Charlotte stopped the car along a downtown curb and turned around. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...Dad, you _broke_ my light-bulb pinata?"

"But we fixed it! You couldn't even tell the difference." Nathan started to smile and shrugged.

Haley looked outside to Front Street and furrowed her brow, "Charlotte, why did we stop? We're gonna be late."

"Change of plans for my..._lying_ parents." She put the car in park and turned around. Charlotte wasn't actually mad or skipping out on dinner, they were just going somewhere else. "Follow me." She opened up her door and got out of the car with a smile. It was kind of nice that she could use their story to get them out of the car.

"Honey...it was a long time ago." Haley laughed and opened her door. "We don't have to miss our reservation because of it." Haley didn't think Charlotte would take the news about her pinata so poorly.

"Yeah...Char, I didn't meant to drop it."

Turning around with a smile, Charlotte was standing in front of Clothes over Bro's. The door opened and she smiled at her brother as he came out.

Stunned that their son was in town, Haley looked at her twenty-three year old boy and then to Nathan, and back to Jamie. "Jamie...what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing in the shop?" Nathan was just as confused.

Smirking at his parents, Jamie tilted his head to the door. "Twenty five years is worth more than dinner with this one." He looked to Charlotte and put his arm over her shoulder with a laugh.

Charlotte watched her baffled parents and nodded, "Well go _inside_..."

Haley slipped her hand over Nathan's and they walked passed their children to the door. Nathan opened it and the couple were greeted with cheering from their closest friends and family. Brooke had taken away all the clothes and had the counter full of food and bottles of wine. There were pictures of Nathan and Haley that spanned their marriage posted on the walls and the song they danced to at their second wedding was playing.

"Twenty-five years and it was all thanks to me...!" Brooke walked up to her friends and hugged them both at the same time. "...kinda."

Laughing, Haley hugged her friend and did have to give the raspy voiced woman credit for the serial date that happened so long ago. "Thank you for doing this."

"Oh, don't look at me." Brooke pointed to the two people who walked back inside. "It was their idea. I was happy to lend the space."

"Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad." Jamie grinned at his sister and then walked over to his parents. "And it was mostly Charlotte." He hugged them both.

Seeing the shock and surprise on her parent's face was priceless. It wasn't as big of a to-do as her dad had made with Haley's surprise 40th birthday at Tric, but the sixteen year old was proud of herself. It was a perfect little spot for a relatively small get-together. Brooke had been super nice to lend Charlotte the space. When the idea came to the sixteen year old, Mrs. Baker was quick to say yes.

Charlotte hugged her parents after Jamie moved. "Congrats on twenty-five years."

Liza handed her soon-to-be in-laws drinks and the couple started to greet everyone who'd come to celebrate.

Once initial conversations were over and Haley hugged everyone in the room, the group sat down at the big table set up in the middle of the room. Lucas took the floor after that and stood up to address those celebrating the night. After he spoke, everyone else had a little something to say, too. Peyton, Skills, Mouth, Millie, Julian, and the others all raised a glass and toasted toward the couple sharing laughs and congratulations.

Once dinner died down and people started to drift out of Clothes Over Bro's, Nathan found himself looking for Haley. The shop wasn't a big place to get lost in, and he had an idea about where she'd wandered off to. He walked to the stairs and headed for the roof.

Haley heard his dress shoes against the rooftop and she turned around to face him. "Hi."

"I thought you might be up here." Nathan walked to Haley with his hands in his pockets.

She nodded and turned to look at their small town skyline. "Remember when we came up here after prom?"

"When I picked you up since you couldn't dance?" He nodded and walked over to the brick wall. Nathan traced his fingers over the hard surface until he found the one he was looking for.

Haley heard him slide the stone out from its spot and she smiled. "...and you remembered which one it was."

He glanced to her as she closer and nodded. "I remember more than you think." Nathan flashed Haley a sweet smirk and pulled out the rusted box. "What do you want to put in here?" He popped off the top and pulled out a wrinkly piece of paper. "Fifty more years?"

"I love you."

He smiled and unfolded the paper wondering if the pen would work. "That's kinda simple."

"I didn't mean for the prediction." Haley smiled and stood closer to Nathan. "I mean I'm saying that now...to you. I love you." She looked to him and put one of her hands on his side. "I don't know where I'd be without you. You've made me...everything I am." She nodded and sighed with a smile. "I'm a _wife_, a _mom_..."

"You're more than that." Nathan knew she could add a million other things to that lacking list.

Haley shrugged, "Maybe so, but you know what I think about at the end of everyday?"

"That I steal the covers too much?"

She laughed and shook her head. "How lucky I am. Who do you know that can say they've loved like this? Who's gone through a kidnapping, and debilitating injuries, tours, and car accidents..." Haley couldn't help but laugh at that one since it was so common in Tree Hill. "...the NBA, and come out stronger because of it?"

"Me." Nathan started to smile. He knew she'd meant for him to a part of what she was saying but he couldn't help it. "I have."

Haley could fall for his charm any day. She put her arms around his neck and arched her brow. "You were part of that original equation I was thinking about, you know."

"Oh, was I?" He was just playing with her and furrowed his brow.

"Mmm-huh..." She kissed him and loved the way he was holding her against his body. They were quiet for a second and then Haley looked up to him. "I was a goner the first time I tutored you."

"And look at us now..." He kissed the side of Haley's mouth and looked into those deep brown eyes of hers. "I was the one without a chance. Are you kidding? You and that sassy attitude, talking about how math didn't care..." He started to smile thinking about it. "I didn't have a chance."

"No...you didn't." Haley laughed and pulled him closer.

Grinning, Nathan pressed his forehead against hers. "Look who's getting smart now."

"I've always been smart..." Haley couldn't help but throw a comeback his way before kissing him again.

"I didn't mean smart like that."

"I know." Haley rested her temple against Nathan's cheek.

The outside air started to get cool and Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley. "I love you." He kissed her hairline and breathed deeply.

"I love you too, Nathan Scott."

It was that simple. It was love. It was what kept them together and what would continue to keep them together. Through the good times and the bad times, Nathan and Haley had never faulted on loving each other. Not once. Not ever.

**OTHOTH**

**Well that one had spanned a pretty good amount of time between present day and the flashbacks. I hope you all found at least one age you enjoyed. It kind of ended up being more about the flashbacks than the ending surprise party but oh well. Next chapter will be the last one you can suggest or request a plot scenario so send me your ideas. Let's make chapter 99 awesome. I can't believe we're almost at the end, y'all. If you haven't already, try out the spin-offs. Those will continue after this is done if you still want a Little Moment fix.**

**My reviewers: Thank you. I don't know how else to say it. You guys know how instrumental you've been with the continuation of this story. It's all thanks to you!**

**KC: Ah, I know. I can't belive I'm almost at 100 either. The end is so close, and it's sad to think it's almost finished. I'm glad you liked the high school time frame. I'm always iffy about those chapters for whatever reason, so knowing you liked it was a plus.**

**Emma: I'm thrilled you liked last chapter. About your idea: there have been a ton of one shots already written about the night they got married and I always try not to step on peoples' toes, so I don't think that will be the last chapter...and since I just did a high school one I think I'll change up the ages a bit.**

**HaleyBob: Honesty is totally fine. I've appreciated your input. Clearly we are on different pages with how we think Nathan and Haley stories should go (because as the label indicates, this is a Nathan and Haley story) and that's is fine. Everyone has their own ideas/opinions. I'm not sure why you think I don't care about the other characters but...again, must be a difference of opinion and I think we can leave it at that.**

**Joan: 3.08 is on my my favorite's too. Nearly all of season three, really. Nathan's hair was kind a big missing piece I noticed when I re-watched the episode so I hit on that just to fill in the blanks. I'm glad you liked all of the character integration and Bevin and Skills. They were fun to write. Chris Keller...I love Tyler so imagining him in the chapter was fun as well. I hope you enjoyed the anniversary chapter!**

**Laura: Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you think I captured the teens' feelings well as well as old school OTH. Gosh...I'm going to miss LM too. It's so weird that it's ending so soon. **

**Review Please!**


	99. Winner Take All

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 99: Winner Take All**

**Disclaimer: OTH is not my show, the characters are not mine, and Tree Hill is not my own little made up town either. _Little Moments_ is simply a conglomeration of the missing moments of Nathan and Haley's lives I've come up with. That's all.**

**A/N: It's a sprint towards the finish and the end is in sight. I can't believe it. Really, I just...I can't. Thank you for making this experience rewarding and exciting. This second to last chapter is pretty light-hearted and fun. It has most of the _core_, some friendly competition, a get-together, basketball, and those cute Naley moments we all know and love. Hope you like it! Enjoy!**

**OTHOTH**

The house was quiet at this time of day. The kids were at school and Nathan was out of the house. They'd all be home soon, but it was only Haley in the Scott household for now. She was in the kitchen by herself, humming the soft rhythm of a sweet song as she prepared the chili for tomorrow's dinner.

Call it a chili cook-off if you wanted. Haley, Brooke, and Peyton were all preparing the same thing for the big game tomorrow night. Seeing as March had been un-seasonably cold so far, variations of chili seemed like the perfect food to make for the occasion. Haley could probably manage making enough for everyone, but Brooke and Peyton wanted to bring something too.

Walking over to the refrigerator, Haley smiled when she saw the four pieces of paper that hung from the magnets. That was the _real_ competition. Chili aside, March Madness was in full swing and that basketball game everyone was coming over to watch was the first game of the Final Four; Georgetown verse North Carolina, and those four pieces of paper Haley was studying were the brackets they'd filled out. Each of them had their own. Nathan, Haley, Jamie, and even five year old Charlotte. The littlest one's wasn't exactly legitimate seeing as she'd colored smiley faces and flowers on hers, but the three older Scott's were. They were pretty serious about their picks, and the whole ordeal had gotten the family pretty rilled up. This was a group who liked to compete.

Nathan had a bit of an upper-hand with the strategy of it all. He knew basketball the best, but Jamie had been doing his homework. The twelve year old put some serious thought into who he picked to make it to the end. Thanks to ESPN and his general knowledge of the game, the twelve year old had done pretty well so far. He wasn't going to get bragging rights since Marquette had been knocked out by UNC the other day, but he'd done a good job. Haley had actually done an even better job. Of the three of them, she was the least versed in the NCAA seeds; however, treating it like a word problem, Mrs. Scott had used her deductive reasoning skills to place her teams. Turned out her smarts had gotten her a long way, too. She had North Carolina playing Georgetown with the Hoyas overtaking the Tar Heels. Nathan on the other hand, he picked UNC.

Haley couldn't help but laugh as she opened up the fridge. Tomorrow night's game would be rather interesting. Sure, technically it was UNC vs. Georgetown, but really it was Nathan vs. Haley.

Winner take all.

Pulling out a green pepper, Haley heard the phone ring and she walked over to answer it and started to chop up the vegetable. "Hellooo?" She let her greeting linger and anticipated some sort of cooking question.

"Okay...the beans. Do I put _both_ cans of beans in?" Peyton looked at her pot of steaming brown stuff and eyed it wearily. Why did she ever think cooking for other people was a good idea- especially something she'd never done before?

Smiling, Haley nodded. "Yes, both."

The other Mrs. Scott crinkled her brow across her forehead, "Are you sure, because that looks like a lot."

"I'm sure." Haley sliced the top of the pepper off and gutted the membranes. She held the phone between her face and her shoulder, "Brooke said she wasn't doing beans so I think you and I will be the only ones who have them, so two will be fine."

Taking a deep breath, Peyton dumped the two cans of beans in her chili pot and started to stir. "Well how's yours coming? I bet it looks better than mine." She watched the soupy mixture of things bubble up and Peyton winced. "I don't think Luke is even going to want to test it out."

Haley laughed, "Oh, I bet he will." She emptied the cut up pepper into her pot and wafted the smell up to her nose. "It's really hard to mess up chili."

"Says the best cook I know. You _do_ remember that I'm..._less_ than talented when it comes to things like this." Peyton took a bite of what she'd concocted so far. It wasn't terrible, but she needed to add some more things.

"Well as long as you go by the recipe I'm sure it will turn out fine."

Hoping that was the case as well, Peyton nodded, "And a teaspoon is the bigger one, right?" She started to smile and kinked her brow upwards.

Haley's eyes got big and she laughed shaking her head. "No."

Hearing the worry in Haley's voice, Peyton couldn't help but laugh with a hint of her snarky sarcasm. "Joke. That was a joke." She may have been culinary challenged for the most part but she did know that a tablespoon was bigger than a teaspoon. "I'm not _that_ bad." The music lover heard little feet running down the hall and then little hands wrapped around her leg. "Duty calls..."

"Keith?" Haley knew it had to be her nephew and walked back towards the fridge. "I'll let you go."

"I'll call you back if I get into some sort of kitchen trouble..." Peyton ran her hand through Keith's blonde hair and remembered the other question she was supposed to ask. "And we're supposed to come over around six, right?"

"Right," Haley nodded.

"Alright, sounds good."

Haley said goodbye to her sister-in-law but just when she put the phone down it started to ring again. She smiled at the number as she raised it to her ear again. "It gets pretty boring in carpool line, doesn't it?" She reached for an onion and then kicked the fridge shut.

Smirking, her dark haired husband laughed. "Yeah." Nathan glanced out the window to the elementary school and was pretty sure he'd been waiting for the bell to ring for forever. Normally Haley picked up the kids from school, but since he was in town and home for a few days, he'd wanted to do it. Now he was re-thinking his decision. "I've been playing games on my phone, but my eyes hurt from looking at the screen so much."

Softly laughing, Haley proceeded to chop up the onion. "Maybe you need reading glasses?" She had a smirk on her face as she'd said that. She knew he'd be less than thrilled with that idea.

Nathan furrowed his brow. He was only thirty. Reading glasses were way off his radar. "I hope not. I was banking on holding off on those until I need some Depends too."

She couldn't help but smile at his humor. "But you might look cute in them."

"In _Depends_?"

Still laughing, Haley shook her head, "_No_...with glasses."

"Oh..." He started to smirk and shook his head. "Maybe one day..." He looked out the window and saw the kids who did safety patrol and were crossing guards walk out in their orange vests. "...when we're old and gray."

"When I'm pushing you in that wheelchair when we're eighty?"

Smiling because that's how he imagined how it would be, Nathan nodded with smirk "And you better go fast."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, Hales. Nursing home racing will be intense. We don't want Lucas and Peyton to beat us. And definitely not Brooke and Julian. It'll be a mad dash to bingo nights."

The image of the six of them old and gray made Haley laugh. She could see it now. They'd be in their eighties, old, and wrinkly. Brooke with a raspy voice, streaks of gray, but still in the best designer duds an old lady could find. Julian's hairline would be further back, enlarging that forehead of his, but he'd still probably want to video tape everything. Lucas would read books with extra large print and he'd still have that famous squint. Peyton's hearing would be going so she'd have to play her music even louder. Haley would still hum to herself and have that loud laugh. Her brown eyes would never change and neither would the blue ones she'd wake up to every morning. Nathan would have defined crows feet, and gray hair, a replaced knee or two, but that smirk would never fade.

The bell for Tree Hill Elementary rang and Nathan saw the kids running out of the building. He caught sight of the cutest kindergartener around. "I see Charlotte..."

"I'll see you in a little while."

"Love you..." Nathan heard Haley say it back, and then they both said goodbye. The father of two saw a teacher escorting his youngest to the car and he smiled when the back door opened.

Climbing up into her booster seat, Charlotte smiled, "Can we go get ice-cream?"

"Ice-cream? It's too cold for ice-cream." Nathan laughed at his little girl and nodded at the teacher as she shut the door.

"No it's not." The five year old fumbled with her seat belt and then heard it click in place. "Jamie says the best time to eat it is when it's cold."

"I think he meant to eat it when the_ ice-cream_ is cold, you goof. Not the weather." Nathan looked at Charlotte through the rear-view mirror and smirked.

"Oh..." The youngest Scott furrowed her brow. "Well...can we have it anyways?" She flashed her father those big doe eyes of hers.

Nathan pulled away from the curb and winced, "I don't know, Char." He looked at the clock and knew it wouldn't be long until dinner time rolled around. "You don't want to spoil your dinner." The Bobcat turned the car towards the Junior High.

"I won't." Charlotte wasn't letting up. She clasped her hands together, "Please...?"

They stopped at a red-light and Nathan took a deep breath. He turned to face Charlotte and arched his brow. "Promise not to tell your mom?"

Holding out her little finger, the five year old grinned. "Pinky promise."

Laughing, Nathan locked pinkies with Charlotte and nodded. "And we have to make sure Jamie doesn't tell her either."

"Deal." Charlotte eagerly grinned and smiled as her dad turned back around to drive to the other school.

Nathan wasn't all that surprised that Charlotte had harangued him into getting ice-cream. She was wrapped so tightly around his finger that one look from those big brown eyes and that was it. That and the fact that he wasn't home half of the year due to basketball, and Nathan did just about anything for his kids. So downtown it was. Once they picked up Jamie, the three Scotts headed to the best ice-cream place in Tree Hill.

While stuffing their faces with the cold stuff, Nathan listened Jamie talk about his day. Charlotte interrupted on a few occasions to explain the cool things she'd been doing at school, and Nathan was actually enjoying his time listening to them talk about their academics. School had never been his favorite subject, but getting to talk with Jamie and Charlotte could make a C-plus student enjoy it any day.

When they were done, Nathan tossed their trash away and then walked with his kids to the car. "And remember. We weren't getting ice-cream. We stopped by..."

"Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton's!" Charlotte skipped her way to the car and turned around with a smile.

Jamie opened up the passenger side door, "The store."

Furrowing his brow, Nathan laughed at his kids' differing responses. "We need to work on that." He cranked up the engine and was sure that their scheme would never phase Haley, especially if their kids weren't on the same page about where they'd really been.

The short drive home didn't take long. Charlotte burst through the front door and hurried into the house as her oversized backpack hit the back of her knees.

"Mom! Guess what?" The five year old climbed up on a stool at the bar and rested her arms on the counter.

"What?" Haley turned around and smiled at her youngest.

"At school today we learned about clowns."

Instantly Haley's face fell. "What?"

"Yeah. We made a..." The youngster was trying to think of the word, "...puppet, and Ms. Gillham made hers a clown. She told us _all_ about clowns."

Nathan walked in and laughed. "I told her not to tell you, Hales." He made his way to Haley's side and kissed the side of her head. "They're teaching our kids _crazy_ things." Smiling, Nathan knew his wife's feelings towards those red-nosed, big footed people were less than appealing.

"But I didn't make a clown. I made a singer." The little girl with big eyes nodded, "She had a guitar and everything."

Haley saw her son walk in and she laughed, "You didn't learn about clowns, did you, Jame?"

He put his backpack down on the table and shook his head. "Nope. Just integers and Greek mythology." Jamie smirked at his mom and looked at the pot on the stove. "Is that dinner?"

She shook her head. "Off limits. That's for tomorrow night."

Nathan slipped his arm around Haley and laughed, "You mean when UNC _pummels_ Georgetown?"

"Yeah, Mom. You know Georgetown doesn't stand a chance." Jamie walked over to the brackets on the fridge and looked them over. "A six seed isn't going to beat a number one seed."

"Maybe not, but...we'll see."

Hopping down from her stool, Charlotte walked over to her mom. "Can I help cook?"

"I'm almost done with the chili...but sure." Haley nodded to the girl and stepped over to the stove with her.

While the two brown-eyed Scotts started to cook, Nathan looked to Jamie and tilted his head towards the Wii. "Up for a game?"

The blue-eyed boy nodded and smirked with the smile his father had given him. "Only if you're ready to lose."

"Ha..." Nathan ran his hand over Jamie's hair as they walked to the couch. "I don't know about that."

With Nathan and Jamie dueling over video games and Haley and Charlotte busy in the kitchen, the afternoon quickly turned to night. Dinner came and went, bath time, and homework, too. Bedtime came last, and when Haley slid into bed next to her husband he started to laugh.

"What?"

He shook his head but kept laughing.

Haley turned to look at him and furrowed her brow. "What did I do?"

"It's just..." He sat up a little in bed and then leaned over with a smirk. "...you smell...like chili."

Scrunching her brow, Haley frowned. "Do I?" She raised her hands to her face and wondered if there was an onion smell still lingering on her skin. "I washed my hands...a bunch."

He didn't doubt it, but she'd been in the kitchen all day. He shrugged and leaned close to her collar bone. Nathan breathed deeply and kissed her shoulder with a grin. "...onion, green pepper...maybe a little Cayenne..."

Shying away from him, Haley gasped. "Ugh..." She didn't want to stink up their sheets if he could literally tell what ingredients she'd been dealing with all day. Haley started to push the covers off her body and hung her shoulders as she stood up, "Now...now I have to take a shower."

The pro-basketball player leaned up on his arm, "It's not _that_ bad..." Nathan wasn't planning on Haley leaving bed. Only being at home for three days, Nathan wanted as much time with his wife as possible. Obviously telling her she smelled like onion and green pepper didn't do the trick. He heard the shower turn on and he leaned back in his pillows. Closing his eyes, Nathan sighed and stared at the ceiling for a little while.

A little while turned in to a long time, and eventually Nathan was starting to get restless. He wasn't tired, but just lying around was boring. He didn't have a book he was interested in. He didn't care about turning on the TV. Starting to get up, Nathan figured he might tool around downstairs. There wasn't anything in particular he needed to do, or even wanted to do, but it beat just lying around.

No more than two minutes after Nathan got up, Haley got out of the shower. She was towel drying her hair and let her damp locks fall across her shoulders. She slipped her clothes back on, lathered her skin with a fresh coat of lotion and knew she'd smothered any unfavorable scent that had once graced her presence.

When Haley walked to bed, she was surprised Nathan was missing. She walked to the door and headed down the stairs. This time she was the one to smell something. The microwave door was open and Haley laughed at Nathan's inability to shut the appliance. Making her way to the couch, she saw him watching TV with a little bowl in his lap.

Sitting down, Haley leaned into her husband with a sarcastic smile. "Late night snack?"

He knew he wasn't supposed to eat the chili until tomorrow but it was just sitting there...in a pot...in the fridge...calling his name. "I _had_ to taste it before you served it to anyone." He flashed her that smirk in his defense.

Haley arched her brow, "And how'd I do?" She reached for the little bowl he had and took a bite.

Nathan watched her judge her own cooking and he ran his hand over her thigh. "Like you always do."

Feeling a warm blush run across her cheeks, Haley put the chili down. He was right. It was good. She leaned into Nathan and pulled her legs up under her.

Nathan put his cheek against her damp hair and could smell her shampoo. He smiled and traced his fingers along her arm. "I took the kids to get ice-cream after school."

"I know."

He narrowed his eyes and looked to her. "You knew?"

Biting her lip, Haley nodded. "Charlotte had some chocolate on her chin. I saw it when we were cooking earlier." Haley had been able to put the pieces together.

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "You don't miss much, do you?"

Haley leaned closer to him and kissed him. "I don't miss anything." She laid her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath.

It was the quiet, still times like this that Haley loved- that Nathan loved. When he was playing in Charlotte or on the road, they'd miss moments like this. There was something intimate about sitting quietly with the person you love. Even though they could say a thousand things to each other, the comfortable silence between the two was just fine. And it was good they'd have that now, because tomorrow night would be anything but quiet.

**OTHOTH**

Game time was near because the aroma of finger food and simmering chili wafted through the house. Everyone would be over to Nathan and Haley's soon.

Lucas and Peyton first, most likely. Their kids would be busting a gut to get over there and hang with their cousins. Even as bossy as Sawyer was, the seven year old and Charlotte played well together. Keith thought the world of Jamie and would probably follow the seventh grader around all night. Nathan and Lucas would talk basketball, and it would be a nice time for the two Scott men to catch up. Since Nathan was playing away from home, he didn't get to spend nights like this with his Tree Hill family often.

Brooke and Julian might stagger in a little late. But dealing with the hassle of a one and a half year old was time consuming and made it almost impossible for them to arrive anywhere on time. It was a wonder Brooke even had the time to make her own pot of chili. Whether it would be good or not would be another question.

Nathan was trying to get the surround sound to come on but the remote didn't seem to be working.

"Hales...?" He shook the controller in his hand and furrowed his brow. "Why can't I get this to work?"

Shrugging as she put down a plate of carrots, celery sticks, and dip, Haley shook her head. "I...don't know." She swiped a carrot and crunched down on the orange thing. "Did you check the batteries?"

No he didn't. Nathan shook his head and took the back off of the remote. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the empty spaces. He walked over to the bottom of the stairs, "Jamie? Did you take the batteries out of this?"

The twelve year old walked to the top of the steps and shook his head. "Nope." He skipped down the stairs and Nathan looked at the remote puzzled.

"Here..." Haley opened up the junk drawer and riffled through the contents. She held out two double A batteries.

Relieved that they had some batteries, Nathan walked over to Haley and got them from her. "Thanks." He started to fiddle with the things and laughed at himself for having such a hard time getting them in their right spots.

Haley saw Nathan struggling and held out her hand. "I'll get it."

He handed her the remote and laughed when she slipped the batteries in so easily. "Of course you got it just like that."

Smiling, Haley raised her shoulders with a cute grin. "Just one of my many talents."

Nathan stepped close to her and smiled. "And what exactly are _all_ those other talents?"

Haley felt his hands wrap around her waist and she acted like she had to think really hard. "...I'm a decent cook..." She eyed the chili and sighed, "...um, I've been told I can sing."

"You're not bad." Nathan's shook his head with a grin that turned into a full fledged Scott smirk.

"I have the uncanny ability of making C students fall in love with me."

"C-plus..." Nathan laughed and shook his head. "And why do you always say that?"

"To make you mad." Haley bit her lip with a laugh. Nathan was kinda sexy when something got under his skin.

His blue eyes locked with hers, and Nathan shook his head. She was terrible. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I'm good at stuff too."

Haley knew he was. She kinked her brow and then moved away. Glancing at the brackets, Haley turned back to Nathan. "But you picked the wrong team."

Nathan shook his head and popped a chip in his mouth. "I'm pretty sure you're mistaken with that one."

Patting his chest as she walked to the fridge, Haley smiled. "We'll see."

The front door opened and Lucas walked in with his three following.

"Where do I put this?" Peyton clutched her pot of chili and watched Keith hurry over to the the couch and sit next to Jamie. Sawyer bumped her mom as she headed up to Charlotte's room, and Peyton shot her oldest a glaring eye. "Sawyer Scott, if I'd dropped this you would have eaten it off the floor!" She sighed and looked to Haley with a laugh. "I've slaved too hard over it."

Lucas put down the other things they'd brought, "She has."

"How'd it turn out?" Haley took the chili from her sister-in-law and put it on the stove.

"It's actually good. I surprised myself." Peyton popped something in her mouth and dusted off her hands. Haley smiled and then saw Lucas making a sour face. The blonde turned to her husband and frowned. "Right?" Lucas' funny face had changed and he nodded.

"Right."

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie ran over to his dad's brother, "Who are you rooting for tonight? UNC or Georgetown?"

"Gotta go with the Heels. North Carolina pride." Lucas held out his fist and Haley booed.

"What? You're not pulling for the underdog, Luke? Come on. Someone's gotta be on my side."

"I think Brooke said she was gonna root for Georgetown." Peyton started to make herself a drink.

"Speaking of..." Nathan looked through the window and saw a car pull into the driveway.

Peyton and Haley were out of the kitchen before Lucas and Nathan blinked. Little Davis Baker apparently had some big fans wanting to see him.

Lucas crossed his arms and looked to his brother with a smile. "So what are you and Haley wagering on the game?"

Jamie answered his uncle with a grin. "Dad has to wear this tee-shirt Mom has, and if Dad wins, Mom has to go to the circus this year." The boy smiled and then pointed to the counter, "_And_, the loser has to do All. The. Dishes." Jamie, Nathan, and Lucas glanced at the dishes that were being used and were going to be used. It was going to be the Mount Everest of porcelain, glass, and silverware.

"What's the shirt?" Lucas looked to Nathan curious.

Huffing, the Bobcat rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. You won't have to see it." Nathan wasn't about to tell Lucas what he'd have to wear, because UNC was going to win.

The two older guys heard footsteps and smiled at Julian when he walked in.

"Hey man...let me get that." Nathan could tell Julian was drowning in the things he'd brought in from the car. The diaper bag was stuffed with everything imaginable. He had Brooke's purse and pot of chili too.

Nathan took the food from Brooke's husband and saw the women come inside. The raspy voiced brunette was holding her son and smiled, "Hi."

Nathan grinned at the little boy and laughed. "He's so much bigger than he was last time I saw him."

Brooke kissed the top of her son's head with a nod. "Yep, three weeks and he looks like a whole new person." She passed her son to the basketball player and wanted to reacquaint Davis with Nathan.

"Remember me, Davis?"

The one and a half year old looked up to Nathan with big eyes. He either didn't remember Nathan or was overwhelm by the giant holding him.

Haley couldn't help but smile at Davis' look. She took the little boy from her husband and pressed her cheek to Davis' head. "He's not so scary, Davis. You'll warm up to him." She shot Nathan a cute smile and then looked at the little one in her arms.

"The game's about to start!" Jamie yelled from the couch and waved everyone over.

The three couples and most of the kids congregated in front of the television and started to watch the game. UNC won the tipoff and Nathan couldn't help but eye Haley every time they scored, but Georgetown was putting up a good fight. Every three pointer, every turnover, every foul, and every lay-up, and Nathan and Haley were trading glances that were full of confidence. At halftime it was a seven point game with UNC hanging on by a slim lead.

"Chili time!" Brooke quickly stood up and marched over to the kitchen. "Here's the real test." She was trying to sell her chili enthusiasm with a bit of an excited tone. Brooke lifted the top off her pot and smelled her chili, "Mmm...I worked...how many hours, Julian? Six?"

"Four." Brooke cut her eyes to her husband and he corrected himself, "Oh, yeah...six."

"Brooke, give it a rest." Peyton laughed and patted her friend on the shoulder. "We all know you bought _canned_ chili and dumped it in your pot."

Brooke's face fell and she held out her hands. How she'd already been found out was beyond her. She huffed with a laugh, "Well what do you expect? I'm a _first-time_ mom." She looked to her store compiled creation and stirred it. "But it's good."

Haley laughed with her friends and looked to her husband. "Will you go get Charlotte and Sawyer?"

He nodded and started for the stairs. As he approached Charlotte's bedroom, he could hear the girls playing. Sawyer was doing some sort of victory move since she'd just found a match in Memory, and Nathan knocked on the doorframe. "Dinner's ready."

Sawyer shot up and looked to Charlotte. "We'll pause. It'll be my turn when we start back up."

Charlotte neatly put her matches to the side of the board and grabbed her red canned drink.

Nathan watched Sawyer bolt down the stairs and he looked to his five year old. "Where'd you get that?" He pointed at the Coke in her hands and shook his head. "You know you're not supposed to have those." That much caffeine and sugar for a kindergartener spelled trouble.

"Sawyer got it for me." Charlotte looked at her drink and up to her dad. She knew she wasn't supposed to have a Coca-Cola.

Nathan held out his hand for the drink and followed Charlotte downstairs with a laugh. The things impressed upon his daughter by Sawyer were simply laughable. There's no telling what kind of trouble Sawyer would get Charlotte in ten years down the road.

Everyone found themselves back downstairs, and halftime provided the the perfect amount of time for the friends to eat and enjoy one another's company. Haley's chili, hands down, had been the best. That wasn't up for debate. Brooke's didn't count since it wasn't authentic and Peyton's...she got an A for effort.

"So what shirt is this you're gonna have to wear if UNC looses?" Brooke looked to Nathan and wondered what was bad about a simple shirt. "Is it girly or something?"

"It's purple...and a women's extra large." Nathan arched his brows but that wasn't the bad part.

Haley laughed, "It's all they had. I couldn't find a guy's shirt."

"So Haley's making you wear a _shirt_ if she wins and you're gonna make her sit through two hours of _clowns_?" Peyton looked to Nathan and shook her head with a laugh. "That's kind of mean."

"Remember when you punched me a few years ago, Haley?" Lucas turned to his best friend with a grin.

"Well that's what you get for dressing up like a _clown_ for Halloween!"

"It's on! It's back on!" This time young Keith was the one to let everyone know the game was back on. After Jamie's cueing, the little guy gave the older one a high five, but the littlest Scott missed Jamie's hand.

"Seven point lead, Hales. Got some ground to make up." Nathan situated himself on the couch and nudged his son about the dominant UNC team.

"Well I don't care about the game...I wanna know about the shirt!" Brooke looked to Haley for answers.

"It's on the bed upstairs..." Haley didn't get in another word before Brooke was off. The fashion lover came back downstairs with the purple t-shirt in hand and a huge smile on her face.

"What's it say?" Peyton wasn't all that interested in the game compared to Nathan and Lucas, and she looked at the shirt Brooke was holding out.

"Well on the front..." Brooke displayed the hilarious shirt with a laugh, "_Laid_ the World Tour" She turned the shirt around with an even bigger laugh. "I heart Chris Keller." Under the sentence there was a giant picture of the touring singer himself. That big mouth, dumb hair, and the Tree Hill born crooner still looked as dumb as ever. "Nathan...I had no idea you were such a fan."

Rolling his eyes, the Bobcat shook his head. "Chris Keller sucks."

"Haley, where did you find that? That's great!" Peyton laughed out loud and stood up to look at the shirt closer.

"I couldn't think of anything worse for him to do, and when I looked on his website for shirts and saw that one on sale, I had to get it."

Georgetown knocked down a three and Nathan huffed. "I can't believe you spent money on that thing."

"That a way Hoyas!"

Nathan turned to his brother and furrowed his brow, "Luke? I thought you were cheering for UNC."

With a smirk and a squint, Lucas shook his head. "Not anymore."

"Ugh...whatever." Nathan turned back to watch the game and saw UNC turnover the ball. "Come on!"

There were still ten minutes left but it was like Georgetown knew about Nathan and Haley's wager. Ten minutes fell to seven, then six, four, three, two and a half; and before they all knew it, there were seventeen seconds left. Georgetown was up by two but UNC was inbounding the ball.

"Come on, post up, post up..." Nathan was trying to tell the players through the television what to do. "Kick it out the wing and boom, three pointer." His plan sounded good in theory but reality wasn't just a hypothesis.

The ref handed the UNC player the ball and he passed it in inbounds to a teammate. Players broke towards the post, the ball went flying to the paint, somehow it got tossed up to one of the shooting guards, and the Tar Hell arched that ball like it was the last shot he'd ever take.

"It's up..." Jamie stood up and watched the ball sail through the air.

Nathan swallowed hard and watched the ball bounce off the rim.

"Georgetown wins! Georgetown has done it. They've just beaten a number one seed and are moving to the championship game!" The television announcer yelled through his microphone and all of the Hoyas fans stormed the court.

"That sucks..." Lucas patted Nathan on the shoulder because he wasn't just talking about the game. It sucked for Nathan that he'd have to wear that Chris Keller band tee.

"Let's see it on! Ow, ow!" Peyton whistled at Nathan and tossed the purple shirt on his lap.

Julian had fallen asleep sitting up with Davis but they both woke up with all the ruckus.

"Right now?" Nathan held out the material and looked to Haley.

"Deal's a deal." She smirked his way and watched him get up to change.

Nathan couldn't believe he was about to put on not only a women's shirt, but one with a giant picture of Chris Keller on the back. He slipped it over his shoulders and pulled on it to stretch it out. A good four or five inches of his stomach was showing and he felt as though his upper body would bust out of the material at any second. Nathan took a deep breath before walking out to his family and friends. They were all eagerly anticipating his return and he held out his hands when he walked towards them. "Get it out now. Go on..."

Jokingly holding out three one dollar bills, Peyton laughed. The shirt was so tight she couldn't not kid around that he looked a little like a stripper in some weird sort of way.

"Laugh it up. Go ahead." Nathan shook his head and heard the remarks come his way.

"It really suits you, Nathan..." Brooke made the 'okay' sign with her hands. "Purple is definitely your color."

Haley had her hand over her mouth and that's all she could do. There were no words, no laughter; she was seriously at a loss.

Charlotte looked at her father and scrunched up her nose. "Daddy that shirt is _really_ small."

"You look kinda dumb." The seven year old blonde lifted her brow at her uncle.

"Well thanks, Sawyer."

Lucas scratched his head with a squint. "How long do you have to wear that?"

He didn't even know. God, he hoped just for the rest of the night. He couldn't go out in public in it. He looked at Haley and she simply flashed him a smile.

"I guess as long as I say so." She wasn't going to actually make him wear it long, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease.

Twenty minutes later, with the game over and the others gone to take their tired children home, Nathan found himself starting on the dishes. The mountain of porcelain, pots, bowls, and silverware galore was going to keep Nathan busy for a while. He knew it might take him a full hour to get it done.

Haley had gone upstairs to get Charlotte ready for bed. Jamie was still riding an adrenalin rush from watching the game and was staying up a little latter than usual on this Friday night. He'd taken one of his dad's taped games upstairs and was watching it in his room. So there Nathan was, all alone downstairs with the dishes and that dumb Chris Keller shirt.

Another ten or fifteen minutes flew by and Haley quietly made it down the stairs. Nathan was diligently working on the dishes and she could tell he was a little bit angry. Not at her, but Chris's image seemed to seep through the shirt and into his into his skin causing Nathan's blood to boil. The purple material was taught around his shoulders, and Haley couldn't help but smile. Even though it was small, it showed off his muscles well. She inched closer and could tell he was mumbling to himself. Haley bit her lip, and silently walked behind him and ran her hands on the exposed skin from his hips around to his belly button. Her fingers met the soft hair above his waistband, and she pushed her forehead into Nathan's back only to see Chris's face.

"It'll be a little while until I'm finished." Nathan's swift motions didn't stop when his wife had come up behind him.

Was he mad at her? Now Haley couldn't tell. "Oh, okay...I'll leave you to it then." She stepped back from him and winced. Maybe he _was_ mad? Haley headed upstairs and started to change for bed. She settled in with a book and read until he came upstairs.

After turning out the lights, Nathan made his way to the bedroom and quietly walked by the bed to grab a pair of sweatpants. He hadn't said anything to Haley when he'd come in, and she got out of bed to walk over to him.

She approached Nathan with a furrowed brow. "Are you mad at me?" Haley waited for him to respond and hung her shoulders, "Honey, it's just a dumb shirt."

Pulling the shirt down since it had scrunched up, Nathan shook his head. "It's not that. UNC was _so_ close. They almost had it."

Haley could see that he wasn't mad about the shirt. Maybe he was, but that wasn't what was bothering him. She walked closer and looked into those blue eyes of his. "So this is about the game and not the shirt?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't like losing." He looked down at his purple shirt and sighed. "And I mean...I don't like this either but a bet's a bet." Nathan pulled on the collar of the Chris Keller paraphernalia. He felt like it was constricting his throat. "And it's tight as hell." He swung his arms around and grimaced. "I bet if I do enough of this, it'll..."

Haley heard the fabric tear and she laughed. "Rip?"

He nodded and looked at the seam by his right shoulder. "Oops." He wasn't really sorry and grinned.

Laughing quietly, she got an idea. Haley slid two fingers into the ripped seam and pulled on the material. She bit her lip as the shirt tore more, and she pulled even harder so shirt came apart down the side. Her hands fell on Nathan's abs and she moved to the left seam.

Nathan had been watching Haley slowly tear his shirt off and he swallowed hard. Her warm hands traced his skin as she pulled on the other side. He could tell she was struggling so he moved in to help. "I got it..." He put his hands where hers were and pulled until he heard the seams snap. It split up the left side, and Nathan pulled harder to get the collar to break. Holding out the two halves of the shirt, Nathan dropped them and put his hands on Haley's waist pulling her closer. "Was this all part of it?" He smirked as he leaned down to kiss her, "...ripping it off me?"

Her lips buzzed off of his and Haley shrugged, "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it." She more than once pictured Nathan ripping that Chris Keller shirt off his body the moment she'd bought it.

The mood in the room had done a complete 180. There was something about tearing off that shirt slow and together that put a smirk on his face and blush on hers. The remnants of the top were on the floor and the duo made their way to the bed, but not before Nathan reached out to lock the door. Purple had always been their color.

And more than that, more than the game or the bet, one thing was clear. There were no winners or losers- not with Nathan and Haley. They were in it together. For now, for always, and forever.

**OTHOTH**

**There you go guys. Hope you liked it. I had to toss in a few throwbacks in there, and you better believe there will be a TON of them next chapter. And speaking of next chapter...sigh...I'm not sure when I'll post it. I imagine it's going to be hard to post the final one. I've been working on it since I was writing chapters way back in the 20s, so it's a _long_ time coming.**

**I'll work on the spin-offs first. They're due for an update, and then I'll post LM _100_ once I finish those new chapters. Remember, check those out if you're ever feeling a LM pange. They all correlate with one another. Essentially LM and the three spin-offs combine to make one HUGE story.**

**My reviewers: You guys know how much I've appreciated the feedback over the last couple years. Thanks for making this journey worth it. Hearing from y'all makes my day! Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement**

**HaleyBob: Like I said in my last review. It's just a matter of opinion, and I think we can leave it at that. Thanks for reviewing.**

**C: I appreciate the feedback! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed this one as well!**

**Joan: I'm so glad you liked seeing Nathan and Haley celebrating their anniversary at different stages in their marriage. I thought it would be nice to show something like that, and I enjoyed writing it. I took your and others' advice for this new chapter and I hope you liked it! And thanks for the well wishes for internship. It's been crazy...but awesomely exhausting and exciting.**

**Hadley: Thanks for the feedback. I didn't do an extension this chapter because I haven't watched the episode yet, and I didn't want to have to fool with changing Charlotte to Lydia. If I do one-shots about the new season (which I want to do) I'll post them separately from LM.**

**Review Please!**


	100. This Life With You

**Little Moments**

**Chapter 100: This Life With You**

**Disclaimer: After all these chapters I think this is a given. I do not own anything related to OTH. Thank you Mark Schwahn for creating two characters that I've come to know and love.**

**A/N: I don't know if I can express my gratitude for all of my reviewers and readers over this 27 month process. I started this story with no idea what to expect. I had no experience writing anything other than papers and essays, and I was scared to death. Now after nearly 600,000 words, I can understand what it feels like to be a writer, what it means to get feedback, and how much a simple chapter or update can mean to others. I will be forever grateful for all of my readers, my reviewers, and this site for allowing me to take an idea that came to me in economics class and turn it into a story that has had such a dedicated following. It's crazy and a bit emotional to look back on. Scratch that, _very_ emotional. Little Moments was the beginning for me, and now it's come to an end. Cue misty eyes. So THANK YOU. _Thank_ _you_ for supporting me and supporting this story. The time, energy, dedication, and worn out keys on my old laptop were all worth it. ALL of it. Thank you a million times over. This chapter is heavy and thick with emotion, but not all is as it seems...or maybe it is. But it's always and forever, right? Right, so take this leap, this jump, and take it all in. This is the _final_ moment.**

**Thanks for the ride, guys. Enjoy!**

**-ReeseHolden**

**OTHOTH**

She'd been resting, sleeping really. Sleeping to dream about days when they were young, when the kids were young, and the days they'd sat at that old bench at the Market Street dock. Those were the memories so full of life and love that Haley couldn't help but smile.

The pitter-patter against the window had woken her up, and as Haley opened her eyes, she could tell it was raining. That gray sky morning told her it was going to be a good day, though. They'd loved days like this. The days when the trees would hang with wet branches and dance with the wind from an incoming storm. It may have sounded strange and weird to love such a dreary day, but anyone who knew Haley James Scott understood her logic. Rain had always been a good thing.

"Mom?"

Haley closed her eyes at the sound of Charlotte's voice. It was real now.

Charlotte checked her watch. It was close to eleven, and they needed to get going. She smoothed the sides of her black dress down her waist before she walked closer. "We need to go soon."

Silently nodding, Haley sighed. The tear that fell from the corner of her eye was unstoppable. She was trying to be strong but there were some things Haley was never going to be strong enough for. Slowly getting off the bed, Haley walked over to the mirror and ran her hand over her hair. Her black pantsuit hadn't been wrinkled too badly when she'd laid down, and she straightened out her jacket as she took a deep breath.

It broke Charlotte's heart to see her mom so broken, so lonely, and so quiet. "Jamie's downstairs. You can ride with whomever you want."

Haley nodded kindly to her youngest but shrugged when she slid her keys off the dresser, "I think I'm gonna drive myself."

Her mom was eighty two years old and while Charlotte wasn't worried about Haley's driving, she was certainly worried about her emotional state. "Mom..."

"I'll be okay." The mother's warm brown eyes softened as she passed Charlotte and reached out to squeeze her arm, "I'm fine."

"_You're a little high on yourself, aren't you? Going around telling people you're all fine."_

His voice resonated in her head as Haley walked down the stairs hoping he might be waiting for her, but instead of his blue eyes, she saw Jamie's.

"Hey." He looked at his mom with one of his hands in his pockets. "I got your coat." Jamie held his mother's raincoat out and he helped her get it on.

"I'll meet you two there." Haley smiled at Jamie and nodded at Charlotte when she saw her daughter walk down the stairs.

Charlotte watched her mom walk to the front door and felt helpless. She'd never imagined the day when there would only be one of them. For all of Charlotte's fifty seven years, it had always been her mom and her dad, the two of them. Now it was only her mom. Charlotte's eyes started to well and there was nothing she could do about it.

"She's gonna be alright, Charlotte." Jamie looked at his sister and nodded, "We all will." He took a deep breath and guided his sister toward the door, "Come on. I'll drive."

Haley got into her car and listened to the drops of water bounce off the roof, each ping reminding her of separate occasions when rain had made things better. For such a sad day, she couldn't help but smile. He was with her because each drop told her so. She could feel him.

Gripping the steering wheel with her arthritic hands and age spots, Haley swallowed hard. Her blank stare was silent, but the emotion painted over her face said it all as she drove into town.

Tree Hill was pretty quiet other than Mother Nature's light precipitation. The rain was the only thing Haley could hear and it was like a symphonic melody helping motivate her every move, her every breath. The roads were wet and slick but she made it to the cemetery just fine. The kids and grand kids, friends, and other family members were just a minute behind her, and Haley walked through the maze of headstones with a heavy heart.

On her way, Haley paused by two gray stones she'd visited numerous times over the years. She put her hand on top of the one on the right and closed her eyes. "Tell him I love him, Luke." She hoovered for a minute, putting all her wait on her palm. Lucas had gone first. It was hard to believe a decade had passed, and the marker on the left reminded her that Peyton had succumbed to cancer just a few years ago. Haley felt her lip quiver as her hand brushed off the top of the cold, wet stone. There were many people she could have asked to relay the message, but something about Lucas felt right. As nerves climbed up her arm, Haley held onto her umbrella with a grip that was unwavering, hoping somehow Lucas would get him the message. She knew he would.

While the rain fell from the sky, Haley approached the plot and saw the chairs that were set up. She didn't plan on sitting down, though. The rain covered the seats and if she sat down she might not have the strength to get back up. Feeling very alone, Haley stood listening to the water hit the ground and felt her heart plummet into the depths of her stomach with each drop. She tried not to cry but she couldn't be brave this time. He was the one that had made her brave.

"_You make me brave. And I will love you until the end of time. This I vow today."_

That bravery was now watered down as the skies poured from above, and Haley tried to keep herself together. She hadn't noticed the footsteps coming from behind her until someone stood next to her and grabbed a hold of her hand. The old and aged hand was familiar and relieving. Turning to the warm body, Haley saw crows feet, dark eyes, and then heard that raspy voice.

"Hey, buddy."

Her voice wasn't as strong as it had once been, but the same Brooke Davis Baker Haley had known since high school slipped out of the elderly woman's lips. Brooke hadn't changed in all the time Haley had known her, and that familiar presence made Haley's eyes soften with kindness and appreciation. "Hi."

Brooke simply nodded and stood with Haley until the crowds of people started to filter in around them.

Between the grandkids and great-grandkids, Haley saw more pairs of blue eyes than she could count and she looked to the sky with closed eyes thanking her husband that she'd get to see him in them everyday.

Jamie stepped next to his mom and Charlotte took Brooke's place on the other side. The three of them stood there for a moment not knowing what to do or say as they looked to the casket destined to be buried underground.

Jamie's wife and Charlotte's husband stood just behind Haley, and the spouses wished they could do something to make things better, but each of them knew there wasn't anything they could do. This was going to be one of those days. One of those days when words didn't matter, when everything hurt.

Charlotte had to tell herself that he was in a better place, that things were going to be okay, and that her mom was gonna be okay, but this steady rain told her it was going to be a long, hard road. Death wasn't anything that was easy or simple. It hurt. It hurt so much that she could hardly stand it.

While everyone started to fill in and gather around the grave site, Haley could only think of all the time they'd shared together. The memories and the life they had created; it had all happened so fast.

Brooke stood back from her high school friend and took a deep breath. Never the most eloquent speaker, Brooke wasn't even sure there were words to describe what her old friend was going through. But she knew all too well how it felt. Julian had died five years earlier from an unexpected illness he couldn't seem to fight, and the same wave of emotion that she had felt when she'd said her last goodbye to him was boiling in her chest, causing her breath to sting the back of her throat. She raised a hand to her mouth to calm her nerves, but she couldn't stop the pain she felt. Brooke also couldn't believe that the things around her, things she'd known for so long and so well were ending.

It had been sixty six years, and Brooke had seen Tutor-girl and Boy-toy's relationship from the beginning- from the start. She couldn't even fathom the idea that it was over. Glancing at the brown eyed woman standing with her god-son and favorite Scott girl, Brooke started to cry. She cried for Haley, for Jamie, for Charlotte, and for everyone else. It was all too much. A strong arm found her back and Brooke looked to her son.

"Lucas and Peyton will take care of him. Dad too." Davis looked down to his mom and nodded with a somber smile.

Brooke felt her tears slide down her cheek. She placed her hand quickly over her chest as if gathering her strength to speak. "I know they will." Feeling someone brush her shoulder as they stood on the hollow and saturated ground, Brooke turned to her right and saw another high school friend. "Mouth..."

Putting his arm around Brooke's shoulder and pulling her close, Mouth didn't say a word. If Millie had been well she would have made it too. He'd be leaning on both of them instead of the cane he clutched in his hand. Mouth wanted to speak- to say something, but he didn't need to. They were all there for the same reason, to say goodbye.

It had been a bit of a surprise, you might say. Even into his eighties, the former Bobcat had maintained pretty good health. But when genetics mixed with an aging body, his heart didn't stand a chance.

A rumble of thunder off in the distance seemed to remove Haley from her state of mind. That cold casket that was only a few feet away from her wasn't the last thing she was going to remember about her husband. It couldn't be. They'd shared too many years together for a wooden box to symbolize the man she'd spent what felt like her whole life with. Suddenly a memory from just a few days ago flew into Haley's mind.

_The morning sunrise never changed. Over the course of their marriage, waking up had been one of the many routines that never seemed to alter. _

_Nathan had rolled over and his eighty something year old blue eyes opened to meet her brown ones. He couldn't even count the number of times they'd done this; woken up next to each other, silent, but __saying more than ever._

_He looked at her face and studied her wrinkles. Each line told a story he knew well. The deep set crease in between her eyebrows was the mark of a sixty-six year marriage. Sixty six years. Nathan looked at the woman next to him and smirked. Her hair may have turned a soft cream color but Haley still looked like that sixteen year old girl he'd fallen in love with. She always had. No matter the time or place, Haley was still the girl she'd always been._

_While his blue eyes ran over her features, Haley couldn't help but fix her brown orbs on his face. That face belonged to the man she'd fallen for in high school. Nathan Scott had been a boy back then. A boy who had an aura that swept her off her feet and a smirk that convinced her to marry him. As her eyes roamed over his cheeks, she saw that sweet little freckle on his right side. It was amazing to her that she hadn't wiped it off yet. Over the last sixty plus years Haley had been grabbing a hold of that cheek and using her thumb to swipe that little spot countless number of times. She smiled just thinking about it and then she heard his voice._

"_Morning."_

_Her smile grew and her eyes warmed, "Morning."_

_After looking at her for what seemed like a lifetime, Nathan pushed the covers away from him and he took a deep breath. "You want coffee?"_

_She gave him a simple nod and watched him gingerly get out of bed. His right knee had been replaced about seven years ago but he was still walking with a hitch in his step. The wear and tear of playing professional basketball had taken it's toll. His back was okay but there was a plethora of little things that were aggravating him. Not to mention the big ones. His shirt covered the scar from his bypass operation he'd had fifteen years ago, and each day Haley thanked her lucky stars he hadn't been taken from her then._

_As the mother of two got out of bed, Haley could feel it too- age. She hadn't played basketball, but her bones were tired and the arthritis in her hands and wrists made some days unbearable. She slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe and slowly made her way downstairs passing picture after picture that chronicled their lives thus far._

_It was a wonder they still had their same old house. With their age continuing to take its toll on their weakened bodies, it was surprising they were still up in that second floor bedroom too. They could have taken the easy way out and moved into one of those old folks, retirement communities, but Nathan's pride was too much for that. Last year Jamie wanted to install one of those motorized chairs that rode up and down the steps, but Nathan wouldn't have it. He said it would be a toy for the kids and reason to get lazy; both of which he didn't particularly want to try out. So there they still were; same house, same love, same everything._

_Slowly shuffling into the kitchen when she made it downstairs, Haley stepped next to her husband and put her hand on the small of his back as he got out two coffee mugs._

_Without thought or hesitation, Nathan leaned across to her and placed a sweet kiss on top of Haley's head._

_It was that genuine routine, that simple gesture that could define everything Nathan and Haley had built for the last sixty something years. They didn't play for show, they played for keeps. It was how they'd been, and how they always were. Nothing could change it, nothing could break, and nothing compared to it._

Thunder rumbled off in the distance and brought Haley back to present day. Her attention was taken by the casket that started to dip below the ground, and Haley's throat felt constricted- as if someone had just taken the very air from her lungs.

Moving on and letting go wasn't going to be easy.

**OTHOTH**

The weeks and months that followed had been unbearably difficult. Days lasted for what seemed like years. One hundred and sixty one days had gone by, but it felt like a second lifetime, a lifetime she wished had been with him and not alone, but Haley hadn't been alone.

Haley had an army of support around her. Charlotte made sure her mom wasn't alone for any length of time, Jamie too. Brooke made as many visits to the house as she could. Sawyer stayed in town longer than she'd planned. With both of her parents gone, she knew a thing or two about death and coping. Everyone was doing their part.

So far, Haley's family and friends had really made the last five and a half months a little bit easier.

Today was one of those days that helped Haley get through it all. Charlotte and her two girls had taken Haley out for lunch, and the four women were just getting back to the house. The youngest one, a wily twenty-six year old who had acquired the nickname Mayday, spent most of the car ride home talking about her meandering life in hotel management, which had ended up tiring out her grandmother.

As the three younger women sat down in the living room to extend their visit, Haley excused herself from the room. "I...I think I may rest a little while..." Haley glanced at two pairs of brown eyes and one set of green.

"Oh, Mom, are you sure?" Charlotte started to get up to see if Haley needed anything.

"Sit...sit. I'm fine. You three talk." Glancing down to her tired feet, the older woman smiled warmly. "I'll come out to join you later." As much as she'd love to sit and talk, some time to lay down and shut her eyes sounded even better. Lately it seemed like nap time was peace of mind time. It was a time she could sleep away reality and dream about what was and had been. It was a time she'd get to see him again.

Slowly making her way to one of the guest bedrooms downstairs they'd converted into her own room, Haley gingerly laid down and took a few deep breaths.

It wouldn't be long until she was lost in sleep.

When Haley woke up, she wasn't sure she'd quit dreaming, or if she was actually awake. Dreams were tricky like that. Her eyes were looking at a ceiling but it wasn't the one she'd last seen. When she looked to her left and right, she recognized the walls and the pictures from years ago. She started to sit up in bed and looked around the bedroom that had been hers at her parent's old house. It had to be a dream. Haley had a sudden feeling of high school nostalgia wash over her body. The_ Attack of the 50ft Woman_ poster was still hanging in its place and there was a history text book siting on her desk.

"_They can watch."_

Nathan's voice was in her head again, and Haley was sure she'd wake up at any moment. Taking in her surroundings, she furrowed her brow when she looked down to see the skin of a sixteen year old. She wasn't sure what was going on, but that was how dreams worked, wasn't it? They plopped you down in anytime frame without warning and could take you to another whenever they wanted. That was why she felt like an old woman dreaming through the subconscious of her younger self, right?

Before she could even answer that question in her mind, the door of her bedroom opened and her mom came prancing in with a laundry basket. "I'm doing a load of whites, so if you've got any, now's your time..."

"Mom...?" Haley's tone made it seem like she wasn't expecting her mom to be around. Then Haley remembered this was all a part of her dream. It had to be part of her dream.

Lydia stopped before she got to the hamper and looked to her daughter with a raised brow and a laugh, "What's with the question? You sound like you haven't seen me in _years_." Lydia laughed at Haley and shook her head. "You've been studying too hard again, haven't you?"

Flinging the covers off her body, Haley looked down to see that she was already dressed and got out the bed more confused than ever.

Putting the laundry basket on her hip, Lydia walked up to her daughter and looked hard into her eyes, "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Haley wasn't sure what to think but shook her head. This dream felt real. Something was different. "No. I'm...uh. I'm sure it's nothing." Just as she said that, Haley heard someone hammering outside of her room and she winced at the noise.

"Don't mind your father. He's just banging on that thing to bang. I told him those boards were perfectly fine."

Walking out of her room, Haley saw her father on his hands and knees banging the hammer against the floorboards.

"Oh. You're still here?" Jimmy checked his watch and furrowed his brow when he saw his youngest in the doorway. "I thought you'd be outta here by now. Aren't you meeting that horny cat burglar before class?"

Haley laughed out loud and shook her head still not sure how this dream was supposed to work. "Daddy, hi."

"Morning to you, too." Jimmy smiled at Haley and set his hammer down. "I'd get going if I were you. It's not like you to be late for school."

"Right." Haley nodded and headed down the stairs. She checked her watch and saw that she didn't have long to get to school on time.

"Oh, and Haley...?" Her mother's voice echoed down the stairs and the sixteen year old feeling Haley turned around to meet her mother's eyes. "Don't forget about dinner tonight." She laughed and shook her head, "Somehow we've harangued all your brothers and sisters back to town. Haven't heard from Tay...but everyone else will be here."

"Oh, okay." Haley nodded and walked out of the front door thinking things were really strange. Was it some holiday? Her entire family was hardly anywhere at once.

As the cool breeze of fall met her cheek, Haley looked outside and started to head for school. Tree Hill looked the same, but different at the same time. It was as if the best of the past decades filled the streets of her hometown. This dream wasn't set in any one particular time or date; it seemed to be a smattering of sorts.

The high school looked just as it did when she was a student. Her sixteen year old self seemed to be a bit different though. Somewhere between home and school it seemed her style and age had changed as she walked towards school. Haley looked down and realized the tacky poncho somehow morphed into that blue and black Ravens uniform she'd worn so many times before.

Haley's first thought was to head to the Tutor Center. Since her dad said she was supposed to be meeting Nathan, that seemed like the obvious place to turn. Wondering which subject it was he needed help with this time, Haley stopped shy of the library when she heard a steady bounce come from the gym. Of course Nathan would skip their tutoring session to play basketball.

Opening the doors to the basketball court, Haley didn't immediately recognize the place. It wasn't the usual high school gym, it was the rundown one the team had played in during their senior year. And it wasn't Nathan bouncing a ball, it was Whitey.

Hearing someone approaching, Coach Durham turned around with that old man smile. "What brings you here, Mrs. Scott?"

Mrs. Scott? Wait a second, did time jump again? This dream was going to be hard to catch up with if it kept jumping ages on her.

Haley smiled at her husband's high school coach. "I thought Nathan might be here."

Chuckling, Whitey shook his head and scratched the spot just above his brow. "You know Nathan. He won't come to school on a weekend. Hell, I can hardly get him in here on a weekday."

Now it was the weekend? "Oh..." Haley slowly nodded and looked to the ball in Whitey's hands. "I thought you were him. I mean not that you're him, but that since you were bouncing the ball and..." Haley shook her head because she knew she wasn't making sense.

Her rambling made the older man laugh. Holding that round, leather ball between his two hands, Whitey looked down at it with a grin. "Well he's not here, but you might try the Rivercourt."

"Right." Haley nodded and started to turn away. "Thanks Co..." Haley looked over her shoulder to say goodbye but didn't see Whitey anymore.

Now even more confused about the format and setup of this dream, Haley walked outside and saw the scenery change completely. She didn't end up outside of the gym. It was as if Haley blinked and was right where she needed to be. She was at the River Court. The murky Cape sped towards the ocean and Haley admired the Coast Guard cutter, the Diligence, that was tied up across the way. Downtown seemed as quaint as ever, and Haley looked to her feet and smiled at the cracked and aged pavement.

The sun was shining on the Rivercourt, and she shaded her eyes to see a guy shooting a free throw. Sliding her hand away from her forehead, Haley felt her shorter hair with her fingers. It was now dark brown and cut above her shoulders.

The shadowy figure was hidden by the sun's glare, and Haley approached the court with a squint.

"I see you checking me out. Mrs. H.J.S. Don't play now." Quentin ran over to get his rebound and then walked towards his English teacher with a sarcastic grin. "I promise I'm reading. I got through twenty pages of _Les Mis _last night." The basketball star spun the ball on his finger and arched his brow. "That's really why you came to see me, right? To make sure I'm keeping up?"

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Haley's mouth hung open for a while as she tried to remember what it was she was even doing there. This was bizarre. The last time she saw Quentin was when Jamie was five. "Well...I'm happy you've read so much, Quentin, but I was actually looking for Nathan."

"Phfft...don't you worry about him. He's getting ready to hand over that scoring title." His contagious laugh echoed over the court.

Smiling in defense of her husband, Haley laughed. "We'll see about that..."

"Oh you wait. I'll get him. And if it's not me, my money's on Jamie." Quentin grinned as he shot the ball and hurried to get his rebound. "But nah, I haven't seen Nathan."

Wondering where he could have run off to, Haley glanced across the Cape Fear and knew he must have been in town somewhere. "See you later, Q."

"I hope you'll be ready to read one fine ass report on Monday. Me and _Les Mis_ are getting tight!"

Laughing as she walked back to the Mazda that was parked under the tree, Haley found herself driving back to town. She crossed over the bridge and glanced at her reflection in the mirror, seeing another version of her younger self. This time her hair was still brown but it had grown out a little bit. Her outfit had changed for the billionth time, and Haley laughed out loud when she thought about Brooke. Brooke would love to dream in multiple outfits.

As she drove further into town, Haley thought a quick visit to Tric might help with her search. Haley spotted that familiar Comet and pulled into the gravel parking lot. Nathan may not be there, but Peyton might know where he is.

Once inside, Haley walked into the studio like she'd done so many times. Peyton was listening to The Cure and working on something behind her desk. She was wearing a white t-shirt and black vest. Her hair was strait and fell loosely passed her shoulders. Lanky and sarcastic, Peyton was glowing, reminiscent of the early days she had been pregnant with Sawyer. The music lover looked up and smiled with a hint of surprise. "Haley...you're here."

Taking a seat across from her sister-in-law, Haley laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"No...it's just... I thought you were coming later." Peyton put down the drawing she was working on and slid it to the side of her desk.

"To be honest...I don't know what I'm doing here." Haley laughed and widened her eyes, "Maybe I'm supposed to come by later? I don't know what's going on. Is there an itinerary I'm supposed to follow?" Sitting back in the chair, Haley looked at Peyton and realized the blonde seemed just as normal as ever. "Wait...is this still part of the _dream_? I'm so confused. One minute I'm with my parents and I feel sixteen. The next I'm older and with Whitey..."

Smiling, Peyton clasped her hands together and wheeled her chair closer to her desk. "It takes some getting used to."

Haley scrunched her brow. "Wait, what?" Laughing at herself, the brunette Mrs. Scott looked around. "This is the part where Brooke comes over to me and says, for being so smart, your acting like an idiot, right?"

Taking a deep breath, Peyton shook her head slowly. "Brooke's not here... not yet."

"And I can't find Nathan either."

Haley wasn't getting it, so Peyton talked slower. "No...Nathan's _here_." The blonde pointed down, "Not in Tric, but he's _here_. But...Brooke won't be here for a while."

Letting the information sink in, Haley was starting to piece things together. Everyone she'd come across so far in this _dream_ were people she hadn't spent time with in years. Speaking out loud, Haley thought about the people she _hadn't_ seen. "Mouth...Brooke...our kids..." All of those people had one distinct thing in common. As Haley began to comprehend her surroundings, her eyes widened. "This isn't a dream...is it?", Haley said as her confusion turned into clarity.

Peyton smile and shook her head. It wasn't a dream at all.

Haley glanced around and took a good look at her hands. No wonder she felt so young. "So, I'm not dreaming." This time is wasn't a question, simply a statement of truth Haley conjured up as the pieces fell together. Haley looked from her hands to her sister-in-law and the reality of where she was _really_ hit her. "Where's Julian?"

Peyton looked towards the Atlantic. "At the beach...waiting for Brooke."

Haley took a sharp breath in as her airway constricted. How sweet. If Julian was waiting for Brooke, did that mean Nathan was waiting for her? And, what about Lucas? "Where's Luke?"

"Around. Writing, maybe?" Peyton shrugged. "When I first got here, I was driving around wondering where the heck everyone was and almost hit him with my car." The blonde laughed, "Some things never change."

Slowly getting up, Haley started to think about the reality of this _place_ a little more. Walking towards the door, she turned back to Peyton again. She seemed to know all the answers. "Does everyone...know?" How did she ask a question that might not have an answer? Did everyone _know_ where they were? It certainly seemed like her parents, Whitey, and Q were in their roles from the past. It was as if this _place_ had helped them find their way, helped them find what they wanted and needed. "How does it work," Haley asked unsure of it all.

"It depends. It's what you make it," Peyton said with a smile. "Sometimes we act like kids, like we're in high school. Other days we're older. We remember what brought us here."

Haley sighed, "So, does Lucas remember?" She thought about the disease that made him forget. She wondered if this _place_ brought it all back.

Peyton held out the picture she was working on. When he'd gotten sick, she drew their life in pictures so he could remember, and she continued to do it here. The one she was doing now was from a wedding. Small and outside, the bride wasn't pregnant so it wasn't Lucas and Peyton's, but it was someone they knew; a wedding worth remembering.

Peyton put the unfinished drawing on top of another one and nodded. "He remembers everything." Alzheimer's had no effect on him here, but she continued to draw anyway. He put their life in words and she put them in images.

Smiling and turning away at that, Haley quickly waved goodbye. "I'll see you later." She headed out to see if she could find her husband. She drove through the quiet streets and realized it had gotten dark. Front Street was almost empty. Haley saw the building that was Clothes over Bro's and realized it wasn't a clothing store anymore.

Pulling up to the curb, Haley got out of the car and walked to the door. There were a few lights on, but the _closed_ sign was displayed. Peeking through the windows, the counter looked the same, the decorations; it was back to the Karen's Cafe from their high school days. Haley's hand pushed open the door, and she was surprised to see that it was unlocked. She was even more surprised to see someone walk out from the kitchen.

"Haley, what a nice surprise. Are you joining us for dinner? We have plenty." Karen looked under the counter and pulled out another bowl, setting it next to the other four.

"Karen...Hi." Slowly walking to the counter, Haley found a stool to sit on. "I probably won't stay. I was just..."

"Oh, don't be silly. Stay. We'd love the extra company." Karen tilted her head to the kitchen. "Let me get the chili."

So they were having chili? Somehow that seemed rather appropriate. The bell on the door made a noise when someone came in, and Haley turned to see her best friend in a gray hoodie and a basketball by his hip.

"Hales..."

"Hi." Haley got off her stool and looked over her best friend's appearance. He seemed so young, but more than that, it nearly brought a tear to her eye when he addressed her by her name. She couldn't remember the last time he'd done that. The last time they'd been together, his illness had erased her from his memory. HCM and Alzheimer's had been a terrible combination.

Lucas walked closer to Haley and put the ball down, pulling his friend into his side. "I'm glad your'e here." The two old friends shared a look that said it all.

"Sorry I'm late." A voice came from the door as another regular walked inside the cafe.

Haley had turned to watch the man walk further inside and her voice left her throat. A silent name slipped from her lips. Her eyes began to well with tears because she hadn't seen Keith since she was in high school, sixty five years ago.

Having seen this reaction before, Keith walked over to Haley and hugged her. "Nice to see you, Haley."

Karen smiled at the interaction, and then looked to the love of her life. "And you're not late. We're still waiting on Peyton."

Smudging a tear away from her cheek, Haley pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "I just saw her at Tric. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"You never know with her, though. She could stay in there listening to a record all night." Lucas smiled and sipped a glass of water with a shake of his head.

"Oh and Haley, you can tell Nathan he's just about the worst mechanic I have on staff." Keith laughed and took a seat at one of the tables Karen had set up. "I found a wrench he left in a car today. I'd been wondering what he'd done to make the engine rattle so loudly."

"Oh be easy on him, Keith." Karen walked over to the table with a smile and took a seat as they waited on Peyton.

Talking about Nathan made Haley think about him. She glanced to the chili, bowls, and waters, but knew she needed to be somewhere else. Haley wasn't entirely sure where that was, but she knew who she was supposed to be with. Addressing the three people in the cafe, Haley started to walk for the door. "Thanks for asking me to stay, but I think I'm gonna go. I need to find Nathan."

"Come back whenever you want, Haley, the door's always open." Karen waved at Haley and watched the girl walk out of the cafe.

Haley didn't bother with the car, she was taking to the sidewalks. There was a slight chill in the air, and she tugged the jean jacket she had on tighter across her back. Her outfit had changed again. A yellow headband secured her hair that was already pulled back and she knew that she was sixteen again. A black convertible was coming her way, and she and Peyton waved at each other as they crossed paths. Peyton looked different than she had earlier. This time her hair was a curly mess and she looked younger than she had when they'd met in Tric.

Taking a deep breath, Haley found her feet guiding her way, and she tucked her hands across her chest as she headed further into town. But feeling something against her wrist made Haley stop in her tracks. Looking down at the colorful bracelet, Haley traced the childish looking charms and then looked to Market Street. That had to be where he was.

Haley wasn't a runner, she was hardly an athlete, but this wasn't technically reality, right? If she wanted to run, she could probably run as fast as the Olympians, so that's what she started to do. But instead of some epic running scene, she closed her eyes and opened them to find herself a few blocks down the road where she needed to be. Her heart was racing, her cheeks were radiating a soft pink shade, and she could hardly breathe. There he was. Or there someone was. Sitting at one of the tables that lined the Cape Fear, a tall guy was sitting by himself as daybreak started to spread across the horizon.

Haley slowly walked towards him and felt her throat close up as she neared. It was Nathan. He was wearing his blue and white letterman jacket and was watching the river flow by.

She took a seat, and when he knew she was sitting across from him, Nathan turned to lock his blue eyes with her brown ones. A cute smirk fell across his face, "You're late."

Laughing a little as a tear formed in the corner of her eye, Haley stared at the man she'd spent a lifetime with. "I'm sorry." She wasn't really even sure what she was apologizing for, but she thought she may have known.

He'd spent one hundred and sixty one days waiting for this moment, waiting for her. It had been twenty-three weeks since he'd seen her last, but now they were together again.

Haley swallowed hard, "I got worried when I didn't see you...when I couldn't find you."

Nathan's could hear their past in her words. His tone softened and he smiled. "I'm right here." He reached out for her and took Haley's hands in his own.

His hands were soft and familiar, and she was reminded of their time together. She closed her eyes and memories started to flash through her mind; high school, Jamie, college, the NBA, and Charlotte. It was all running through her mind like a movie reel. Fast images of the good, the bad, and everything in between. When Haley opened her eyes again, she saw her husband sitting across from her, but he looked different than he had before. Nathan wasn't as young and instead of the letterman jacket, he was wearing that old black leather one.

Raising one of her hands towards his mouth, Nathan kissed the inside of her wrist. "I missed you."

Haley felt her heart pound with furious motivation, its rhythm in sync with his. She got up, pulling him to his feet. Standing chest to chest, when brown met blue again, Haley lifted up on her tip-toes and kissed him softly. "I love you, Nathan Scott." As the sun lit the early morning sky, golden hues beamed off of the water and reflected in their eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

And they weren't. Neither of them were. Spending an eternity by each other's side had been part of the plan. In sickness and in health, till death do they part... And yet, 'Till death do they part' was simply a formality. The traditional saying wasn't grounded in truth because that traditional saying never knew a love like theirs. Nathan and Haley weren't like everyone else; they weren't normal. They never had been and never would be. True love, the kind that they shared, was everlasting and unbreakable. Nothing could keep it at bay. Not even death.

They had a love that inspired others. They had a life of a million little moments that would last forever.

You can't separate something like that, not for long, anyway. So they were keeping their word and following through with their vows. Always truly meant forever, so forever it would be.

**THE END**


End file.
